The Indianapolis Colts aren’t ready to shut quarterback Andrew Luck down for the season, and if he can get healthy he will play, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
#Colts QB Andrew Luck won’t practice again this week, I’m told. But IR is not in the team’s plans. If healthy, he will play this season. pic.twitter.com/2GKUtKMhAl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 22, 2017
Rapoport said the earlier Luck will return is late November. However, the Colts will not put him on IR and intend on playing him late in the season. Though, confusingly, the Colts are reportedly telling Jacoby Brissett to prepare as if he’s starting the rest of the season.
Luck recently suffered another setback with his throwing shoulder, which was surgically repaired in January. This surgery (to repair damage suffered in 2015) was supposed to be a non-issue for Luck heading into the 2017 season, as he was said to be on track to be ready for training camp.
Obviously that did not happen.
Instead, the Colts have continuously been dishonest with the media about how Luck’s recovery was coming along. The team made it clear early that Luck was stronger than ever. Obviously that’s not the case. He should have been shut down when this was clear on an internal level with the club.
The Colts stubbornly would not put Luck on IR, which would have made it possible for him to do what Teddy Bridgewater is doing for the Minnesota Vikings. Bridgewater is practicing with the team now, looking good and could return by Week 10.
Luck did a bit of light throwing in his first practices with the team recently but was quickly put back on the shelf. He’s not going to practice with the team again this week, per Rapoport, and the team’s refusal to accept the fact this is a lost season for Luck makes no sense at all. If he’s going to be coming back in late November at the earliest, then what’s the point of risking anything in 2017?
Indianapolis has botched this situation since even before training camp. Heck, the Colts have botched things with Luck even dating back to 2015, when his shoulder injury was first a problem. He should have had it addressed but did not. Instead, Luck endured two miserable seasons in which he was unprotected by an awful Colts offensive line and was a shell of himself.
The team continues to botch the entire situation now, and it’s painfully obvious to everyone who’s paid close attention.
The smart move would be to put Luck on IR now. Let him get fully healthy for the 2018 season. Don’t risk a darn thing in a season that’s already lost for the Colts, who sit at 2-4 heading into Week 7.
Instead, develop the young players, get rid of head coach Chuck Pagano, who was a lame duck to start with in 2017, and replace him with an offensive-minded coach who can get the most out of Luck in the years to come.
That’s the smart move. But we’re not holding our breath that Jim Irsay and Co. will do anything smart to remedy this messed-up situation.