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A few days ago, Reggie Wayne called himself the "vice president" of the Colts offense, with Andrew Luck occupying the president role. It was a nice gesture by Reggie, who is commonly regarded as a great leader and influence in the locker room, which was displayed as well as ever in 2012.
But how accurate is it? Luck seems to think not very, as when asked about it yesterday he commented that "[Reggie] is the real president if he can appoint the president. Is that how it works?" He got quite a few laughs with the quote, then went on to explain more, saying:
"It's obviously very kind when Reggie says that something like that. I think year two as a quarterback, yeah, you are going to grow as a leader, hopefully, if you are on the right track. I feel like if I have an opinion that needs to be heard, I'll say it. I feel more free doing that but really in my mind Reggie is still what I view as the leader of our offense. He's the guy that's been there in every situation, he knows what's going on, he's a great team player. He is the one I look up to as a leader. But it's nice of him to say that."
Earlier this offseason, veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, brought in to be Luck's backup, mentioned how impressed he was by the young quarterback's leadership, saying that:
"I knew he was a great player. I obvioulsy saw him play in college and also last year. But I really didn't know what kind of leader he was in the locker room. It just comes real natural to him. He's got a great sense of when to pull somebody aside, how to deal with coaches, just how he treats everyone around him. He's been off-the-charts impressive in that way."
Wayne agreed with him when talking just a few days ago, saying of Luck:
"I'm just keeping the seat warm for him. At the end of the day, he's our leader. He's been more vocal this year and rightfully so. I'm the vice president. I'm not the president. It's his team... whenever he has another mission to take care of, that's when I step in. That's what vice presidents do."
The respect for Luck is obviously there throughout the entire team. He really has grown into the leadership role, a role most quarterbacks are expected to do but many don't. Donald Brown said yesterday that "he's making great plays and he's becoming a great leader."
Pep Hamilton commented yesterday on Luck that:
"I think he's, for the most part, been consistent as far as his personality is concerned. He's selfless, he's a great teammate, and in a lot of ways, he's a quiet leader. He has a way of holding guys accountable without calling them out or putting them on the spot, and that's a great attitude of a leader and that's something he's been able to do. I'm not saying he hasn't evolved as a leader over the years, but he's consistent more than anything."
Yeah, Luck is really impressive on the field. But he's just as impressive off of it. Reggie Wayne is a tremendous leader as well, and it makes the team atmosphere that much better when Reggie is totally willing to give the Oval Office, so to speak, to Andrew Luck. I don't know which one of them truly is in that spot right now, but it's safe to say that both of them are great leaders in the locker room and lead by example on the field. I don't really care which one of them is the president and which one is the vice president right now because, really, I'd be ecstatic about either one of them as president.