Andrew Luck knows he has to protect himself

The Indianapolis Colts suffered through a frustrating, injury filled season in 2015. But with Andrew Luck healthy again, there is renewed hope for 2016, provided Luck can keep himself on the field.

The Colts are hoping that 2015 doesn’t repeat itself. They’ve doubled, tripled, and quintupled down on protecting what is soon to be their biggest investment to date: Andrew Luck.

Luck suffered shoulder and rib injuries to go along with a kidney laceration last season. He missed nine games from injuries that could have been preventable. Had Luck not tried to play hero on an interception return he might not have hurt his shoulder or ribs. A slide on a scramble and he saves himself from a vicious hit that ended his season.

But that never-say-die mentality is also what makes Luck a special player. He has the ability to stretch plays with his legs, get out of trouble and make something spectacular happen.

Very few quarterbacks in the NFL can make that sort of play happen. It is a double-edged sword and a trait that is difficult to coach out of a player (if you even want to do that sort of thing).

Luck knows that it is on him to remain on the field and stay healthy, not just for himself, but for the team as well. (Quotes via ESPN)

"“I think every year you re-evaluate,” Luck said. “You’re going to change things every year. That’s the nature of it. Hopefully you improve every year. I definitely think, like always, I have an obligation to keep myself healthy, not only to myself but to this team.”“When something’s taken away from you,” he said, “it does give you more appreciation of it.”"

More from Horseshoe Heroes

Luck isn’t just working on how to keep healthy, but he also has to learn a new playbook as well. The Colts overhauled the coaching staff and Luck is now working closely with offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and new quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Schottenheimer is tasked with improving Luck’s play on the field. He said that he doesn’t want to change Luck’s style but rather make improvements to his already prodigious skill set. There are a few things that Luck could improve on heading into 2016 (like getting the ball out of the pocket quicker, making better presnap reads, and perhaps sliding a bit earlier on scrambles) but he’s focused on what his coaches want him to work on.

"“I think one thing, when you play quarterback in the NFL or in college, there’s going to be a lot [of] people that say a lot of things about what they want or wish,” Luck said. “You block that out and you listen to your quarterback coach. The quarterback’s coach has the quarterback’s back and vice versa.”"

One of the biggest changes Luck is working on is learning patience. This is perhaps the most difficult thing for a competitive quarterback to learn. Peyton Manning went through a similar struggle at about this point in his career (Tony Dungy‘s biggest challenge as coach was convincing Manning it was OK to punt).

Luck realizes that he needs to know when to call it quits on a play. Adding this to his game will limit the number of big hits he takes and keep him on the field for all 16 games in the coming season.

"“If a play breaks down in practice, making a full-speed decision to throw it away like that just to train that aspect of it,” he said. “Every year I think every player is going to want to improve if you’ve been deficient, you’re going to want to change in that area.”"

While Luck needs to protect himself, the Colts have also made the necessary improvements on the offensive line to give him more time in the pocket. The Colts added four offensive linemen in the draft who will be competing for the job of Luck’s body guards. Alabama product Ryan Kelly will be hiking the ball to Luck this season, and that is already an improvement over the revolving door the team has had a center.

A better line will go a long way towards seeing improved results this season. But it still boils down to Luck’s health. If he can’t stay on the field, then we’ll see a repeat of 2015. Or worse.

Home/Colts News