Jeff Saturday compared Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning
Back in 1998 the Indianapolis Colts took Peyton Manning with the first overall pick over Ryan Leaf. What happened next was over a decade of success that saw Manning win three MVP awards and take the Colts to two Super Bowls and bring one championship home.
Then Manning went down before the 2011 season and was forced to sit out. That lead the Colts to release Manning.
There they were again in 2012 with the number one overall pick. This time the Colts took Andrew Luck over Robert Griffen III. And until last season, we watched Luck lead the Colts to three straight playoff appearances, lead the league in touchdowns in 2014, and take the Colts to the AFC Championship game.
The comparison will always be there between the two. Both were brought in to save the franchise. Manning took the reigns over for a Colts team that had virtually been irelevent since their Baltimore days and put them on the map.
Luck took over for a franchise that was headed into a new direction. One that he is now expected to put right back on track and compete every season for a Super Bowl. And while he might not be there yet, former Colts (and Peyton’s body guard) center Jeff Saturday compared the two earlier this week.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Mike Wells, Saturday said this.
“I think both of those guys felt they were or going to do their very best to win a championship respective of their pay. Their performance allowed them to be the highest paid at their position or be classified at the top of their position. Good for them. I don’t think it changes who they are. I think with both those guys and the type of pressure they put on themselves, I don’t think they change at all. I think they look at it as they’re going to continue on the same journey that they were on and try to help their teams win championships.”
Remember Manning signed a mega-contract back in the day, just like the one Luck just signed earlier this month. Both at the time had been to an AFC Championship.
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Saturday was the unspoken leader behind Manning on the offense for years, and the Colts just took center Ryan Kelly to hopefully do the same thing he did.
If Kelly is even 70 percent of what Saturday was, then the Colts might have found the jackpot again and paired Luck with a Pro Bowl center.
Hopefully Luck bounces back this season, and Saturday’s comments are right. Luck can and will bring a championship back to Indianapolis.
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