Doug Baldwin says Colts’ Luck could be ‘greatest’ quarterback ever

Sep 22, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) participates in pre game warmups against the Jacksonville Jaguars at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin and Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck played football together for two years at Stanford University. Sunday’s game between the Seahawks and Colts will be the first time they have been on the same field together since, and both have high praises for each other.

Baldwin believes Luck could be one of the “greatest” quarterbacks ever, this quote coming via Terry Blount at ESPN.com:

"“I’m on the record as saying Andrew Luck can be the greatest quarterback who ever played the game of football,” Baldwin said Wednesday. “I’ve seen him do some unbelievable things that I still can’t believe a quarterback was able to do. I have tremendous respect for that guy.”"

Luck has praise of his own, reminiscing of their college days as teammates, according to John Boyle at HeraldNet.com:

"“I remember in Doug’s last year Stanford really developing a good football rapport with him. I always admired his work ethic and obviously he’s got a lot of physical traits that go well with being an NFL player. I admired his work ethic and football smarts…”"

At Stanford in 2009, Baldwin was a junior while Luck was a freshman. The Cardinal went 8-4 in the regular season before losing in the Sun Bowl to Oklahoma, 31-27.

The next year, Stanford had a breakout season. The team finished 11-1, their only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 4 Oregon in Eugene. The year would be capped off by a dominant 40-12 win in the Orange Bowl over No. 13 Virginia Tech. The Cardinal finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation.

Sep 29, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) scrambles in the second quarter of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Baldwin finished the 2010 season with 58 receptions for 857 yards and nine touchdowns. Luck, in his sophomore season, completed 263 of his 372 pass attempts (70.7 percent completion percentage) for 3338 yards and 32 touchdowns while throwing just eight interceptions.

When it came time for the NFL, the two made it in completely different ways.

Baldwin went undrafted before being signed by Seattle. His impact, however, was immediate — he played in all 16 games his rookie year and caught 51 passes for 788 yards and four touchdowns.

Luck, on the other hand, was the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft after a strong senior season at Stanford. In his rookie season, he completed 54.1 percent of his passes while throwing for 4,376 yards, 23 TDs and 18 INTs.

Now, the former teammates will cross paths again — for the first time since their Orange Bowl win in 2010, they will be on the same field together.

Joining them will be other members of the 2010 Stanford team: Seahawks corner Richard Sherman, Colts tight end Coby Fleener and Colts safety Delano Howell.

Through four games this season, Luck has completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 918 yards and five touchdowns while leading the Colts to a 3-1 record.