Making the jump from college football to the NFL is tough, even for the most gifted quarterbacks. If you’ve ever coached someone, you might understand the challenge. If not, legendary coach Bruce Arians has already explained how it feels.
Recently, Arians shared what it was like to work with young stars like Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. Though talented, they had to develop mental strength, learn from failure, and grow into the tough demands of pro football.
Bruce Arians Shares What Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning Had To Learn the Hard Way
Recently, The Athletic published a report in which coach Bruce Arians shared some of the biggest reasons why young quarterbacks succeed or fail. To keep the discussion easy to understand, he used his coaching experiences with two talented quarterbacks—Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning—as examples. Both were gifted but not fully ready for the demands of the NFL at first.
Arians shared a story from a pre-draft workout with Andrew Luck. He asked the young quarterback to draw up a play called “62 Y Choice.” Without missing a beat, Luck nailed it. Arians tried to throw him off by pretending the play was wrong.
But Luck stood his ground. “That’s exactly what you said,” he fired back. Arians knew right then—this kid had more than skill. He had the mental toughness to survive in the NFL.
That toughness showed during a wild 2012 season. Arians had stepped in as interim head coach for the Indianapolis Colts. In a game against the Lions, Luck threw three interceptions.
But instead of crumbling, he fired up his team and threw the game-winning touchdown. “He didn’t dwell on it; he didn’t waver,” Arians said. “He just let it piss him off enough to go: Hey, we’re going to win this game.”
Meanwhile, Peyton Manning had his struggles early on. In one rough game against the Patriots, the Colts lost 29–0, and Manning threw three picks. But Arians didn’t bench him. Instead, he told him to stay in and run the two-minute drill. It was about learning, not giving up. That moment helped shape the legend Manning would become.
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They were talented, but their success hinged on how they handled failure. Coach Bruce put them in a position where they worked hard to earn their success, and eventually, they won.
