Andrew Luck was literally perfect passing the ball in his much anticipated debut Saturday, but head coach Chuck Pagano had another reason to be excited.
Playing for the first time since lacerating his spleen last year, Luck completed all eight of his passing attempts, but it was what he did when he didn’t throw that had Pagano giddy after the game.
“The greatest thing was he took off and he got his ass on the ground when he was supposed to get on the ground,” Pagano said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
Luck also appeared to have a better handle on getting rid of the ball in a timely manner, which Pagano also mentioned as a huge positive.
“They’ve worked really hard on that clock in his head. You can sit and wait and wait and wait and hold that thing too long,” Pagano said.
Last year was a stark wake-up call for Luck, who tends to wait until the last minute to throw. Oftentimes during his first four years, he’d be getting hammered right as he was throwing or right after, so it’s not surprising he missed significant time last year with injuries.
This offseason he worked hard on perfecting his sliding technique, which had been notably absent throughout his career. He showed off the technique a couple of times in the game on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, giving his coaches a tremendous sense of relief, we’re sure.
The Colts need Luck to be at his best and fully healthy this year to fend off the rising talent in the AFC South, where the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans could potentially keep Indy out of the playoffs for a second straight year.