There was concern that the franchise quarterback was going to have some issues with his injured shoulder. Halfway through the season, we can put those rumors to bed.
Andrew Luck always knew he would come back stronger. He didn’t know it would take as long as it did, but he knew he would come back better than ever. That has proven to be true so far, as he has played pretty darn well through the first half of the year.
There was concern among fans that Luck would have issues throwing the ball or that he was still injured coming into the season. That has proven to be false, although he still hasn’t thrown as many deep balls as he has in season’s past.
But that is more of a function of the offensive scheme than it is a shoulder problem. He has taken deep shots, but it just hasn’t been as many. That is because of instability in the offensive line and an inconsistent run game. But both of those seem to have been taken care of.
Luck has done a better job of protecting himself as well. He has done a good job of not taking any unnecessary hits. He makes sure to get down and slide when he takes off running. That is a product of maturation and understanding that the team needs him on the field.
The Colts now know that their franchise quarterback is as good as ever. They might even look to trade Jacoby Brissett in the offseason if Luck can stay healthy the whole year. No one needs to think that they will draft a quarterback next year to take over.
Luck still has some work to do, and he wants to win more games. But it has been good to see him back on the field.