On Tuesday, Andrew Luck missed his seventh consecutive practice. He has practiced only three times, and the Colts don’t seem to have a timetable for his return.
While Colts Nation is freaking out, remembering Luck’s absence with a shoulder injury in 2017, the Colts themselves are not.
“If I learned anything – and I learned a lot from Tony Dungy, working with him – he literally never flinched,’’ Colts coach Frank Reich said, via Mike Chappell of Indianapolis’ Fox 59. “Even when our best players got hurt, you would look at him and you would think it was just . . . he was never overly concerned.
“I just think that’s important.’’
While Luck might not see any action in the preseason while working his way back from a calf injury, he and the Colts remain confident he will take his spot in the starting lineup Sept. 8 against the Chargers.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but my concern level never kicks in,’’ Reich said. “You can have a genuine care and love for your players, want to do everything you can do to help them get better, but you also understand in this business that when a guy is not ready, it’s just got to be next man up.
“And if you really don’t believe that deep down in, then I just think that shows. And for those reasons, I don’t get concerned.’’
The Colts return to the practice field Saturday, and they will determine Luck’s availability Friday.
“Again, we’ll lean [on him], ‘Hey, Andrew, let’s talk this through,’’’ Reich said. “We’ll talk to everybody involved, but ultimately the big piece of the puzzle is, ‘What do you feel? Are you ready to take that next step? And if so, let’s talk about what that would look like and map it out for the next few days.’’
Luck has altered his workout/rehab schedule to include upgraded and “more dynamic series of exercises,” Reich said.
The goal is to get Luck back on the practice field, but Luck and the Colts still have time.