Colts Concerned Luck May Never Play Again

[Mike75]

Andrew Luck hurt his throwing shoulder early in the 2015 season, but it wasn't until 15 months later — January 2017 — that fans learned just how badly he had been hurt, and how long he had played with the injury.

 

With the 2017 season looming and Luck only recently throwing a football again, here’s the timeline of his painful 2015 and 2016 seasons, and where he stands now.

 

 

2015

 

Sept. 27 2015: Luck's sideline jump for joy reveals relief in the Indianapolis Colts' first victory of the season, a 35-33  win against the Tennessee Titans that avoids an 0-3 start. But the game — Luck is sacked three times and hit four others — comes with a price.

 

IndyStar sports columnist Gregg Doyel saw signs of trouble in the locker room after the game vs Tennessee:

 

    Andrew Luck was struggling to put on his shirt. His pants weren’t going on much easier, either. Didn’t look like he could bend. Didn’t look like he could breathe. Luck was hurting and he was exhausted, and finally an Indianapolis Colts security official was at his side, helping him pack his stuff and get out of this locker room at Nissan Stadium, where it didn’t feel like a team had just won.

 

Sept. 30: Three days later, Luck's throwing shoulder is sore.  He does more watching than throwing during practice. “He’s day-to-day,” coach Chuck Pagano says. Luck won’t divulge many specifics — including whether he had an MRI or which play led to the injury.

 

Oct. 2: Who will the quarterback be on Sunday? “It’s Andrew Luck,” Pagano says two days before the next game. “If I was going to bet on anybody, it’d be that guy.”

 

Oct. 4: At noon Saturday, the Colts confirm Luck is inactive for Sunday's game.

 

Oct. 8: Luck is inactive for a second straight game. Hasselbeck starts again and the Colts beat the Texans. The next game — against the Patriots — is 10 days away, a brief break for Luck.

 

Oct 18: Luck plays for the first time since his shoulder injury. It's a loss to the Patriots, but Luck has a solid game, going 30-of-50 for 312 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. (This also was the game of the infamous "worst play in history" fake punt.)

 

Oct. 25:  The interceptions are back as Luck struggles in a loss to the Saints. He throws two in the first half, one of them in the red zone.

 

Oct. 30: Zak Keefer writes about Luck's passing, which is now lackluster:

    Luck’s throws have been hesitant, like the one on a crossing route to T.Y. Hilton in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Saints. They’ve been alarmingly wide, like the one on the out route to Coby Fleener a few minutes later in the same game. They’ve been senseless, too, like the one he forced to Donte Moncrief in the end zone that the Saints easily picked off just before halftime.

 

    He’s missed on screen passes and post patterns, throws Luck typically makes in his sleep. He’s locking onto his receivers the way a rookie QB would. It appears he’s aiming some passes rather than throwing them. On others, he's leaning back, almost as if he’s trying to use his whole body’s momentum to compensate for a lack of velocity.

 

    His mechanics, his footwork, his timing, all of it seems off.

 

Nov. 2: Colts lose to Panthers. Luck throws three interceptions and fumbles once. Doyel writes: "Luck couldn’t throw the ball from here to there without it being grabbed first by the other team."

 

Nov. 9: Luck wakes up and notices blood in his urine. Safety Mike Adams sees Luck in the training room, sees a black-and-blue bruise the size of a basketball. “You OK?” Adams asks. "Yeah,” Luck replies.

 

Nov. 10: Not OK. The Colts learn Luck has a lacerated kidney and partial tear of an abdominal muscle. Such kidney damage is usually seen in a motor vehicle accident, a doctor notes. Luck will be out two to six weeks, after already missing two games with the arm injury. What no one knows at the time: He won't take another snap the rest of the year.    DONE FOR 2015

 

 

2016

 

The question entering 2016 is whether Luck can rebound after a 2015 season marred by injuries and some of the worst play of his career. He does, setting career highs in yards per attempt (7.8) and completion percentage (.635). But the Colts will finish the season 8-8.

