Fair or not, rookies Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III will be inextricably linked throughout their NFL careers.
So it is for promising quarterbacks drafted first and second overall in a sports world that demands immediate results. Never mind that playing quarterback in the NFL can be a rough business with a steep learning curve for anybody.
Imagine then the added pressure of withstanding all that while feeling forced to keep up with a contemporary.
It’s already begun for Luck of the Indianapolis Colts and for Griffin of the Washington Redskins. And guess what? It’s only going to continue because the Redskins and Colts face one another Saturday night at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.
Talking heads on TV and sportswriters from around the nation have already been quick to compare and contrast the two just two preseason games into their careers. Luck, the No. 1 overall pick out of Stanford, gets the nod so far. He shook two early interceptions to lead his team to 17 unanswered second-quarter points in Sunday night’s nationally televised 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Luck appeared shaky early on, throwing an ill-advised pass that Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor picked off and returned 50 yards for a touchdown. He was saddled with another interception that had first been bobbled by one of his receivers.
Luck settled down from then on, showing the kind of pocket poise that has had many calling him the best quarterback prospect to enter the league in years. A week after shredding the St. Louis Rams for a pair of touchdown passes, Luck registered another strong performance against a Pittsburgh defense that ranked No. 1 overall a year ago.
He passed for 175 yards and ran for a score as the Colts turned an early 14-point deficit into a lead at the time Luck exited the game.
Griffin, the former Baylor star and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, never got into a groove of any kind during the Redskins’ 33-31 loss at Chicago on Friday night. Looking every bit like a star-struck rookie, he passed for just 49 yards while getting sacked three times and losing a fumble in his one forgettable half of play.
Griffin had enjoyed a solid outing against a Buffalo defense that showed very little a week earlier, but struggled against a Bears defense that blitzed often.
The Redskins’ six possessions of the first half resulted in four punts, a turnover and a field goal. It was backup quarterback and fellow rookie Kirk Cousins who masterminded Washington’s furious second-half rally at Soldier Field.
