Ertz ‘shocked’ by retirement of former teammate Luck
PHILADELPHIA >> Zach Ertz arrived at his locker Sunday, before practice at the NovaCare Complex, aware that he could be in demand.
“Something happen?” the Eagles’ tight end deadpanned, as he was confronted by a larger-thanusual press posse. Something had.
A night earlier, Ertz’s former Stanford quarterback, Andrew Luck, had retired, at age 29, saying he was no longer interested in dealing with, recovering from or risking any more painful football injuries.
As a fellow professional, Ertz understood.
As a long-time friend, he cared.
“It was emotional for me, watching it, knowing how much he loves the game of football, and to kind of see him be so vulnerable, be so open to everyone,” Ertz said. “But he gave his answers from his heart. And I am proud of him, to be sure.
“It’s not an easy decision.”
Ertz was one of several Eagles shocked by the timing of the retirement of a four-time Pro Bowl talent just days before his seventh NFL season. Most understood how much pain their profession can provide. Few found the announcement itself as painful as Ertz, who entered Stanford at 2010, just a year after Luck’s redshirt freshman season.
“This game is tough enough to play as it is,” the tight end said. “And it’s tough to play if you’re 50 percent in and 50 percent out. It’s not good for yourself. It’s not good for your team. But at the end of the day, I am proud of him. I was happy for him. It feels like he is at peace with the whole thing. And that’s all I care about.
“I was shocked, obviously. Andrew and I played together for a long time. Football brought us together, but our relationship was so much deeper than that. He’s one of the best players in the league, in my opinion. He probably never got the credit he deserves, especially early in his career when he was getting beaten up all the time.
“But I am extremely happy for his future.”
While the Eagles will not play the Colts this season, the suddenness of Luck’s decision dominated the locker room conversation Sunday.
“Once you get to the point where you are comfortable financially, and he should be more than set, the money is only one piece of it,” Jason Kelce said. “Obviously, it sounds like he was enduring a lot and was kind of tired of it. So I’m sure he has enough to be happy with.”
Luck had not appeared in the preseason as he recovered from an ankle issue, one of many career injuries.
“I have a lot of respect for Andrew and what he has done in his career as a quarterback,” said Doug Pederson, a former NFL quarterback. “Obviously I’ve been in situations, too, where I’ve been hurt, but obviously not to the extent that he has been.
“It’s tough. It’s tough. Obviously, you could tell through his comments that he put a lot of thought and a lot of conversation with family, friends, coaches and the owner into it. And it’s a tough thing for him to be able to step away like that. But I hope he gets healthy and wish him the best moving forward.”
Football injuries, pain, rehab and treatment hardly limited to Indianapolis, some Eagles acknowledged similar urges.
“I did,” said Lane Johnson, who has battled knee and ankle injuries in his six-year career. “But then I think, ‘What else am I going to do?””
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The Eagles continue to prepare for the season without defensive pillars Fletcher Cox and Nigel Bradham, each recovering from a foot injury.
Both, though, have participated in walk-through practices, with Pederson expecting them to play in the Sept. 8 opener against visiting Washington.
“For me realistically, I want to have everybody Week 1,” the coach said. “It’s still the goal. But they’re sprinkling in in the walkthroughs this week, and then hopefully we get them all next week.”
••• Recovering from a severe Achillies injury, Brandon Brooks has been cleared to participate in drills.
“He’s looking really good in everything that he’s doing,” Pederson said. “He’s moving well. We’ll give him some more team reps this week and see where he’s at. We just have to be careful. I mean, he’s a big guy. But he’s looking good.
“He’s looking powerful, and I’m excited about that.”