Colts’ Luck arrives at camp with new outlook

ANDERSON, IND. >> Andrew Luck arrived at training camp Tuesday with a healthy body, a new contract and a different perspective.

The Indianapolis Colts are betting it will make him a better quarterback.

Less than a month after signing their best player to a six-year, $140 million contract, Luck and his teammates showed up at Anderson University on a mission to prove last season’s 8-8 finish was an aberration.

“Maybe there’s a little more motivation, not just because I’m coming off the injury but because of not really playing as well as you’d like,” Luck said.

For Luck, things couldn’t have gone much worse last season. One of the league’s bright, young stars missed nine games with an assortment of injuries including a lacerated kidney that forced him to watch the final seven games from the sideline as Indy’s fading playoff hopes vanished.

When Luck did play, he wasn’t himself. While the backups were a solid 6-3, Luck went a dismal 2-5 as a starter and finished with the lowest completion percentage since his rookie season. His 12 interceptions had him on pace to shatter his previous career high (18) from 2012. After the season, everyone had a suggestion — throw shorter passes, throw it away, embrace using the sideline or a baseball slide to protect himself.

But part of what makes Luck good is his ability to turn nothing into something, a trait the Colts don’t want to reel in. So they’ve worked with Luck on making better decisions.

Luck, meanwhile, spent the offseason getting healthy, re-evaluating his game and his offseason routine, and figuring out how to correct the flaws opponents exposed last season.

“I’ve never seen him more motivated to have a great season in terms of taking care of himself and just working out,” team owner Jim Irsay said last month, after announcing Luck’s new deal. “If you can talk about redoubling your efforts, that fire is in his eye in a special way.”

Others see the evolution, too.

During a June minicamp practice at Lucas Oil Stadium, fans roared when Luck slid to a stop during a non-contact drill.

Coach Chuck Pagano believes Luck has regained the confidence in his right arm, which also was hurt last season, and in the new offense installed by coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Luck is playing in his third offensive system in five years.

On Tuesday, Luck proclaimed himself 100 percent healthy — a change from April when he said he was still working toward that goal.

Teammates sense Luck is becoming a louder voice in the meeting room and the huddle.

“He has been more vocal,” left tackle Anthony Castonzo said. “In the past, he’s always kind of been ‘OK, here’s what we need you to do.’ Now, it’s more like, ‘This is where you need to be.”’