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It Is Apparently 'Killing' Andrew Luck That He Cannot Attend OTAs

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 4: Head coach Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts talks to the media following a rookie minicamp at the team facility on May 4, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 4: Head coach Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts talks to the media following a rookie minicamp at the team facility on May 4, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
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Yes, yes, yes. We all know that Andrew Luck cannot attend OTAs until he fully and completely graduates from Stanford. While some might dismiss his absence as just another useless story no one cares about, the reality is the time lost will hurt Luck's development. It might not be noticeable, but it will hurt. Luck knows this. Head coach Chuck Pagano knows it as well:

We're talking back and forth. [Luck] was able to take some stuff with him [to Stanford]. Besides school, he's spending time with Griff [Whalen] out there and a couple of his other teammates. He does football in the morning. Goes out, throws, works out. He's staying on top of everything. He's on point. I spoke to him, as a matter of fact, last night. He called me. It's killing him not to be here. He's just dying, dying to get out here.

The more I look at the way the offseason is shaking out, the more it seems as if the Colts signed Whalen just so he can work with Luck during this odd period when neither can attend team OTAs in Indianapolis. This way, Luck can continue to build chemistry with, at least, one Colts player who is likely to suit up in preseason.

Luck's other former-Stanford-but-now-current-Colts-teammate Coby Fleener is apparently in Los Angeles at a NFLPA event with follow TE Dwayne Allen. One Interesting (and encouraging) note is that Fleener and Allen have seemingly been inseparable during OTAs and minicamps.

At some point, Fleener will likely head back to Palo Alto to work with Luck. Luck reportedly has plans to meet up with Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie as well. In the end, no one seems to question Luck's willingness to do extra work to catch-up and be ready for training camp. The question is how much will that extra time limit his ability to build chemistry and timing with his receivers.