After Toby Gerhart left, the hopes of the Stanford Cardinals have been on the shoulders of talented quarterback, Andrew Luck.

Andrew Luck must have taken from his own father who used to be a quarterback at West Virginia. Much of Andrew’s style he got from his dad who was later drafted and proceeded to play as NFL quarterback for the Houston Oilers. During high school Andrew was a choice pick and a favorite of athletic recruiters. After months of deciding, he eventually cast his lot with the Stanford Cardinals. He played a very good game during his first year and was subsequently given the position of starting quarterback. He had competed for that honor with Tavita Pritchard and became, on that account, the second athlete of Stanford win that distinction during his freshman year.

His NFL stock has grown to such an extent that he may be leaving collegiate football as early as on his third year, next year. Coach Jim Harbaugh is banking otherwise and is of the opinion that Andrew may have other options than that. He is definitely talking the matter over carefully with Luck by the time this year’s competition is over. The coach hopes to arrive at a resolution that will be advantageous both for Andrew and the team.

The Stanford Cardinals’ victory over USC and Oregon last year was largely to the credit of Luck. However, Andrew injured one of his fingers and had to be operated on before the team played their championship bout. They eventually lost it.

In 2009 he had managed to throw 2,575 yards and he succeeded in completing 162 of his 288 attempts at passing while only 4 were intercepted. In spite of that record, Andrew is still working to improve himself in that as well as in all other aspects of the game. His time playing with and under Toby Gerhart taught him a lot about leadership and developing a style.

Andrew learned a lot while playing with Gerhart. Since the latter transferred to Minnesota too play with the Vikings, Luck has shown himself capable of leading the Vikings. Although endows with talent, he prefers to weed out his defects rather than sit on his laurels. Along this line he appreciates criticism more than he likes to be praised.

Andrew has all the qualities that are needed to play a winning game. He has strength in his arm and hands, fast and controlled speed, smartness and the potential for leadership that his teem gained advantage from during the last season of games. His experience has made him more professional at the end of the year when he became even faster, more powerful and wiser. At present, he would like to gain more of that power and speed as well as to sharpen his decision-making ability.

Last spring, Luck displayed better control of his game, much better than his training game as a freshman. The hopes of Coach Harbaugh and the rest of his teammates now rest on his shoulders. They are looking to see an improved replay of the events of 2009, another shot at the championship for 2010, this time a winning one. Since he has been called the best quarterback of the country by Harbaugh, it seems Andrew is headed for the company of the team’s legendary players.

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Author Bio: Freddie Brister is a retired football coach who writes for SportsFanTreasures.com. Check out his Stanford Grill Cover or his Oakland Raiders Bedding or his Texas Christian Watch

Category: Sports
Keywords: Stanford Cardinals,NFL Quarterback,Collegiate Football