By Steve Doerschuk
Isn’t Andrew Luck supposed to be the best quarterback to enter an NFL Draft since Otto Graham during World War II?
Or at worst, the best since Peyton Manning, a year before the Cleveland Browns returned from no man’s land?
Colts owner Jim Irsay, sitting on the No. 1 pick, is suggesting Luck could be the second-best quarterback in the 2012 draft.
In an interview that got the Browns’ attention, Irsay looked ESPN’s Hannah Storm in the eye and said Robert Griffin III could be the Colts’ choice.
“The way it’s shaping up — and you never know for sure — but with Griffin and with Luck, and the way it’s shaping up in the top part of that draft, which very likely could go one and two like it was with Peyton and Ryan Leaf, where we had to make a tough decision.
“It’s most likely one of those quarterbacks that you really feel (is) the best player in the draft, and where we’re at moving forward, you can’t pass that up.”
It was a clumsy little mumble with a clear message from Irsay: Assume the Colts will pick a quarterback; don’t bet it will be Luck.
Irsay has been enough of a loose cannon to raise at least a tiny doubt.
Or, forget tiny. Tony Dungy, who put up a monster 92-33 record as Irsay’s head coach, said on the “Dan Patrick Show” that he would take Griffin over Luck.
“I like those mobile guys,” Dungy told Patrick on Jan. 5. “They have an extra dimension. They are intriguing to me. I like Robert Griffin.”
The Colts chose Manning at No. 1 overall in 1998. With Manning not missing a start, their worst record in seven years under Dungy was 10-6.
The Browns, to whom 10-6 seems an unattainable paradise, are caught up in the Colts’ plan of action.
There is little doubt that the Browns would spend the No. 1 pick on Luck, if they had it, but they’re in the No. 4 hole.
But what if the Colts don’t grab Luck at No. 1?
Would the Rams, sitting at No. 2, or the Vikings, perched at No. 3, pounce on Luck?
If either comes to the conclusion that Luck is the next Manning, they might.
Sure, the Rams have 2010 No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford, but his 2011 passer rating was worse than Colt McCoy’s.
Sure, the Vikings spent a No. 12 overall pick on Christian Ponder last April, but his passer rating was lower than Bradford’s.
A more likely possibility if Indianapolis lets Luck go by:
Impetuous Washington owner Daniel Snyder — his 2012 QB, Rex Grossman, also was among the few with a lower passer rating than McCoy — makes a crazy offer to trade up from No. 6 to take Luck at No. 2.
In that case, would the Browns — who do have a nice stash of trade “ammo,” as Tom Heckert calls it — be willing to spend beyond their wishes to get Luck?
Other curveballs could be coming from other directions.
Free agency opens March 13. Matt Flynn, who played like a cross between Otto Graham and Peyton Manning in a lone 2011 start for the Packers, won’t be on the market for long.
The guess is Flynn will sign with a team more or less promising him a starting job — and giving him starter money.
If the Browns sign Flynn, it can be guessed there will be no decision to make on Griffin or Luck on draft day.
There could be three unhittable curveballs in relation to quarterbacks the Browns might want.
• Strike one: Flynn chooses to sign elsewhere, or goes elsewhere because his pricetag gets stupid.
• Strike two: The smoke clears and the Colts pick Luck.
• Strike three: They agree to make a run at Griffin in a trade up to No. 2, but again bow out when the bidding goes nuts.
So then, what is Plan D? Colt McCoy? A Hasselbeckian surprise under Mike Holmgren’s hat?
Coming off a bad, boring year on offense, the Browns find themselves in a fascinating situation in which anything less than a good answer is unacceptable.
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