Let's start with the easiest one first, the Miami Dolphins. the Dolphins started the season with Chad Henne as their starting quarterback and have now turned to Matt Moore. How any team starts the season with these two as their quarterbacks is mind boggling. Unless the goal is to lose on purpose so you can get Andrew Luck.
The odds of Luck ending up in Miami are pretty good too. the Colts and Rams are both awful but both play in very weak divisions. One of those teams could accidentally win a game. the Dolphins play in a division with two teams that made the playoffs last season and the upstart 4-2 Buffalo Bills. If the Dolphins end up with the worst record in the league then this is a no-brainer, Andrew Luck is the new quarterback of the Miami Dolphins.
Former quarterback and NFL analyst Phil Simms said on Showtime's "inside the NFL" that the Indianapolis Colts would never draft Andrew Luck if they get the first draft pick because Peyton Manning wouldn't let them. It's hard to imagine the Colts defying Manning and even harder to imagine the Colts replacing Manning but it's time.
Manning has now played 12 seasons in a brutally physical league. Manning is 35-years old and will likely miss the entire season due to an injury. can Manning come back from the injury? Who knows. If anybody can put in the work to try it certainly is Manning but even if Manning returns can you expect him to play at a high level for more than 2 years? Even if you feel confident Manning can come back the Colts should go a head and get Luck to replace Manning. once upon a time the first round draft pick was paid so much that teams didn't want to sit them on the bench and forced a lot of top picks to play before they should but now the first pick in the draft will make significantly less than they did in the past.
The third team is the St. Louis Rams. the Rams have their quarterback of the present and future in Sam Bradford right? I like Bradford. I think he'll be a good quarterback when he plays on a team that actually has some weapons around him. Luck seems like an even better option though. So what is the solution for the Rams? Trade him.
There are several positives to trading Bradford if the Rams get the number one pick in the draft. Number one obviously is that you get Luck, who most people think will be an upgrade. Number two is that Bradford's stock is high enough that you'll still get a first round pick and if the Raiders are willing to give up possibly two first round draft picks for Carson Palmer then there is probably an idiot in the league that will overpay for Bradford too. the third reason Luck is a great option for the Rams is the money I mentioned earlier. the top pick in the draft will now make less than in previous seasons. Luck could end up costing half as much as Bradford. If the Rams play their cards right they could end up with a better quarterback at a cheaper price and a few extra draft picks.
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The last several generations of Lee Andrew Henderson's family were Pittsburgh born and even though he was born in Alabama he has been a long time fan of the Pirates, Steelers and Panthers. Lee Andrew Henderson can be found on Twitter @LeeAHenderson
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