The National Football League (NFL) is widely considered the most prestigious American professional sports league. The honor and dignity that go with playing for the ‘shield’ can’t be matched by the NBA, MLB or NHL (no, the MLS doesn’t belong in the same sentence). Purposely losing games is unheard of in the NFL. However, this season, a term has been hovering over the lower echelon teams – and it’s ‘Suck for Luck.’ I’ve been racking my brain to think of another scenario in which a professional sports team purposefully lost to gain a #1 draft pick – and only one comes to mind. That’s the good ole’ Cleveland Cavaliers, and we’ll get to them later. Now – back to Luck.
For those of you who’ve been living in a cave for the past three years, the term has to do with Stanford’s junior quarterback Andrew Luck. The 6’4, 234 pound, already pecked #1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, is in one word – incredible. And no, not just in terms of his football ability.
He graduated in three years with a degree in Architectural Design from one of the most prestigious engineer programs in the nation, at one of the most prestigious universities in the country – Stanford. If you haven’t seen an interview with the kid, it’s also obvious the character, humility and leadership he possesses. Last season, after leading Stanford to a 12-1 record, whipping of Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl (the school’s first ever BCS appearance and BCS win) – he was already widely considered to be the #1 pick in the NFL Draft. Then, despite finishing second in the Heisman vote, despite accomplishing more than most college quarterbacks ever dream of, despite his mentor and head coach Jim Harbaugh jumping to the NFL – Luck did the unthinkable, and decided to return to Stanford. If that’s not enough insight into what kind of person Luck is, I don’t know what else you’re looking for.
The sports radio airways were full of Luck bashing – why in the world would he turn down being the #1 pick in the draft and a $50 million dollar contract? To which Oliver Luck, his father, responded “It’s a Rorschach test for people’s value systems.” (Don’t worry – I had no idea what a Rorschach test was either, so I looked it up. Rorschach Test: a personality and intelligence test in which a subject interprets inkblot designs in terms that reveal intellectual and emotional factors. Guess that’s what a Stanford education gives you). He wanted to finish his degree – but more importantly, he wanted to finish what he started with his teammates. “He wants to finish with those guys; it’s a great group of players. That was by far the most important factor,” claimed Oliver Luck. How’s that decision gone for Luck this season? He’s widely considered the Heisman favorite; but more importantly, his team is 5-0 (3-0) and ranked #7 in the nation. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/sports/ncaafootball/07luck.html?_r=1)
Now you know how what kind of man Andrew Luck is – and while that has NFL GM’s salivating, his football skills are what have them drooling. Here are the Houston, Texas native numbers – year by year, and career totals.
| Year | Comp. | Att. | Yards | Comp. % | TD | Int | QB Rating |
| 2011 | 106 | 145 | 1,383 | 73.1 % | 14 | 2 | 182.3 |
| 2010 | 263 | 372 | 3,338 | 70.7 % | 32 | 8 | 170.8 |
| 2009 | 162 | 288 | 2,575 | 56.3% | 13 | 4 | 143.5 |
| Total | 531 | 805 | 7,296 | 66.9% | 59 | 14 | 165.5 |
If you weren’t impressed with his morals, personality, intelligence or loyalty – 7,296 career passing yards, 59 touchdowns to only 14 interceptions should wrap up any doubt. So enough about the future Peyton Manning, let’s get back to the losing on purpose debate.
As I mentioned earlier, the only other example I could think of in regards to dropping games with a purpose – was the 2002-2003 Cleveland Cavaliers. A little known basketball player named Lebron James (catch the sarcasm?) was a senior in high school in close by Akron, Ohio that season. Anyone who is a fan of basketball, or watched the Cavs’ that season clearly saw their lack-luster with a purpose play. They bricked their way to a 17-65 record that season, yikes. But, just as they had hoped, it worked. Cleveland landed the #1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft – and without any debate picked the ‘next’ Michael Jordan, Lebron James. Whether you like the guy or not, you cannot argue against what he meant to that franchise. Before James came to Cleveland, the Cavs’ had not been to the playoffs since the 1998 season – when they lost in the first round. For even more proof of how he turned that franchise around, check out their win-loss totals and playoff results from the year before they had James, until his last season in Cleveland (before taking his talents to South Beach).
| Season | Wins | Losses | Playoff Performance |
| 02’ – 03’ | 17 | 65 | DNQ |
| 03’ – 04’ | 35 | 47 | DNQ (James rookie season) |
| 04’ – 05’ | 42 | 40 | DNQ |
| 05’ – 06’ | 50 | 32 | L, Eastern Conf. Semis’ |
| 06’ – 07’ | 50 | 32 | L, NBA Finals |
| 07’ – 08’ | 45 | 37 | L, Eastern Conf. Semis’ |
| 08’ – 09’ | 66 | 16 | L, Eastern Conf. Finals |
| 09’ – 10’ | 61 | 21 | L, Eastern Conf. Semis’ |
In James’ 7 seasons in Cleveland, the Cavs’ won 349 games – in their 10 seasons prior to his arrival, the Cavs’ won 356 games. On top of that, James took the Cavs’ out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993. You want more stats? The Cavaliers record for consecutive seasons making it to the second round of the playoffs was 2, before James. Lebron took them out of the first round 5 consecutive seasons. And while they were unable to reach the pinnacle, and win an NBA title, does losing on purpose to land an all-time great work? Yes.
