Insider: Time is running out for Andrew Luck, Colts
INDIANAPOLIS – The clock’s been ticking for more than seven months.
More than seven months of waiting and hoping and wishing.
It’s been more than seven months since Andrew Luck underwent shoulder surgery. The
Indianapolis Colts have committed to activating their Pro Bowl quarterback from the physically unable to perform list
before regular-season rosters are due on Sept. 2.
But here we are. All these days and weeks and months have passed, and it’s brought us to this:
The Colts are running out of time.
No one has ruled Luck out for the Colts’ Sept. 10 season opener in Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Rams, but this is a needed dose of reality given the facts as we know them.
Among those facts: Coach Chuck Pagano, pressed Tuesday for answers about his finest player, said there is no target date for Luck’s return to practice.
“There’s no timeline,” he said.
And, speaking of practice, the Colts only have so many left before they jet off to Los Angeles for that season opener at the Coliseum.
If Luck doesn’t practice by the end of this week – and there’s certainly no indication he will – the Colts will be down to just a handful of workouts before their opener. Because next week’s preseason finale will be a midweek game (Thursday, Aug. 31), the Colts likely will have just two light practices on Monday and Tuesday (Wednesday, Aug. 30 would likely be limited to a walkthrough).
If Pagano’s past habits hold, the Colts then would have a three-day weekend heading into Week 1. Taking into account players’ one mandated day off during that week, the Colts would be down to roughly six more practices after this week.
Among the questions posed to Pagano on Tuesday was how many practices Luck would need before returning to game action. Remember, he’s been out for seven months.
Seven.
“We’re not going to know until we get him out here,” Pagano said. “When the doctors say he’s ready and he’s 100 percent and he can start practicing, then we’ll have that answer.”
It’s a reasonable answer considering Luck hasn’t played in a football game or even taken a practice snap since December. Determining his viability to return to action with minimal practice time is next to impossible, though we do know Luck is throwing the football in workouts with trainers and equipment staff.
As the questions increased, Pagano’s frustration began to show. He didn’t demonstrate it by being rude but, rather, with humor.
“Control the controllables,” he said, repeating one of his many well-worn clichés. “You needed one of those. It’s been awhile.”
Then Pagano grinned at the assembled media and cracked, “You guys worry too much.”
It sounded like sarcasm, and it probably was to some extent.
But, for Pagano, these are also defense mechanisms. He doesn’t have answers to these critical questions about the availability of his starting quarterback, the cornerstone of the franchise. He deflects the questions with attempts at humor.
If it’s any wonder why these questions are so pressing, consider the Colts’ offensive production with and without Luck.
Since Luck’s rookie season in 2012, the Colts have averaged 25.2 points and 369 yards in games in which he plays. Without Luck in the lineup, the Colts have tallied 18.3 points and 291.8 yards.
The current situation makes it all the more likely the Colts will start Scott Tolzien in Los Angeles. Though Stephen Morris is no longer buried behind rookie Phillip Walker in practice, he is so far behind in terms of preparation after taking minimal reps in recent weeks that he might be unable to make up enough ground.
And there are other questions to which Pagano appears to lack answers beyond those about his quarterback.
Like, say, who will comprise his starting offensive line? More than a year after the Colts spent four draft picks on offensive linemen in the 2016 draft, they’re suddenly looking for a mainstay at right tackle after – apparently – having their confidence in Le’Raven Clark shaken. Clark was replaced by Jeremy Vujnovich in the starting lineup Saturday night in Dallas. Now, another candidate has entered the picture, with rookie Zach Banner earning some of the first-team snaps at the position on Tuesday.
“There’s a lot of good competition for that spot right now,” Pagano said.
Clark said he’ll keep fighting and might well remain the starter. But the Colts would much prefer to not be dealing with this so close to the start of the regular season.
Elsewhere on the line, center Ryan Kelly is out for the foreseeable future after foot surgery, and left tackle Anthony Castonzo hardly looks to be in midseason form despite Pagano’s assertions. Pagano said on Tuesday that his most veteran offensive lineman, Castonzo, “is playing extremely well right now. He’s in a good place.” Film from the team’s preseason games suggests otherwise.
So, yes, there are plenty of questions for Pagano and his staff to sort out. But all of the questions pale in comparison to the ones pertaining to his starting quarterback.
The clock’s ticking. And, for the Colts and Luck, time is running out.
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2017/08/22/insider-time-running-out-andrew-luck-colts/583759001/
