Miami's Feeling Luck-y

Stally's Goal Line Stand

This Matt Moore fumble was the
 last straw in Miami's collapse. (AP)

Over the second half of the season, Austen and I will probably start talking much more about the Andrew Luck sweepstakes and which teams are best positioning themselves (a nice way of saying losing too much) to have the chance to take the star quarterback first overall.

Bill Simmons recently joked about what he called "Tankapalooza" in the NBA, when all the lower tier teams started circling the toilet bowl in hopes of landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in the draft.  The difference in the NBA is that they have a lottery system, whereas the NFL goes simply by record.

The Miami Dolphins were the first contestant to play the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes last week as they tanked a 15-point lead.  Say what you want about Tim Tebow's heroics, but the Dolphins got the ball with a first down with 5:50 remaining and a 15-0 lead.  They then went three-and-out, allowed Denver to score a touchdown, recover an onside kick, score another touchdown and gave up the predictable Tim Tebow two-point conversion run to tie the game.  They then got the ball in overtime, got stopped on third-and-one for another three-and-out and fumbled on their following drive to give the Broncos the ball in game-winning field goal range.

Now, I'm not suggesting Tony Sparano tanked the game.  He knows he's on his last threads as the Head Coach, and the collapse did him no favors.  I'm not claiming anyone else intentionally lost the game.  Why does QB Matt Moore care if the team can take someone to replace him!?  However, they were in jeopardy of pulling themselves into a tie with the Broncos and ahead of the Rams and the Colts in the standings.   Even, if not intentional, I'm definitely putting this loss in the "Suck for Luck" entry bin!

Miami desperately needs a quarterback to help turn the franchise around and Luck is a good option.  They're now my odds on favorite to win the sweepstakes (I'm putting them at 50/50 against the field).  I think the winless Rams need to stick with Sam Bradford, who they drafted first overall a year ago.  People, like Austen, are suggesting the winless Colts might want him.

At age 35 and with a mysterious neck injury, Peyton Manning might not have too many seasons left.  I understand the logic that Luck could learn under Manning, but this season has proven that the Colts need a lot of help across the board.  This team is no good outside of Manning and would probably be best trading a high pick and getting several good picks to fill up the roster with some good players.  The biggest competition to the Dolphins would be if the Rams and/or Colts drafted before them and traded the pick to a "Luck-y" team.

We'll continue to discuss how this situation shapes up as the year goes on.  For now, my money's on Miami winning the sweepstakes.