As a two-time Super Bowl champion and MVP of Super Bowl XXI, Phil Simms knows a thing or two about playing quarterback in the NFL.
If Simms' evaluation of talent is as accurate as his throws, that doesn't bode well for Andrew Luck. While everyone seems enamored with the Stanford quarterback as the next elite NFL thrower, Simms doesn't see it.
"The one thing I don't see, I just don't see big-time NFL throws," Simms told Yahoo! Sports' Doug Farrar. "I don't care what anybody says. I've watched a lot of him. He never takes it and rips it in there. And you can say what you want but, man, you've got to be able to crease that ball every once in a while. We see it every week in these games. Hey, he can develop it but even in the USC game, you know, he's very careful with it, guides it a lot. That's what I see."
Luck's numbers alone seem to make him a lock to be called first in next April's draft. Through eight games this season, Luck has thrown for 2,218 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing a staggering 71.9 percent of his throws. The undefeated Cardinal have a legitimate shot to win the BCS National Championship, mostly thanks to Luck.
Despite these stats, Simms doesn't believe Luck's arm is NFL elite.
"There's not a lot of rotation on the ball and there's not a tremendous amount of power," Simms said. "Not that you need to have that power arm. I'm not saying you've got to have that exclusively but, man, it sure helps when you can do that because there's four or five plays a game it is about arm strength. And sometimes quarterbacks who don't have it, they pass those plays up. Why? Well, they go, 'I don't know if I can make that throw,' so they throw it short. That's why I'm a little more reserved in my judgment than everybody else."
Simms' commentary wasn't all bad, however. He did praise Luck's decision-making and mobility.
"There's a lot to him. I think his best quality, by far, is that he's big and strong and he's going to be able to move and run in the NFL," he said. "There's no question. I mean, this guy is strong. The throwing? He manages a game. I see all that."
