Indianapolis Colts Football

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TEAM FOR LUCK AND TANNEHILL

It’s a matchup that has understandably been downplayed by both rookie signal callers.

Andrew Luck vs. Ryan Tannehill?

No, it’s the Indianapolis Colts (4-3) vs. the Miami Dolphins (4-3).

“I have a lot respect for Andrew, but I’m here to play with my teammates and go out there with my team no matter who we’re playing against,” Tannehill said to the Miami media on Wednesday.

The two met each other at the Manning Passing Academy the summer before their senior seasons and both played high school football in the state of Texas.

“I’ve always enjoyed getting to know (Tannehill) and hanging out with him,” Luck said. “Growing up in Houston, I’ve got a lot of buddies that went to (Texas) A&M, know a bunch of guys that played with him. They always spoke very highly of him. I saw why this offseason. Great guy. Obviously a very good player, great quarterback. I’ve always had a very high impression of him.”

Tannehill has helped lead the Dolphins to three straight victories but he is coming off a knee injury he suffered against the Jets last Sunday.

During those three wins, Tannehill is 40-of-60 for 426 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

“I think he’s doing great,” Luck said of his fellow rookie quarterback “Obviously, I don’t get to watch much. I think he can make all the throws. He can extend plays, incredibly athletic and makes great throws on the run and in the pocket. He’s a fun guy to watch and I wish him the best as he continues to play in this league.”

While Tannehill made the move from wide receiver to quarterback during his time at Texas A&M, Luck has been a quarterback from a young age following the footsteps of his father, Oliver.

Luck leads all rookies with averaging 281.6 passing yards per game and is one of three rookies in NFL history with at least three 300-yard passing games.

Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin is in his first season at the helm and was apart of the decision making process in choosing Tannehill No. 8 overall in April’s NFL Draft.

Philbin’s pedigree in coaching quarterbacks includes having Packers signal caller Aaron Rodgers under his tutelage for the last five seasons.

The 2012 rookie quarterback class has garnered a lot of attention in the first half of the regular season and Luck falls right in line with that impression.

“He’s very competitive, he’s a good athlete,” Philbin said of Luck. “He’s everything that I think a lot of people that evaluated him though he would be. He’s playing well.”