Andrew Luck has been placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his 2017 season before it even started. This was disappointing news for Colts fans, but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. However, there is no need to panic. He should be expected to make a complete recovery and return to his dominant form from 2016.
Back in January when Luck had his surgery, doctors and the organization expected him to be back for the beginning of the season, with the worst-case scenario being a return in Week 5. But as time went on, his return got pushed further and further back, and now he will not be playing this year at all.
Many fans were upset with the organization feeling that Jim Irsay, Chuck Pagano, and Chris Ballard had lied to them about Luck’s health in order to sell tickets. This is irrational thinking and is not the case.
What seems to be realistic is that Luck suffered a setback in the summer that was not reported by the team. This would explain why Luck was not ready for the beginning of the season, and why the Colts did not address the quarterback situation until trading for Jacoby Brissett days before the first game.
Luck suffered a second setback a few weeks ago as he was experiencing soreness in his throwing shoulder again. Luck then received a cortisone shot in his shoulder, and this is when people began to believe he wouldn’t play at all this season.
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Colts fans need to understand that Luck is going to be okay. This setback is disappointing for sure as Luck will go over a year and a half without playing live football, but it is not the end of the world. Recent reports suggest that Andrew Luck will be throwing again in 1-3 months, and should be ready for OTA’s this offseason.
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The rest of this season will be used to develop the Colts’ young talent and see which guys on the roster can be a part of the future. Hopefully, Jacoby Brissett will up his trade value, and the Colts will start to see some great play from promising players like Marlon Mack, Quincy Wilson, Henry Anderson and others.
Realistically, the Colts could trade Jacoby Brissett for a late-first to mid-second round pick after his impressive season. The Colts will also have their own pick, which will almost certainly be in the 3-10 range.
This is a cause for excitement as the Colts could realistically be heading into next season with two first round rookies, an early second round rookie, a healthy Andrew Luck, and whomever general manager Chris Ballard signs with a great amount of cap space.
It is tough to be without our star quarterback this season, but he and the Colts will bounce back. All hope for the playoffs is probably gone for this year, but there is no reason to believe that the Colts cannot compete for the AFC South title as early as next season.
There’s a bright future for the Colts, and Andrew Luck should have no long-term affects from this injury to hamper that.