So let’s now turn our attention back to the ‘Suck for Luck’ campaign currently happening in the NFL. As a football fan, the race to the bottom invokes multiple emotions for me. Obviously, before the season starts, most fans have high aspirations for their team. In my opinion, having any Andrew Luck thoughts pop into your head before the season starts is wrong. If you give up on winning, which I believe most teams did, prior to the start of the season – your franchise needs some serious help. That being said, now that were five weeks into the season; let the sucking begin. As a disclaimer, I’m a San Francisco 49er fan – and at 4-1 I think my team is out of the race (if you can call it that). I’ve identified 10 teams I believe are in full ‘Suck for Luck’ mode at this point in the season, and below I explain each one. Taking their current record and upcoming schedule, I will rank each teams chance of landing the #1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft and of course, their chance of getting ‘lucky’ by landing Andrew Luck.
1. Miami Dolphins: 0-4
· The Miami Dolphins could be destined for greatness, in the future that is. One of three remaining winless teams in the NFL, they just lost their starting quarterback Chad Henne (not losing much) and will be forced to play Matt Moore the rest of the way. An 0-5 start appears on the horizon, with a Monday Night game in New York against the Jets coming up next week. I’m giving the Dolphins the nod over Denver and Indianapolis because they play a tougher schedule than those teams from this point on; therefore it will be more difficult for them to climb out of the cellar (if they even want to).
o Tough remaining games: @ New York Jets, Vs Washington, @ New York Giants, Vs Buffalo, @ Dallas, Vs Oakland, @ Buffalo, Vs Philadelphia, @ New England, Vs New York Jets
o Predicted Finish: 3-13
2. Denver Broncos: 1-4
· It is officially Tim Tebow time in Denver, and while he’s currently a fan favorite of the Bronco faithful – he may be a fan favorite for another reason when it’s all said and done. And that’s for winning so few games; they’ll have a shot at getting ‘Lucky’. I’ll hold my complete judgment until I see him play an entire game, but my initial thought is – if you give an NFL defense a week to prepare for the gutsy former Heisman winner, it’s bad news for the Broncos. But hey, Cam Newton’s played pretty darn well this season; so who knows?
o Tough remaining games: @ Oakland, Vs Detroit, @ San Diego, Vs New York Jets, @ Buffalo, Vs Chicago, Vs New England
o Predicted Finish: 3-13
3. Indianapolis Colts: 0-5
· It’s hard not to feel bad for Colts fans, as this season they’ve officially realized how important and good Peyton Manning truly is. It seems he can roll out of bed every season and win 10+ games – this year though, they’ll struggle to win half that. I am computing their final record with the belief that Peyton does not come back, because if he does (depending on his effectiveness) they could pull out some W’s late in the season. And if the Colts do end up with the worst record, what will they do? Manning is under contract for a number of seasons into the future, so do you draft Luck and let him learn; aka the Aaron Rodgers experiment? It will be interesting to watch.
o Tough remaining games: @ New Orleans, Vs Atlanta, @ New England, Vs Houston, @ Baltimore
o Predicted Finish: 3-13
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1-4
· The Jacksonville Jaguars (or should we call them the Los Angeles Jaguars?) have struggled mightily this season. Cutting David Gerrard lose right before the season, while it saved some cap room, seems to have back fired. They’re off to a horrible start, and with rookie Blaine Gabbert taking the snaps, things most likely won’t get much better. The Jaguars will also be faced with a dilemma should they gain the #1 overall draft pick. They selected Gabbert 10th overall in last year’s draft, do you give up on him after one season? What if he shows promise towards the end of the year? Oh decisions, decisions.
o Tough remaining games: Vs Baltimore, @ Pittsburg, Vs Houston, @ Houston, Vs San Diego, @ Atlanta, Vs Tampa Bay
o Predicted Finish: 4-12
5. St. Louis Rams: 0-4
· The last of the three remaining winless NFL teams, the Rams have taken a huge step back after their resurgent campaign a season ago. Last year’s offensive rookie of the year Sam Bradford has seemed overwhelmed at times this season – which is probably more to do with the talent around him than his personal regression. And the Rams are another team which could be faced with the draft Luck nightmare; Bradford was taken #1 overall in the 2009 draft, and appears to be their quarterback for the future. If they get the top pick – do they keep it, draft Luck and trade Bradford? Or trade the pick and keep Bradford? Hmmm.
