DON'T CALL IT LUCK

At approximately three o'clock Pacific yesterday, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. were frantically rearranging their NFL draft boards while Jimmy Clausen was fist pumping in the mirror and all the other deutschy things he probably does in his alone time. That's because Andrew Luck declared he would be staying in school. The first thing I thought when I heard this -- "DUH!" I understand all of the cons that every player weighs when faced with the option of not leaving for the NFL. Injury, under performing, and the money are all viable reasons for making the jump early and nothing you can fault any player, past or present, for doing. When you look at Luck however, it was obvious he'd be staying for three reasons.

3. LOCKOUT
As of right now, nobody in the game of football could say for sure that there will be a season next year in the NFL. Why then would Luck leave for an uncertainty when it's not a necessity. As i said, you could never fault a person for taking sure money to better their and their families situation. From the outside looking in however, it's evident that Luck comes from a stable background. You have to appreciate his mentality here, rather than the "take the money and run" approach.

2. THE MAN'S A NERD
While I realize athletes always get somewhat of a pass when it comes to the classroom, you don't just show up everyday and get a 3.4 GPA. Especially at Stanford. This is always the first thing you should look at while wondering if a student athlete is leaving for the pros or not. Some skate by until the pros come calling, others are actually invested. It seems clear that Luck takes the classroom seriously, and has every intent of getting his degree. At any moment of any day Andrew Luck could wake up and not be able to play football anymore, but nothing could ever take away the fact that he finished school and has something waiting for him after football. If you don't think things like this are important, head over to wikipedia and look up Ryan Leaf.

1. THE MAN

I know, I know. How many times in your life will someone offer you a multi-million dollar contract. Not often. But the opportunity to make money, albeit perhaps not that much, will always present itself. Now ask yourself this. How many times do you have the opportunity to be THE MAN on a college campus? Exactly once. People once questioned Colt McCoy for passing on millions to stay at Texas. When you think about it though, why would he leave? Being THE MAN on a campus where football is king has to be worth a few million dollars. Right? McCoy may never become a champion at the next level and fall into the mediocre category, but I guarantee you he'll never forget his days at Texas. Anyone who has ever been to college knows it should be a rather entertaining last year and a half in college for Luck.

If it were me, I can't even say I would make the same choice. Being the #1 pick in any sport essentially guarantees you financial stability for the foreseeable future. So kudos to Andrew Luck. In the current sports world of big contracts and even bigger egos, its refreshing in remembering that you do have the option of saying no. Besides, who wants to play for Carolina anyways. Although, with that deutsche bag Jimmy Clausen at the helm, chances are they'll have the top pick again next year too.