The Indianapolis Colts have had a number of ups-and-downs over the past year including the injury to quarterback Andrew Luck and the turmoil surrounding the hiring of Josh McDaniels who abruptly changed his mind and returned to New England.
The past year has been a roller coaster of sorts, and while McDaniels spurned them to remain the offensive coordinator of the Patriots, Luck is committed to returning to the franchise and is excited about the team’s direction.
Luck, who is continuing rehabilitation on his surgically repaired right shoulder, did not attend a town hall event held by the Colts on Tuesday but instead participated in a pre-recorded video interview with Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, which was played for the audience.
“Oh, [surgery] is not an option for me right now,” Luck said in the interview (h/t ESPN). “I feel very, very good about where I am. So that ship has sailed in my mind, which is also a bit of a relief. I’m not going to lie.”
It’s been a battle for Luck in his quest to return to the field. Luck had surgery on his right shoulder in January 2017 and then missed all of the team’s offseason workouts, all of training camp and all of the 2017 season, leaving his future in doubt.
New Colts coach Frank Reich said he’s “hopeful” that Luck will be ready to play once offseason workouts start in April.
“It’s been a long journey to this point, and it’ll still be a long journey until hopefully we get what we need to get done in Indianapolis,” Luck continued.
“The rehab has been hard at times. The one thing I know in my heart is that I am getting better, and I’m feeling great. I’m extremely optimistic. It’s been fun to see myself improve, so really I couldn’t be more excited for this offseason and for our new coach — everything that’s happening — and where the direction of the team is going.”
Luck has been dedicated to his extensive rehab and spent some time in Amsterdam to rehab. Now, Luck is has spent the past few weeks in Southern California working with throwing experts but was not clear about what he was throwing in the sessions.
“It’s been a long journey to this point, and it’ll still be a long journey until hopefully we get what we need to get done in Indianapolis,” Luck said.
“The rehab has been hard at times. The one thing I know in my heart is that I am getting better, and I’m feeling great. I’m extremely optimistic. It’s been fun to see myself improve, so really I couldn’t be more excited for this offseason and for our new coach — everything that’s happening — and where the direction of the team is going.”
Luck has had a rough go the past few season, missing 26 games over that time span due to shoulder, rib, kidney and concussion injuries.
However, Luck’s passion and dedication has not wavered.
It’s hard to gauge what the future holds for the Colts and what the team will look like in 2018, however this NFL odds tracker can be helpful to track as Luck makes his return and the Colts get further down the road in their process.
“It was very difficult to not play last year and to have something that you love to do taken away from you,” Luck said.
“And it makes you sort of turn the proverbial mirror on yourself and look at, you know, ‘Who am I? What am I? What do I truly love to do?’ And one of the many great things, blessings, of what I’ve gone through, one of them is that I truly, I can look at myself and I love football, and I want to play so bad. I love throwing a football. I love my teammates.
“And when that’s taken away from you — I probably didn’t appreciate it, how much joy I got out of that from my first five years in the league, and then to have that taken away from you gives you a perspective, and I think I’ll be a better quarterback and a teammate because of that perspective.”