o Tough remaining games: @ Green Bay, Vs New Orleans, @ Dallas, Vs San Francisco, @ Pittsburg, @ San Francisco
o Predicted Finish: 4-12
6. Minnesota Vikings: 1-4
· The free agent signing of Donavan McNabb hasn’t worked out too well for the Vikings this season, as they won their first game last weekend against the lowly Cardinals. One thing going for them in the Luck category is their schedule, with the undefeated Lions and Packers both remaining on the slate (Green Bay twice). And once again were faced with a decision – getting rid of McNabb will be simple, but the Vikings drafted Christian Ponder 12th overall in last year’s draft. Think they had an inkling they would be in the race to the bottom this season? Yea, me neither.
o Tough remaining games: @ Chicago, Vs Green Bay, @ Atlanta, @ Green Bay, @ Detroit, Vs New Orleans, @ Washington, Vs Chicago
o Predicted Finish: 5-11
7. Carolina Panthers: 1-4
· Well, I can officially claim that I was wrong. Through five games at least, Cam Newton has looked terrific (I didn’t think he would last two). So the Heisman winner, who ripped my heart out on January 10th, has sufficiently surprised. While his team is 1-4, they were in games late against the Cardinals, Saints and Packers (all of which they lost). So the future looks somewhat bright in Charlotte. My predicted final record indicates that I think they’ll continue to improve as the season goes along. And if you thought the Colts drafting Luck with Manning on the roster decision was tough – how about this one. The Panthers selected Newton #1 overall in last year’s draft, think they would make it back to back quarterbacks with #1 picks?
o Tough remaining games: Vs Washington, @ Atlanta, Vs Atlanta, @ Detroit, Vs Tampa Bay, @ Houston, @ Tampa Bay, @ Houston, @ New Orleans
o Predicted Finish: 6-10
8. Kansas City Chiefs: 2-3
· So far, the Chiefs don’t resemble the team that caught everyone off guard last season and made the playoffs. And that could prove to be a good thing for them, that being if they keep losing. Matt Cassel has been a nice story, but he’s not a long term answer at the quarterback position in Kansas City. Though the Chiefs could surely use some Luck, their remaining schedule is set up in a way in which they should manage to win a few games. Unless, of course, they kick their ‘sucking’ into high gear.
o Tough remaining games: @ Oakland, Vs San Diego, @ New England, Vs Pittsburg, @ Chicago, Vs Oakland, @ New York Jets
o Predicted Finish: 6-10
9. Arizona Cardinals: 1-4
· An offseason deal which ripped apart their defense and brought Kevin Kolb in from Philadelphia hasn’t quite worked yet – even with superhuman Larry Fitzgerald running routes. At least the Diamondbacks made the playoffs and let everyone forget their football team is dreadful in Phoenix. The bad news (or good news?) for the Cardinals is that they play in the worst conference in the NFL, the NFC West. Last season, the Seahawks made the playoffs with a sub .500 record. Therefore, with their patsy schedule, the Cardinals probably won’t end up a serious player in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.
o Tough remaining games: @ Baltimore, Vs Pittsburg, @ Philadelphia, Vs Dallas, @ San Francisco, Vs San Francisco
o Predicted Finish: 6-10
10. Cleveland Browns: 2-2
· The Browns have been a dormant NFL franchise for quite some time, but Colt McCoy has been a bright spot at quarterback. Losing defensive genius Rob Ryan last offseason hasn’t helped much either. The Browns actually are one of the teams that could really use Luck, unfortunately for them – I think they’re a little too good to finish with the worst record in the NFL. That being said, their schedule from here on out will be very challenging; with four road trips upcoming to playoff contending teams.
o Tough remaining games: @ Oakland, Vs Baltimore, @ San Francisco, Vs Pittsburg, @ Pittsburg, @ Baltimore
o Predicted Finish: 7-9
That’s my take on the ‘Suck for Luck’ campaign going on in the NFL – as to who will finish with the #1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft? Only time will tell. One thing is for certain though, and that’s what they’ll be getting. Andrew Luck could be the best NFL quarterback prospect we’ve seen in a decade, probably since Peyton Manning. Whichever team lands his service next year (that is, if he doesn’t pull a double shocker and return to Stanford – he can’t, can he?) will get an absolute stud. So let the suckery’ begin! May the worst team win…
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