Good Luck has Colts in the hunt
INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Luck looks and sounds like his old self.
He’s smiling, cherishing each snap. He’s throwing touchdowns and winning games, staying healthy and chasing the kinds of milestones so many expected when the Indianapolis Colts made him the top overall pick in the 2012 draft. Yes, at age 29, he’s again having fun playing football. “I was not in a good spot a year ago. I remember that. I am in a good spot now,” Luck said in his trademark low-key tone following Sunday’s 38-10 victory over Tennessee.
“My perspective is a little different toward this game. I appreciate things maybe a little bit more and I think that’s pretty consistent with anybody who’s been out for significant time with an injury.”
Twelve months ago, Luck was questioning everything from whether a second surgical procedure might alleviate the pain in his right shoulder to whether he would ever play another NFL game.
He had been shut down for the season by going on injured reserve and headed to Europe where he continued rehabbing in relative anonymity. He spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in the Netherlands and when he returned home, just before Indy’s season finale, Luck recounted some of the emotional challenges he faced during his prolonged recovery from a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. Even then, things didn’t go according to plan. The only NFL coach Luck played for, Chuck Pagano, was fired a few days after his return. New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels accepted the Colts’ coaching job then backed out, paving the way for Frank Reich to eventually take over while Luck’s recovery essentially started over.
“We were throwing little — I don’t even know what kind of balls they were — weighted balls, but they didn’t have points on them,” Reich said when asked to recount Luck’s status when he first arrived in town. “He was patient. I give him a lot of credit. He was really patient and he just said he was going to stay patient and trust the process and he did that. So that’s a lot of credit to him.”