 

Luck’s name is a staple on the injury report all season: He is listed every week, without fail, Weeks 1 through 17. He is typically a limited participant on Thursdays, handing off to the running backs during practice instead of throwing. On Sundays, he takes a beating. As a team, the Colts yield 44 sacks, fifth-worst in football, and 128 hits, more than any team except for the Cleveland Browns.​​​​

 

​​​Luck misses just one game, on Thanksgiving, with a concussion suffered against the Titans just four days earlier.

 

On June 29, the Colts sign Luck to the then-richest contract in NFL history, a six-year, $140 million deal that will keep him with the team through at least the 2021 season. All eyes are on the 2017 season.

 

2017

 

Jan. 19: The truth about Luck's 2015 throwing-arm injury finally comes out in a tweet from Colts owner Jim Irsay:

 

Andrew recovering from successful outpatient surgery to fix right shoulder injury that had lingered since 2015. Will be ready for season!

 

Fans learn that Luck had surgery in mid-January to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder dating back to the third game of the 2015 season. Experts on the procedure predict a six-to-nine-month recovery, which could place him back in the fold just as training camp begins July 30.

 

Questioned by reporters, Irsay strongly hints that Luck aggravated the shoulder injury when he tried, in vain, to stop the Broncos’ Aqib Talib on an interception return in a 2016 Week 2 loss.

 

April 17: Luck speaks out for the first time about his decision to have surgery.

 

He reveals that it was his decision to undergo surgery in January to correct the lingering issue in his throwing shoulder.

 

He confirms that the injury dates back to the pounding he took in the September 2015 win over the Tennessee Titans that kept him out of the lineup for the subsequent two games. Luck, as it turns out, has been dealing with the issue ever since.

 

Of the 2016 season, Luck says:

    There were times when you play through pain, there were times when it felt great. The reality is everybody plays through pain in the NFL. I’ve played through pain every year. This was a little different beast from the standpoint of, as you guys know, my practice schedule was different and altered and certainly that made things difficult from a preparation standpoint.

 

    There were a couple of times during the year where I would get hit in an awkward position or an awkward way, and it wouldn’t feel great. And it would be a taxing effort to get ready for the next week and the next week. And it didn’t feel like I could go through that and be productive.”

 

The rehabilitation approach used after the 2015 season allowed Luck to play quite well in 2016. But as he continued to absorb hits, the issue grew worse. Treatment was a temporary solution. Surgery should be permanent.

 

June 13-15: A mandatory minicamp concludes the 2017 offseason program. Aside from coaching from the sidelines, Luck doesn't participate.

 

July 19: Ten days shy of the date players report to training camp to kick off the 2017 season, Luck’s status remains uncertain, his recovery “status quo,” according to a league source. Never in his life has he gone this long without throwing a football; it's going on five months.

 

July 24: Breaking news: Luck is throwing again. But he won’t be practicing anytime soon.Luck is to begin training camp on July 30 on the physically unable to perform list, General Manager Chris Ballard reveals.

 

Saturday, Sept. 2: Regular-season rosters are due. The Colts have committed to activating Luck from the physically unable to perform list before this. He can't practice until he comes off the list.

 

Wednesday, Oct. 18: A setback: Luck will not practice this week because of soreness in his shoulder, Colts General Manager Chris Ballard said. He said Luck's velocity and motion are both good, and he's coming along at a good rate. Ballard said Luck will not be placed on injured reserve for now. Such a designation would end his season. Ballard did not rule out that happening in the future.

 

Monday, Oct. 30: Soreness continues to persist in Luck's surgically repaired throwing shoulder, keeping him off the practice field.

 

A source said Luck plans to see multiple shoulder specialists in the coming days to find the source of the soreness. The Colts had shut Luck down when he felt soreness after he finally returned to practice earlier this month.

 

Luck practiced for two weeks after more than nine months of rehab on the shoulder in which he sustained a partially torn labrum. But when the soreness developed two weeks ago, the Colts gave Luck a cortisone shot that doctors hoped would cause the pain to subside. But it hasn’t.

 

Thursday, Nov. 2: Colts place Luck on injured reserve, meaning he'll miss the rest of the season.

