Andrew Luck Shares His Thoughts on Stanford's Season-Opening Win

Indianapolis Colts rookie Andrew Luck is a busy man. In addition to preparing for his regular season debut Sunday in Chicago, the Stanford great is promoting the NFL Play 60/Quaker Super Bowl contest and was kind enough to spend 10 minutes on the phone with me.

Read on to find out what Luck had to say about the upcoming season, the Cardinal's win over San Jose State (yep, he watched) and propagating rumors about Griff and Ryan Whalen.

What do you remember about the buildup to your first start at Stanford and how does it compare to what you're feeling now?

I remember flying into Moscow, Idaho, and saying, 'Wow, Pullman is in the middle of nowhere." So I think Chicago might be a little more of an urban setting. I do remember being nervous, but not really until the night of the game. I'm sure I'll be nervous the night before this game. I don't think I slept too much before the Wazzu game. Hopefully I'll sleep a little more before this one.

Do you get the Pac-12 Network in Indianapolis and did you watch Stanford's season opener?

I did. I made sure that my cable provider had the Pac-12 Network. I hope DirecTV and them can come to an agreement at some point for some friends that have it, but I did watch the game and I'm glad we got the win.

Any other thoughts on the game?

I'm sure they were disappointed in the second half, only putting up three points and not converting on third down as well as they would've liked, but there were a lot of new guys playing. Watching the game, you could tell San Jose State was playing their hearts out, which they always do. A couple bad breaks here and there kept the game close, but I think a lot of credit goes to San Jose State. I think it's a great learning opportunity and a win's a win, no matter which way you slice it. I'm happy for them. I'm happy they got started off on the right foot.

Who have you kept in touch with from Stanford?

There's five guys still from my class playing this year so I stay in touch with all of them. I roomed with Sam Schwartzstein the last three summers and last year, so he's my guy to go to for the news and to see how everything's going with the team. I text back and forth with Josh now and then, coach Shaw and coach Pep. A lot of guys. I made a lot of great friends out there. Watching the game, DeCastro and I would call each other it seemed like every five minutes to talk about what was going on. We have fun watching now.

You'll be linked to the Stanford offense, whether you like it or not, forever. What are your thoughts on the Andrew Luck Directorship of Offense?

It was nice. I felt bad for Pep because he can't escape me now. It was nice and it meant a lot. I'm very humbled that someone would put up the money for that in my name.

What was your reaction to David DeCastro's injury, and how's he handling it?

It was obviously very tough. He's a great guy and I always enjoyed playing with him. It was tough to hear about what happened, but it's football and he'll be fine. He's got great doctors and I'm sure he'll handle everything well. I don't want to put words in his mouth, but hopefully we'll see him back out here shortly.

What's it been like having Coby and Griff on the Colts? What veterans have helped ease your transition?

It's been great to have Coby and Griff there, see a familiar face, and try to build a Stanford pipeline. It's funny, we played Ryan Whalen in the last preseason game in Cincinnati, so it was cool to see him. Everyone thinks Griff and him are brothers, which is not the case, but I spread that rumor. I'm guilty of that. If they were on any team, I don't think they'd have an issue meeting new friends or ingratiating themselves to their teammates. They're great players and great guys. As far as leadership on the team, Reggie Wayne has obviously been there and done that in just about everything, so I think he's a great leader by example. I think it's important to have a great relationship with your center and Samson Satele has done a great job sort of educating me on how to be a quarterback in this league.

Did you see that someone paid $1,500 for your drawing of Lucas Oil Stadium?

It was way too much. It was a pretty bad drawing. I'm surprised it even sold.

As an architectural design major, are there any stadiums in particular that you're looking forward to playing in?

Soldier Field will be sweet and there will be a great atmosphere. From an architectural standpoint, I try not to take that into account when playing games. It's sort of more of an offseason thing. I enjoy playing in away stadiums for what the atmosphere is like as a football player.

There was a lot of hype for the RGIII-Luck showdown in D.C. The comparisons will continue, but are you happy to have that game behind you?

I'm excited to have the preseason behind me. As far as specifically that game, I didn't get worked up about it. I was worried more about what the Redskins defense was going to do than the hype show, or maybe propaganda if you will, about the quarterback battle. I don't really get into that stuff. I'm just glad the preseason as a whole is over and I'm ready to start the regular season. I haven't done anything in this league, but if you make it to the playoffs, you've got a chance to win the Super Bowl. At Stanford, the goal was to win every game. I know that's maybe a little cheesy, or cliche, but you've got to try to win every game.

What more can you tell me about NFL Play 60/Quaker contest?

It's basically encouraging kids to eat right, stay active. There's a chance to go online to win a trip to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. It's something that I always enjoyed, playing out in the front yard, whether it was with my dad, with my brother, sisters, friends, and I try to encourage kids to do the same.