Andrew Luck

This week's Monday edition of our NFL Google+ hangout -- "NFL Slam with Mark and Sam," starring Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer and Mark Thompson of "Mark and Brian" radio fame -- will start at 11:30 a.m. and cover a host of topics. One sure topic are the games from Week 11. One topic was the dignity with which Andrew Luck handled his Colts' blowout loss to the New England Patriots. "Just the way he handled the loss in his postgame comments shows the potential he has to be an elite quarterback.

NEW YORK - There's no Andrew Luck, no Robert Griffin III, no headline-grabbing talent who unquestionably belongs at the top of this year's NFL draft. This year, the most likely scenario at Radio City Music Hall involves the Kansas City Chiefs using their No. 1 overall pick on one of two offensive tackles, the guys who are having a good game if their name isn't mentioned. Could this be the least sexy draft on record? "I think that's the best way to put it," Central Michigan tackle Eric Fisher said Wednesday with a laugh.

If all goes as expected, Andrew Luck will officially begin his career with the Indianapolis Colts in eight days. Luck frequently has been compared to Peyton Manning, and a just-released e-book about the Stanford quarterback helps hammer home that point. The Kindle book "Andrew Luck: Inside the Making of a No. 1 Pick" is available on Amazon.com and written by longtime Cardinal beat writer Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News. In it, Wilner reveals how Luck was so meticulous about critiquing himself in college that he wouldn't leave practice before sitting down to study the video shot of him that day. Wilner writes: "'On Wednesday, he wouldn't even shower after practice.

Most people thought he was the typical Plan B. Turns out, quarterback Russell Wilson was Exhibit A. Wilson, selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of last year's NFL draft, looked to be a guy destined to hold a clipboard behind presumed starter Matt Flynn. But Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll opened the door to a fair competition, Wilson won the job, then assembled a first season worthy of rookie-of-the-year consideration. Now, he's the prime example of what every NFL team wants to do, regardless of position: find an overlooked diamond who has somehow slipped through the draft cracks.

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III got a close look at one another Saturday in Landover, Md., during a much-anticipated preseason game featuring the top two selections in the NFL draft. While the outcome was far from decided when the two rookie quarterbacks exited the game early in the third quarter, Griffin's Washington Redskins pulled away for a 30-17 victory over Luck's Indianapolis Colts. Luck, the top selection, had slightly better statistics, completing 14 of 23 passes for 151 yards and a 31-yard scoring strike to rookie receiver T.Y. Hilton.

Robert Griffin III, the second overall pick in the NFL draft last spring, had a better debut on Sunday than No. 1 selection Andrew Luck. Statistically and in the win-loss column. Griffin guided the Washington Redskins to a 40-32 upset of the New Orleans Saints. Then again, he was playing in his parents' hometown and against a mediocre defense missing one of its suspended starters. Luck and the Indianapolis Colts traveled to Soldier Field in Chicago to take on the more defensive-oriented Bears, who yielded some points in an otherwise easy 41-21 victory.

The worst-kept secret in the NFL is officially out of the bag. The Indianapolis Colts will use the No. 1 overall pick Thursday on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. General Manager Ryan Grigson confirmed that to reporters Tuesday, and the Colts' official website led with the headline, "Luck to Be First Pick" on its front page. The Colts had informed Luck last week that he would be the first player selected. That means a quarterback will be taken first overall for the fourth consecutive year, the second-longest such streak in NFL history.

Andrew Luck, the Stanford All-American taking over for Peyton Manning at quarterback in Indianapolis, had a touchdown-throwing debut for the Colts, who defeated the St. Louis Rams, 38-3, on Sunday. And it's a good omen for Indy fans. Luck, taken first in the NFL draft this spring, was under pressure on his first attempt and dumped the ball to running back Donald Brown, who went the distance after the catch for a 63-yard touchdown. Guess who else threw for a score on his first NFL attempt?

Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer had a lot to say about this season's group of rookie quarterbacks during Thursday's NFL Slam with Mark and Sam, telling former radio personality Mark Thompson that this year's batch compares favorably with the group drafted in 1983. "There are three Hall of Fame quarterbacks taken in the 1983 draft," Farmer said. "John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. "While it is wildly premature to make comparisons, this draft could be as good a draft as in 1983, if not better.

Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III beat out fellow quarterbacks Andrew Luck of Indianapolis and Russell Wilson of Seattle, as well as several other impressive first-year NFL players, as Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers of America's rookie of the year. Of course, this isn't the rookie-of-the-year award. That one comes from the Associated Press and will be announced Feb. 2. But the PFW/PFWA honor can be viewed as a gauge as to how voters are thinking. It's particularly interesting this year, given the expected close race between the trio of stellar rookie quarterbacks.

