Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is expected back in the United States soon after traveling to Europe for treatment on his injured shoulder and an upcoming throwing program will reportedly determine if he needs to have biceps surgery before trying to get back on the field.
Whenever Luck does return to action for the Colts, the widespread belief is that he will be playing for a new head coach. Chuck Pagano and Luck both came to the Colts in 2012, but Pagano is expected to be relieved of his duties once the season comes to an end.
If that’s the case, Pagano’s running short on chances to talk about Luck and he made the most of one on Tuesday. Pagano said “nobody’s sacrificed as much as he has for this organization over the last five years” and said he’s confident that better days lie ahead for Luck.
“He’s been through hell,” Pagano said, via the Indianapolis Star. “Everybody has. And none more than him. And nobody wants to be back on the field more than Andrew. This is an unfortunate set of circumstances for everybody. But it’s life, and life happens. And he’s a warrior. And he’s done so much for this organization the last five years. He’s battled through injuries, he’s played injured, he’s played hurt. It’s unfortunate. He will be back. He will be back better than ever, at some point, and he’ll be back on the field leading this organization and leading this team to multiple, multiple wins and championships. That’s just him.”
There were plenty of people who predicted that kind of success for Luck when he entered the league and when he took the Colts to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. Because of the “hell” Luck has been through, Pagano’s probably more optimistic than most about those outcomes at this point but optimism has never been a place where Pagano is trailing the pack.