Jim Irsay says Jack Mewhort will be out Sunday for Colts’ game vs. Lions

On Monday, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano didn’t rule starting left guard Jack Mewhort out for Sunday’s game vs. the Lions, but on Tuesday Colts owner Jim Irsay said that Mewhort won’t play.

Appearing on 1070 the Fan with JMV on Tuesday afternoon, Irsay said that “Mewhort will be out” on Sunday, though added that “He’s feeling really well though” and that “he is ahead of schedule.”

Just like the news earlier today that Henry Anderson won’t play, this is no surprise. Mewhort injured his knee in the third preseason game, and initially it was feared that he tore his ACL. After tests, however, it was revealed that Mewhort didn’t need surgery and that he would be out 2-4 weeks. This Saturday will mark two weeks since Mewhort’s injury, so if Irsay is being honest about Mewhort being ahead of schedule then it means that all along the timeline was probably closer to the four week range. Either way, it was expected that Mewhort would miss at least a game in the regular season, so it’s not surprising that he won’t play on Sunday. Especially with it being only week one, there’s no reason to rush Mewhort back too early.

The problem is magnified due to the fact that Joe Haeg, who would normally be the first one to step in at left guard if Mewhort went down, is also dealing with an injury. Irsay said that Haeg is one of those guys “who could play if really necessary, but probably aren’t quite ready to play and who’s going to be there in an emergency.” So it sounds like the only reason we’ll see Haeg play is if the Colts are out of linemen due to in-game injuries, meaning that he won’t be the one starting in place of Mewhort. So that responsibility then falls to the third option, Jonotthan Harrison. He’s been working some at guard this offseason, but he’s inexperienced there and there likely will be an adjustment period.

The hope is that the Colts will get Mewhort back soon, but according to the team owner it won’t be in time for week one.