The latest news about Colts quarterback Andrew Luck’s absence from the field after having right shoulder surgery is a lot like the news that we’ve been hearing since the surgery.
While General Manager Chris Ballard said recently that Luck’s strength levels are up from last year, there’s still no sign that his return is imminent. Coach Chuck Pagano was asked about Luck’s return on Tuesday and his answer was the same one that the team has been giving for quite a while.
“There’s no timeline,” Pagano said, via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
As Holder points out, the lack of a timeline at this point would seem to make it likely that Luck’s absence will stretch into the regular season. They play the Steelers this Saturday and then close out the preseason a week from Thursday, leaving very little practice time left before they would take on the Rams in Week One.
Pagano was asked how much practice time Luck would need to be ready and he said they won’t “know until we get him out here.” That answer makes sense, but it won’t do much to calm anyone worried that missing Luck could trip the Colts up before they even get out of the gate this season.
Pagano made a humorous attempt to do that by replying “you guys worry too much,” although you can’t blame the prospect of starting the season without the team’s best player for leading people to feel otherwise.