‘Man, I hope he gets up from that': Dwight Freeney remembers Andrew Luck's reckless style
Dwight Freeney played with Andrew Luck for only one season. What he saw was a quarterback willing to put himself in harm’s way.
“The way that he plays, he's such a competitive player,” Freeney told Colin Cowherd on The Herd on Tuesday. “He's going to try to get that first down no matter what, right? He wasn't like Peyton. If you get close to Peyton, he’s probably going to take a fall before he goes out there and tries to get concussed trying to get a first down. But that wasn't Andrew. Andrew was one of those guys that put himself in these situations to where you're like, ‘Man, I hope he gets up from that.’ I think it just took its toll.”
Injuries indeed took their toll on Luck, forcing him to miss substantial time on the field and ultimately ended his career at the age of 29.
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But Luck’s recklessness did little to diminish his impact on his teammates.
“I saw a guy who loved the game of football, and his ego wasn't bigger than the building,” Freeney said. “He was a guy that just wanted to go out there, perform and do it the way that you're supposed to do it. That means you put the time in off the field, and then when you get on the field, you embrace the team and be part of that team. He was a rookie, first-round draft pick and all of that, all the hype. But he wasn't too big for anything. He was just one of the guys. And that's what we really loved about it.”
Cowherd asked Freeney what he thinks Matt Ryan will bring to the Colts. The Colts traded for the veteran after sending Carson Wentz, who spent just one season as the Indianapolis quarterback, to Washington.
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“I think it's an awesome fit,” Freeney said. “Peyton was similar to Ryan, He's gonna control that offense, he's gonna get that offense in the perfect positions to make plays. It's not always going to be throwing the ball down the field and hitting the receiver. It’s going to be throwing the right pass, knowing when to check down, getting the offense in the perfect run so Jonathan Taylor can do his thing. That is what he's going to do the best. I think that's what we've been missing in the last few years is having that quarterback always putting us in the perfect play, and then executing it. It's not always about throwing for 5,000 yards. It's just about not turning the ball over in those key moments."
Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Dwight Freeney talks about Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan with Colin Cowherd