 

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - There's a huge problem brewing between Colts owner Jim Irsay and quarterback Andrew Luck, the kind of problem that may destroy the relationship between the owner and his team's best player. And you wonder now, might Irsay and his big mouth run Luck out of Indianapolis?

 

During a commercial cut-in of Dan Patrick's national radio show, guest Tony Dungy, who did not know he was on the air, told Patrick during a break that Irsay recently said he believes that what's holding Luck back from returning to the field is more mental than it is physical.

 

Patrick asked Dungy about the Luck situation, and Dungy responded, "I don't know what's going on there. Jim Irsay made a comment about six weeks ago, 'It's inside his head now.'"

 

Patrick: "Wait, it's inside Luck's head?"

 

Dungy: "Yeah, [irsay] said that when I was out [in Indianapolis] for Peyton's ceremony."

 

Patrick was stunned. "Wow," he said. "I really wonder if Luck's future is in Indianapolis. I really do."

 

Dungy didn't respond initially, then when Patrick brought up the fact that Irsay expected Luck back at the start of the season or early in the season, Dungy replied, "They obviously believed it because they did nothing to prepare for him not being there."

 

Recently, there was a report out of Denver, unconfirmed locally, that Irsay was upset at Luck because he felt like the quarterback had given him every reason to believe he would be back either at the start of the season or early in the season. During the summer, in fact, Irsay told reporters Luck would be back for the season opener, and then, after the preseason game against Detroit, he insisted Luck would return early in the year.

 

Obviously, none of that has happened. Luck finally returned to the practice field a little more than three weeks ago on a limited basis, but after two weeks, the pain and inflammation returned to his surgically repaired right shoulder. This past Thursday, general manager Chris Ballard announced Luck would go on IR and be completely shut down for the rest of the season.

Irsay's comment to Dungy gives even more weight to the rather unsubtle hints he's dropped previously, suggestions that Luck's issues are more in his head than his right arm.

 

On Aug. 13, Irsay said, "It's been said before, all sports is played on a 4-inch field between your ears. It's really important we continue to help Andrew emotionally, mentally, get his confidence and his endorsement, deep down his rubber stamp (in) his heart of hearts because in the end, that carries the biggest weight."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2017/08/16/andrew-lucks-secret-pain-timeline-injury-colts-hid-more-than-year/523709001/

 

 

https://www.wthr.com/article/kravitz-might-jim-irsay-run-andrew-luck-out-of-indianapolis-with-his-intemperate-remarks

[Sharp Square]

Hopefully, this has a happy ending and Luck makes his way back healthy and ready to play.   I remember seeing some of the reports on Drew Brees which questioned whether or not his injury would allow him to continue being effective or playing at all before Saints traded for him.  He worked his way back and into one of the best QBs in the game and would be great to see Luck be able to follow that same path. 

[Mike75]

Hopefully, this has a happy ending and Luck makes his way back healthy and ready to play.   I remember seeing some of the reports on Drew Brees which questioned whether or not his injury would allow him to continue being effective or playing at all before Saints traded for him.  He worked his way back and into one of the best QBs in the game and would be great to see Luck be able to follow that same path. 

 

I think there is a chance Luck plays again but for some reason not in Indy. I see Luck taking a Bridgewater style break from the NFL to heal and when he returns some other team will have traded for him like New Orleans did Brees in 2006 when he was thought to be done as well. What would be crazy is if Brees won another title and retired and Luck ended up in New Orleans.

[Sharp Square]

I think there is a chance Luck plays again but for some reason not in Indy. I see Luck taking a Bridgewater style break from the NFL to heal and when he returns some other team will have traded for him like New Orleans did Brees in 2006 when he was thought to be done as well. What would be crazy is if Brees won another title and retired and Luck ended up in New Orleans.

 

 

 

Oh now your getting my hopes up  lol 

[Boatboatboat]

Brees was set to be a Dolphin and failed team physical

[Boatboatboat]

So Miami got Dante Culpepper

[Mike75]

The Indianapolis Colts placed quarterback Andrew Luck on injured reserved on Thursday, ending his season. Speaking on ESPN’s “NFL Live,” Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young expressed great concern about Luck’s future.

 

Steve Young on ESPN’s NFL Live just no: “I’m super worried about Andrew Luck and his future.”

