'Suck For Luck': Colts Bill Polian Scouted Andrew Luck This Past Weekend

#SuckForLuck

It's a hash that is slowly, but surely, trending on Twitter, especially when applied to the Indianapolis Colts. It started seeing more of it from fans after news of Peyton Manning's spinal fusion surgery broke.

The phase 'Suck for Luck' refers to a suggested plan of action: That the Colts tank the 2011 regular season on purpose so they can get the No. 1 overall pick and draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck in 2012.

Now, realistically, the Colts aren't going to lose on purpose. If they did, I think Commissioner Goodell would probably be none-too-pleased. Second, I don't know how any coach could ever win back the respect of his players, especially guys like Jeff Saturday and Dwight Freeney, if he told them to intentionally lose. So, unless Jim Caldwell is looking to get bat up by his players and then fired by his owner, the idea of 'Suck for Luck' as an actual strategy is silliness.

For those who are hoping the Colts will lose lots of games in 2011 despite their best efforts, take heart in knowing that the man who drafted Peyton Manning in 1998 is, at the very least, doing his due diligence in finding Peyton's eventual replacement.

From Peter King (thanks to reader PeytonIsGOAT)

...the fact that president Bill Polian was watching Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck play at Duke on Saturday is a harbinger of an autumn where the Colts will do due diligence on every quarterback that might come out in the draft next April.

Hmmmm. Maybe 'Suck for Luck' really is a strategy the Colts are implementing in 2011.

Now, obviously I'm being facetious when I joke that Bill Polian and Jim Caldwell are secretly working behind the scenes to under-cut the efforts of their players and lose a ton of football games in 2011. I don't think they are doing that, though, on some level, it would be very comical if they were. As with all players, I think ole Bill, who is newly liberated from the tedious day-to-day duties of running the team (having turned those over to his son, Chris) now has more time to scout players and evaluate them.

Thus, his scouting of Andrew Luck.

Comparisons to Manning were inevitable this year for Luck. Like Peyton, he decided to return his senior year and focus solely on football. In fact, Peyton even advised Andrew to do so. Luck is also a frequent visitor to Peyton's QB camp every July. So, already there is a bond between the two QBs.

And, like it or not, Luck will be considered 'the next Peyton Manning' when he is drafted next year. Whether he lives up to that awesome hype remains to be seen.

Already, after their Week 1 humiliation at the hands of the Houston Texans, which was one of the worst loses in Colts history, people are already writing that the Colts could be the NFL's version of the San Antonio Spurs, who famously faltered in 1997-1998 season after an injury to David Robinson and 'lucked' into the first overall pick the next year. That selection would be future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan.

That writers are already saying the Colts are in the 'Luck Sweepstakes' should give you all some idea just how poorly the Colts are thought of, sans Manning. And all the team did yesterday was reinforce the myth that the Colts are Peyton Manning,,, and pretty much just that. Peyton Manning, and nothing else.

And if this team is one of the worst in the NFL sans Manning, I don't know how that can reflect well on Bill Polian and his two kids that he has running the front office. But, you never know. And, if by some small miracle the Colts do have a chance to draft Andrew Luck, taking him would invest a ton of money into a player who, theoretically, will never play if Peyton Manning returns.

and should Peyton never play again, the Colts just gave him a $90 million dollar contract. As far as we know, there were no injury clauses in the contract. Hell, Peyton didn't even need to pass a physical after signing it. Even if Peyton never takes another snap, the Colts will still owe him $55 million.

Crazy, right?

So, even if the team does 'Suck for Luck,' they will still owe a lot of money (and cap space) to No. 18.