In the long line of iconic athlete facial hair, Andrew Luck's neckbeard sits squarely at the end, miles behind Rollie Fingers' handlebar ‘stache and a few rows back from Apolo Ohno's soul patch. Unkempt and unruly, there's no rhyme, reason, or Movember motivation for Luck's scruff.
Instead, the beard was bred out of something much simpler: "I just grow a terrible mustache, so I try to use my neckbeard as a substitute," the Indianapolis Colts quarterback admits. "And when I get lazy, I don't shave that often."
Let the record show that Andrew Luck allows his own grooming to slide--because you won't find evidence of him slacking off anywhere else. Especially the football field.
In his second year leading the Colts, the 24-year-old continues to fulfill his NFL fate. Scouts were so sure he'd be the best QB prospect since Peyton Manning that in 2012, Indianapolis drafted him out of Stanford to immediately replace Manning. All Luck did in his rookie year was lead a previously hapless 2-14 squad to an 11-win record punctuated by late-game victories and an appearance in the playoffs. This season he's at it again, surprising NFL prognosticators by beating the league's behemoths, engineering wild comebacks, and clearing the calendar for more January football in Indy.
We last talked with Luck on the eve of his professional debut, when he was battling a few butterflies but staying even-keeled during the biggest week of his life. Fourteen months later, the jitters are gone--and the composure has only grown. In our follow-up conversation, Luck dishes out more leadership secrets, reveals his old-school technology habits, and fantasizes about his perfect night. (Spoiler: It's super nerdy.)
Men's Health: Before you really took the reins of the team, you said you weren't going to have to alter your personality to be a leader. Has that changed in the year since?
Andrew Luck: No. I think in any situation, so much of effective leadership is when it comes from your own personality. And I feel very fortunate to be comfortable in the Colts locker room, where people can be who they are, and they don't have to change it when they show up to work that day.
MH: You've already carved out this legacy as a comeback king. ESPN'S Bill Simmons recently tweeted: "Andrew Luck has reached ‘I'm not giving up even though he's down 28' status for me." What is it about crunch time that brings out the best in you?
Luck: I don't know, but I do know for one thing that it's not just me. Any victory where we've been able to come back is because special teams made a huge play, or the defense forced a turnover, or the offensive line did something great. We also practice end-of-game situations, and the culture that Coach [Chuck] Pagano has built here is one of "never give up."
MH: There are a lot of reports that say you gave a pretty impassioned speech to your teammates in last week's game against the Titans, when you were trailing 17-6 at halftime. How do you pump up your guys in situations like that?
Luck: That was a bit overblown. A lot of guys say a lot of things for a lot of games. I think I just reiterated the fact that we were down, there was a lot of football left, and we just had to take care of our jobs. It differs from game to game and situation to situation. But when you're a professional athlete, I don't think you should need motivation to go out and do your job. It's a very self-motivated group in our locker room. We go out there and try to work as hard as we can every day, and win games. It's not a bunch of pump-up speeches every day.
MH: Wait, you mean it's not like it is in the movies?
Luck: [Laughs] It can be a bit sensationalized. Like everything in this culture, you know?
MH: Sure. Well here's another stat people love to throw out when they talk about you: You're a perfect 8-0 following a loss in the NFL. That's kinda good.
Luck: It's really this team that has done it so well. We're lucky to have guys like Robert Mathis and Reggie Wayne in our locker room that are proven winners, and they make sure when we come back from a loss that you're working hard to right your wrongs, or atone for your sins. We've been glad it's worked out so far.
MH: How do you shake off a loss and put it behind you?
Luck: It sticks with you until you watch the film, see where your mistakes are, and try to take out the emotional attachment to it. Ask yourself, "Hey, what did I do wrong? I'm here now. How can I fix my mistakes?" Once you understand where you need to improve, that loss gets behind you and you start focusing on what's next.
MH: It seems like you always get compared to someone else, no matter what the scenario is. It was John Elway, the last great Stanford quarterback. It was Peyton Manning, the last great Colts quarterback. Then it was Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson, the two other great quarterbacks from last year's class. When will that end?
Luck: I don't know! [Laughs] I don't pay attention to it, though. I was told by a coach long ago that when you start comparing people, it always ends up devaluing someone along the way. I take that to heart and try not to listen, read, or talk about it. But I also realize it's part of our culture, and part of fandom, and the media always wants to compare and contrast. It creates great dialogue, and it's great for the game, but maybe it's not great for the player involved. I sort of view it as part of the job. People will say what they will, and you just have to keep your head down and move on. But hopefully they're good comparisons, not bad ones. [Laughs]
MH: On the flip side, who do you want to be compared to?
Luck: Well, I loved watching Peyton and Steve McNair growing up. But my dad, like most kids would say, is my hero.
MH: That's a good segue. Quaker Oats brought you on to be a role model for kids, and to work on a campaign that encourages children to move around. Explain the "Make Your Move" contest.
Luck: It's a contest where a teacher or parent can submit a video online of their students or kids moving around, whether that's dancing, throwing a football, skiing, fishing, or whatever else. You have a chance to win a $15,000 grant for your school. So it's a pretty good deal.
MH: And then you're judging the videos. What sort of criteria are you looking for?
Luck: Well, I'm a terrible dancer, so I'll be judging the dancing videos very critically. But no, I just want to make sure people are having fun. For me, it was always about getting outside. My favorite memories were with my dad, throwing a football around when he came home from work. As long as kids are having fun, that's the biggest deal at the end of the day.
MH: There's this rumor about you that says you still carry around a flip phone. There's no way that's true . . . right?
Luck: [Laughs] It's true.
MH: No way. You've never been tempted to upgrade to a smart phone?
Luck: I've definitely been tempted to upgrade, but I'm comfortable with the phone. It gets the job done. I think it's nice sometimes not to be plugged in 24/7 to email and the Internet and everything else. It's nice to get away.
MH: Man, that's some good discipline.
Luck: Yeah, I don't know if it's discipline as much as it is laziness. [Laughs]
MH: You're an avid reader. What books have you read this year?
Luck: I recently read Condoleeza Rice's accounts of her time in office during the Bush administration, which I found very interesting. She was a professor at Stanford while I was out there, so I got to talk to her a couple times. I was very impressed with her. But during the season it's hard to read. I try to get a couple pages a night, just to give my mind a break.
MH: So what's the perfect night for Andrew Luck like?
Luck: Hmm, that's a good question. Well, I've been playing a lot of the board game Settlers of Catan lately, so that has to be involved somehow. Especially if it's with my little brother. He's been beating me the last couple times I've gone home, so I need to get back on the winning side.
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