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Training camp for the 2012 Indianapolis Colts will open in less than two weeks. As of this article, the team still doesn't have No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, second round pick Coby Fleener, or third rounder Dwayne Allen under contract. I'm not sweating it. The reason I'm not is because, sooner or later, the Colts will cave, sign Luck, and have him in camp. Once Luck signs, the rest will follow.
The reason the Colts will cave is because Luck has all the leverage. He missed all of OTAs due to graduation obligations at Stanford. He absolutely cannot afford to even miss five minutes of camp. If he did so, it would be yet another P.R. blunder for the Colts. Jim Irsay has already predicted that the team will sign Luck prior to the start of camp.
Per the Indianapolis Star's Mike Chappell, who was a guest of PFT Live last week:
To me, the idea of Andrew Luck even missing five minutes of training camp is ridiculous.
...
The idea that they would let him miss two minutes of meetings at training camp is so far out there [that] it's not going to happen.
Mike is correct. Luck will be there by day one of camp, because if he isn't it won't paint Irsay and the Colts in a favorable light.
Yes, I am well aware that Peyton Manning held out in 1998 when he was a rookie. Different time. Different circumstances. Different economy. Luck has to be there Day One, and Irsay knows it. The deal will get done.
It's worth noting that No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III recently said he expects to sign with the Redskins on July 16th (aka, today). Once Griffin signs, the pressure will increase for Irsay to get a deal done with Luck.