Luck pain-free after throwing at training camp
WESTFIELD, Ind. — Andrew Luck feels as sore and tired as he expected four days into training camp.
He’s also pain free — just as the Indianapolis Colts had hoped.
Luck passed his first major tests by returning to the practice field, taking all of his normal snaps during the Colts’ first two workouts, connecting with receivers on the run rather than throwing at stationary targets while feeling good physically and mentally.
It’s a good start for the quarterback with the surgically repaired right shoulder.
“Every day there will be new hurdles,” he said Sunday. “The second day, things seemed to calm down or slow down a lot. The first day I was nervous, I was excited and there was a certain element of the unknown. I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen. It was also very fun to be out there with the guys and focus on getting better at practice and not just surviving practice.”
Fans roared throughout Thursday’s opening workout, even cheering when Luck was throwing to ball boys and quarterbacks. One fan shouted “stay in that pocket” as Luck went through an individual drill designed to help all four quarterbacks evade oncoming pass rushers.
Not surprisingly, the early jitters also impacted Luck’s performance.
He was just 4 of 9 with an interception in his first 11-on-11 work since having a partially torn labrum fixed in January 2017.
On Friday, he was 15 of 19 overall.
“There have been four or five throws that have been like, ‘Oh yeah, that looks 100 percent like normal,’ ” coach Frank Reich said. “Then there have been one or two that we just need to work through and continue to get better.”
Luck did not talk with reporters after those practices or Saturday when he left the field about halfway through Saturday’s practice at Grand Park Sports Campus — as scheduled. He did not throw Saturday, leaving the bulk of the work to backup Jacoby Brissett.
“It’s weird, but this is the plan Frank and I and [general manager] Chris [Ballard] and everybody who helped came up with at the start. I know it’s helped me continue to get better and better and better,” Luck said.
But after blaming his slow recovery at least partially on skipping steps in a rush to get back, he’s sticking to the plan this time.
And Reich intends to hold him to that promise even though Luck is under no restrictions on the field.
Luck still must pass a few more milestones such as throwing deep balls and taking hits. The wait may not be too long.
Reich has said he expects Luck to play in the Colts’ preseason opener on Aug. 9 at Seattle, though Reich has not yet determined how much Luck will play.
“I’m going into this from the very start that he was full go, fully cleared for everything. We have some planned rest days, but in my mind the amount that he plays is he’s 100 percent in my mind,” Reich said. “We will plan him playing accordingly based on how much we would want to play our starting quarterback.”
Raiders wait on Mack
NAPA, Calif. — Jon Gruden targeted Paul Guenther as his defensive coordinator in his return to Oakland even before he got the Raiders job, believing his aggressive defensive scheme was just what the team needed to reverse years of bad play.
Guenther’s task has been even harder than originally thought because he is still waiting to get Oakland’s best defensive player in camp.
Star edge rusher Khalil Mack skipped the entire offseason program and now extended his holdout into training camp as he seeks a long-term contract commensurate with the skills of one of the NFL’s top defensive players.
“I really can’t worry about that right now,” Guenther said after Oakland’s first padded practice. “I’m just trying to coach the guys who are out here. Obviously when he gets here, if he gets here, he’ll be an exciting piece to add.”
There is no indication of when that time will come as Mack’s camp and Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie have been quiet about negotiations. Mack is entering the final season of his rookie contract that is set to pay him $13.8 million and Oakland would have the option of using the franchise tag next offseason if no long-term deal is reached.