Last week, Colts GM Chris Ballard said Andrew Luck was on target to come off of the PUP list in time for the season opener, but as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets, Luck himself is not ready to commit to that date. Luck spoke to the media yesterday morning, and while he said he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, he wanted to take a wait-and-see approach with respect to his short-term availability.
Luck said, “There’s no reason to freak out. I’ll be better coming out of this than I was going into this. We’re doing this right, I know we are. We’re not rushing it just to rush it” (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, citing Zak Keefer of IndyStarSports).
Luck has been a regular at the Colts’ facility after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, but as spring turned to summer, it became increasingly clear that he would not be ready for the start of training camp, and that he may be held out for the entirety of the team’s preseason slate. Although it would be preferable for him to get in at least some work this summer, there is no reason for the Colts to rush him given his experience and his long-term importance to the team.
Scott Tolzien will take first-team reps in Luck’s stead, and the fact that Ballard did not bring in a more established quarterback this offseason to compete with Tolzien can be taken as a sign of optimism for Luck’s health.
Last year, Luck completed 63.5% of his passes, accumulated 4,240 yards through the air, and threw for 31 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. It was a nice bounce back for the 27-year-old after an injury-plagued 2015. This year, the hope is that he’ll revert to his Pro Bowl form and lead the Colts to the playoffs.
But Luck and RG3 were sure things…