Pain still too much for Luck to practice
The Indianapolis Colts are taking no chances with Andrew Luck.
Coach Frank Reich said Friday he expects the starting quarterback to miss at least three more practices with a strained left calf, probably keeping him off the field until Wednesday, when the Cleveland Browns come to town for a joint practice.
“He is continuing to progress with his strength, which is awesome,” Reich said on a conference call. “But there still is a degree of pain that he is not comfortable with. Obviously, we are not comfortable with putting him out there.”
The injury kept Luck out of the Colts’ offseason workouts and he was sidelined again after practicing three times over the first four days of training camp, though he never took a snap in full team drills.
Reich declined to say whether Luck’s injury might prompt the Colts to activate three quarterbacks for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Chargers.
“We remain confident and optimistic on Andrew’s situation,” Reich said. “But again, it’s still day-to-day and working through that plan, what is the best plan for him, for the team. So we will just adjust as needed, if needed.”
The Colts also acknowledged that kicker Adam Vinatieri was held out of Thursday’s game because of a knee injury.
Kap comeback?
Colin Kaepernick is eager to prove he’s good enough to play in the NFL.
A person close to Kaepernick told the Associated Press on Friday: “Colin has always been prepared to compete at the highest level and is in the best shape of his life.”
The 31-year-old Kaepernick hasn’t played since 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers.
He released a video this week saying: “5 a.m. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready.”
Brown grievance
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown has reportedly filed a grievance with the NFL over a league rule that prevents him from wearing his 10-year-old helmet.
ESPN reported that Brown had a two-hour conference call Friday with an independent arbitrator to state his case for why he should be able to use a helmet that is no longer certified by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. League and union representatives were also on the call and ESPN reported a ruling could come as early as next week.
Brown’s Schutt Air Advantage helmet is not allowed to be worn because of a league policy that players must wear helmets that are NOCSAE certified, a person in the league said on condition of anonymity because the commissioner’s office was not talking publicly about the issue.
Exhibitions
Kirk Cousins was flawless in his lone series in Minnesota’s new offensive scheme, backup Sean Mannion delivered a scoring pass under a heavy rush, and the Vikings defeated New Orleans 34-25 . ... In Pittsburgh’s 30-28 victory over Tampa Bay, Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph led the Steelers’ offense on four scoring drives as they battle to be Ben Roethlisberger’s backup. The Buccaneers’ Jameis Winston completed five of six passes in his one series, against a defense featuring few regulars.
Etc.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway has stepped out of bounds again. The NFL suspended Callaway four games without pay Friday for an unspecified violation of the league’s policy and program on substance abuse. Callaway will sit out the first four regular-season games . ... The Philadelphia Eagles acquired defensive end Eli Harold in a trade that sent rookie offensive lineman Ryan Bates to the Buffalo Bills.