You’ve heard the phrase at least a thousand times. NFL preseason games mean very little to anyone other than the borderline players attempting to distinguish themselves enough to land a spot on the final 53-man roster. Veterans under contract play very little, and it’s the most boring football you’ll ever see. Every team in the league does their best to make it entertaining, but lets face it, the product is awful and should be free of charge to anyone who can sit through four quarters of such mediocrity.
However these last four weeks were different for the Indianapolis Colts and their loyal fan base as it gave them the opportunity to evaluate the health of their oft injured franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, and to determine if he could actually throw a football down field without any restrictions.
Luck’s surgically repaired shoulder was indeed the focal point of training camp and if you listen to the majority of the talking heads that you find on your television and radio, he passed (no pun intended) the test with flying colors. While I never saw Luck throw the ball with any “mustard” on it, he did arc some floaters down the field, but there were no tight-spiral, frozen-rope-type bombs that we’ve seen from him previously. His passing attempts in preseason were allegedly designed to get the ball out of his hands quickly to avoid getting sacked behind the porous Colts offensive line, and we never saw him wind up and let it rip in training camp despite being told he is fine.
What does all this mean? Well, one of two things: Either he’s giving his shoulder four more weeks to heal more without the constant strain of throwing the ball deeply and will be ready to go this weekend when the games count, or he’s simply not 100 percent yet and protecting his shoulder with the limited throwing he has done to date. Call me a pessimist, but I’m inclined to go with the latter of the two until he shows us differently, and that clearly puts me in a minority. Maybe it’s just my old school mentality that tells me I have to see it to believe it, but that’s exactly where I am after the charade the Colts played with Luck last season. It’s fairly simple, just wind it up and throw it repeatedly, and I’ll immediately apologize to number 12 in writing and quit doubting what everyone says is fine.
Why be so leery you say? I guess it’s due to the fact that he suffered a serious injury —one that can limit a quarterback from putting something substantial on the ball when throwing it (you know, mustard) and we’ve yet to witness him do such while continually being given all sunshine on the matter.
I understand the games that sports franchises play with injury reports, but this one is different. Season tickets were renewed and individual ducats are also currently being sold under the guise that all is well with Luck’s arm and everything will be fine. This has been the mantra of the owner, the general manager and the head coach, so it has to be true, correct? Why then haven’t we seen the arm strength to date — even in simulated situations?
Yeah, I get it, they are all smarter than yours truly when it comes to football, injuries, etc. After all, I’m just an outside observer who can’t relate to the rigors of the game, how the rehabilitation process works, and how long it takes before a player can fully recover from such an injury. Guilty as charged I say, but before sentencing me for my transgressions please explain to me why I appear to be the only one doubting Luck’s shoulder and what it is that I’ve missed to date in terms of his arm strength, as I’m all ears.
One thing is for certain, either he’s just fine, and I’m an old curmudgeon who needs to visit an optometrist, or he can’t throw the ball with great velocity.
This Sunday is for real in many terms, and we’re going to find out just who’s right and who’s wrong. I will be in the press box, and I’ll bring the mustard.
Danny Bridges, who would love to be wrong, and wishes Andrew Luck good health for the rest of his career, can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
