The NFL regular season is just four weeks away, and the Indianapolis Colts say Andrew Luck may or may not be playing.
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Four weeks from the regular season, Andrew Luck still isn't playing and nobody knows when he will be ready
Andrew Luck hasn't played yet in training camp, and the Colts say he'll be ready for the start of the regular season — just maybe not Week 1.
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Luck has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list all training camp as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
With training camp and preseason underway, his status has mostly been a mystery as he hasn't been playing or training and hasn't addressed the media.
On Sunday, however, Colts owner Jim Irsay addressed the media and gave an update of sorts about Luck's injury, saying he's throwing — but not all the way — and will be ready for the start of the season — but maybe not Week 1.
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While it's not unusual for teams to be uncertain of exactly when exactly a player will return from injury and to be cautious, the situation is somewhat concerning. Nearly nine months since surgery, Luck isn't throwing as hard as he can, and he hasn't gone through game action since the 2016 season ended.
As the Colts mentioned, they want to protect their investment — in 2016, they gave Luck a five-year, $140 million contract that included $89 million guaranteed. It's smart to be careful, though it's concerning that, according to Irsay, Luck hurt his shoulder in 2015 and didn't get surgery until January 2017 after the injury lingered.
It would also be more reassuring if the Colts had a better idea of when Luck will be able to play. Even if he recovers fully by Week 1, he'll have missed training camp and preseason. There will be rust to shake off, and he won't have any in-game throwing experience on a surgically repaired shoulder.
Luck, when healthy, has looked every bit like a franchise quarterback than can take the Colts from a mediocre outfit to a playoff team. Currently, the question is when and if he'll be healthy to do so.
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