No fewer than eight single-season or single-game offensive records fell in the NFL this season.
And New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees followed up the most prolific passing regular season in history with 466 yards in a wild card playoff win against the Detroit Lions on Saturday — setting a record for a regulation postseason game.
It’s another reflection of the new reality in the NFL.
Rules changes primarily aimed at improving player safety also have turned the league into a video game. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers set a record with a 122.5 QB rating this year. Brees threw for 5,476 yards and completed 71.2 percent of his passes, setting new single-season marks in both categories.
Even rookie Cam Newton, without the benefit of a full offseason because of the lockout, set new standards for a first-year player in passing yards (4,051) and any quarterback in rushing touchdowns (14).
All of which leads to the simple conclusion that the Indianapolis Colts must draft Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in April.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that Colts owner Jim Irsay already has come to that decision, as well.
But Irsay took to his Twitter account to refute those rumors, saying the draft is a long process.
And he’s right, of course.
The draft combine, at which teams will get their first up-close-and-personal look at the top prospects, still is more than a month away.
There are interviews to be conducted with the players themselves, their coaches, their families and perhaps even their high school history teachers.
There’s too much money on the line, and too much at stake for the history of the franchise, for Irsay to be thinking any other way.
Barring a bombshell revelation in the next three months, I don’t see how Luck will not be the Colts’ pick.
Manning’s health still is in doubt. He’ll be 36 next season and just a year removed from his third neck surgery.
I’m not about to ever bet against No. 18, but it’s folly for Indianapolis to put all its hopes on Manning for 2012 and beyond.
At worst, Luck is an expensive and likely effective insurance policy.
After a 2-14 season caused in part by the lack of a quality backup quarterback, drafting Luck is a loud statement to the fans that the Colts aren’t going to let that happen again.
There’s still a new general manager to be hired, and perhaps a head coaching change in the future.
But no decision in this unprecedented Colts offseason is more important than making the call at QB.
The NFL undeniably has become a passer’s league. If Manning’s healthy, he gives the Colts the best chance to win next year.
If Luck lives up to the hype, he’ll keep Indianapolis winning into the decade beyond.
Defense doesn’t win championships in the NFL any longer. Offense does.
And it’s time for the Colts to go all in.
Colts Columns
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Contact George Bremer: 640-4831, george.bremer@heraldbulletin.com
Discussion
George Bremer: Luck right call for Colts
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George Bremer: Critics, hold your horses
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Wayne, receivers ‘keep marching’
It’s a rare sight, indeed, in April. Veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne usually spends this time of year at his home near Miami, working out at his old stomping grounds at “The U.” But there was Wayne last week, addressing reporters in the locker room at the Indianapolis Colts’ training facility. And he seemed just as surprised to be there as anyone.
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George Bremer: Colts should press their Luck
Remember last fall when fans of struggling teams across the NFL were cheering for losses in hopes their franchise would earn the right to draft Andrew Luck? The Indianapolis Colts won the lottery for the Stanford quarterback and almost certainly will select him with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday.
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George Bremer: Decision will come in time
Maybe today will be the day. Maybe Peyton Manning finally will announce where he plans to play out the final years of his spectacular NFL career. Or maybe not. My question is why do so many of us believe we deserve to have a say?
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Rick Teverbaugh: Sadly, Colts nation, it’s time for the franchise to move on
As an old rock ’n’ roller with many emotional ties to music of the ’60s and ’70s, there was a single line of a song from that period that played repeatedly in my head all of Wednesday morning. The lyric was from a 1977 tune sung by Dave Mason titled, “We Just Disagree.” The line was: “There ain’t no good guy, there ain’t no bad guy.”
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George Bremer: Luck on the rise in Indy
Sure, it’s been a foregone conclusion for months that the Indianapolis Colts are likely to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft. But I’m more than a little surprised that one Tuesday quote from Colts owner Jim Irsay hasn’t caused more of a stir.
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George Bremer: Draft key for Grigson
There are more immediate issues for new Colts general manager Ryan Grigson — Jim Caldwell and Peyton Manning spring to mind. But there is no more important duty for the 39-year-old Indiana native than the draft.
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George Bremer: Luck right call for Colts
The Indianapolis Colts must draft Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in April.
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George Bremer: Indianapolis is not out of Luck after all
In the end, everybody got something to cheer about from the Indianapolis Colts. The coaches and players avoided the indignity of an 0-16 season. Fans were able to celebrate unlikely victories in each of the final two home games. And owner Jim Irsay now has the ability to install his thought-to-be desired succession plan at quarterback.
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