 

At this point, it’s hard to be anything but concerned about Luck’s future.

 

Even during three straight trips to the postseason (2012-2014), Indianapolis did an abysmal job at protecting Luck. He’s taken way too many hits throughout his career.

 

Now, it’s showing in a big way.

 

He played in seven games in 2015, fought through injuries to play 15 games in 2016, and will now miss all of 2017. Making matters worse is that this is not an average season-ending injury. Shoulder injuries are generally very difficult for quarterbacks to return from. Even if Luck can return in relative health, we also have to wonder if the Colts have the protection that he’ll need to stay healthy in 2018 and beyond.

 

Young is certainly not alone in his concern for a man who once seemed to have a limitless future in the NFL.

[Mike75]

Oh now your getting my hopes up  lol 

 

Anything is possible. Some teams have made it hitting on free agent QB's. New Orleans with Brees. Kansas City with Smith. Arizona with Palmer. Minnesota with Keenum. Buffalo with Taylor.

 

Rookies are a crapshoot. For every Prescott,Watson,Goff and Wentz you have a Bortles,Osweiler,Kizer,Seimen

 

If the Saints were to win a title this year and retire i think Sean Payton could do wonders with Cousins he is a pure pocket passer like Brees.

 

Arizona has gotten lucky going the free agent QB route instead of drafting a new QB. First with Kurt Warner then Carson Palmer and had postseason success with both. Due to Palmer pushing 40 the Cards would be wise to look into Cousins as they would not endure any setbacks like they might with a rookie.

[Mike75]

Best thing that ever happened to New Orleans was Miami thinking Brees shoulder was damaged. Miami missed out on a true successor to Dan Marino. Imagine if Dolphins history would've had Marino and Brees thats nearly 1,000 TD passes between 'em. Wasnt meant to be in Miami but Brees will always be Saints best passer in history.

[FairWarning]

Kind of reading between the lines, the colts have all but called Luck soft and thought he should have been back. I’ve been following this for a long time. Now that they realize how serious it is, Irsay has backpettled.

[Sharp Square]

Anything is possible. Some teams have made it hitting on free agent QB's. New Orleans with Brees. Kansas City with Smith. Arizona with Palmer. Minnesota with Keenum. Buffalo with Taylor.

 

Rookies are a crapshoot. For every Prescott,Watson,Goff and Wentz you have a Bortles,Osweiler,Kizer,Seimen

 

If the Saints were to win a title this year and retire i think Sean Payton could do wonders with Cousins he is a pure pocket passer like Brees.

 

Arizona has gotten lucky going the free agent QB route instead of drafting a new QB. First with Kurt Warner then Carson Palmer and had postseason success with both. Due to Palmer pushing 40 the Cards would be wise to look into Cousins as they would not endure any setbacks like they might with a rookie.

 

 

 

No interest as a Saints fan in getting Cousins. None what so ever, to be honest, I watch him play and I don't see it.  To me he seems like a pretty average QB who can make some nice throws but really is not consistent.  I just don't see that big play ability in him that could make him a star. 

 

Would rather roll the dice with Luck if he could clear a physical. 

[Mike75]

Kind of reading between the lines, the colts have all but called Luck soft and thought he should have been back. I’ve been following this for a long time. Now that they realize how serious it is, Irsay has backpettled.

 

 

 

Jim Irsay whose father owned the Colts from 1972 through 1997 had 25 years and never came close to winning anything consistently only winning 10 or more games three times and making the postseason just half a dozen times during that span.

 

So after his father passes Irsay gets lucky enough to not only draft Peyton Manning in 1998 and then fourteen years later gets Andrew Luck as well in 2012. Both were considered in their time to be the best QB's to come out in years and yet even though he had both and was lucky enough to win 10 or more games in fourteen different seasons,make the postseason fourteen times,win ten division titles but when it all came down to it he only managed to squeeze one SB title out of all that talent.

 

The lesson in all this is lightning does strike twice but it won't three times. Jim Irsay is about to see what ordinary is all about just like his father did for a quarter century.

 

Irsay is a pillhead and idiot he never deserved to have one let alone two great QB's......