For the second time in seven years, the Arizona Cardinals have acquired a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from USC. The Cardinals traded for Oakland's Carson Palmer on Tuesday, swapping their sixth-round pick (No. 176) in this year's draft for the Raiders' seventh-round pick (219). That's absurdly cheap, considering the first- and second-round selections the Raiders gave up to acquire Palmer from Cincinnati in 2011. Palmer, 33, had declined to take a pay cut on his $13-million salary to stay with the Raiders, but he agreed to a new deal with the Cardinals, the terms of which are undisclosed.

A year after Denver made a huge splash by signing Peyton Manning, smaller yet significant quarterback moves have rippled west. Oakland, San Francisco and Seattle either acquired or dealt noteworthy passers Monday, and Arizona could be next to tweak its roster. All the jostling could have an effect on how early the top college quarterbacks will be selected in this month's draft. The Raiders traded for Seattle's Matt Flynn, sending the Seahawks two future draft picks for the quarterback who backed up rookie sensation Russell Wilson last season.

Blaine Gabbert would be the top pick in the 2013 NFL draft if he had stayed at Missouri a full five years rather than come out two years ago. So says the man who has inherited him as his signal caller, new Jacksonville quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo. While many Jaguars fans are ready to pull the plug on Gabbert after two lackluster seasons, Scelfo seems to think the team's best young option at quarterback is the one already on its roster, rather than, say, West Virginia's Geno Smith or USC's Matt Barkley.

Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III beat out fellow quarterbacks Andrew Luck of Indianapolis and Russell Wilson of Seattle, as well as several other impressive first-year NFL players, as Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers of America's rookie of the year. Of course, this isn't the rookie-of-the-year award. That one comes from the Associated Press and will be announced Feb. 2. But the PFW/PFWA honor can be viewed as a gauge as to how voters are thinking. It's particularly interesting this year, given the expected close race between the trio of stellar rookie quarterbacks.

Peyton Manning leads the Denver Broncos into an AFC divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday afternoon in the chilly confines of Sports Authority Field at Mile High stadium. Now, who would have thought that was possible about this time last year? Manning was sidelined all last season following multiple neck surgeries and speculation had been mounting for months that the Indianapolis Colts would part ways with the four-time MVP of the NFL. So when the time came, Manning graciously accepted the Colts' decision to cut ties with him as the organization looked to draft Stanford wunderkind Andrew Luck with the first overall pick.

Indianapolis Colts Coach Chuck Pagano has been through a lot this season. After being hired by the Colts during the off-season, Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia and missed most of the season while undergoing treatment. He re-assumed his head-coaching duties before the final regular-season game, a victory over the Houston Texans, and remained in that role for the Colts' wild-card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, a season-ending 24-9 loss. Still, it was quite a season for the Colts, who had won just two games the previous year and revamped much of the team, opting to draft Andrew Luck as quarterback and trade all-time great Peyton Manning.

Writers from around the Tribune Co. debate who is having a better season: Denver Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning or the guy who replaced him as the Indianapolis Colts' QB, rookie Andrew Luck. Join the conversation by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times It's a bizarre coincidence that at the midway point of the season, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck have identical passing yardage totals (2,404, tied for third) and team records (5-3)

Jim Harbaugh was named the NFL's Coach of the Year after turning around the San Francisco 49ers in his first season, but that hasn't given him much breathing room. That's the way he sees it, at least. "Approaching this combine, I'm very much on edge," he said Thursday. "I've always felt like the most improvement you can make is from Year 1 to Year 2, much like a college freshman. The most improvement he can make in an entire one year of college football is going from Year 1 to his sophomore year, like a pro football player going from his rookie season to his second season.

The inspiring story of this season's Indianapolis Colts has captivated the sports world. It's not just that the team rebounded from a 2-14 record last season to make the playoffs, or that the Colts did so with a rookie quarterback in Andrew Luck. But they have gotten this far after losing their head coach, Chuck Pagano, to nearly three months of cancer treatments. Pagano returned for the regular-season finale, a home victory over Houston, and now he brings his team back to Baltimore, where last season he was the Ravens' defensive coordinator.

What once was reason for panic - - a rookie quarterback starting an NFL playoff game - is suddenly a problem for opposing defenses. Andrew Luck playing at Baltimore? The Ravens had better be ready. Russell Wilson versus Robert Griffin III in Washington? The key will be which defense cracks first. "The moment, the bigness, the stage - none of these three will flinch," said former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, now an ESPN analyst. "I would trust them, their preparation, their mental and emotional state, as much as I would anybody in these playoffs other than maybe [an Aaron]