Jim Irsay: “Andrew Luck likely out for opener”

Unless you have been living under a rock since January, you’ve probably heard that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck had outpatient surgery on his throwing shoulder. The procedure, was to help fix a lingering issue that has been bothering Luck since the 2015 season.

Following the Colts 7-6 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in their final preseason game, team owner Jim Irsay made himself available to the media. In the interview, Irsay told Stephen Holder, and others that Luck is likely out for the season opener, but there is still a chance he could play.

Luck has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list since July, and while it’s still the plan for him to be removed by the Saturday deadline, it has seemed like a long shot that he was going to play - even without this being admitted to reporters. Irsay did not expand on how much longer it would be before we see his star quarterback, but did note that “the timetable is more up to the football gods.”

Management has been adamant about not rushing Luck back, which is a smart. Even if the Colts lose some winnable games without their quarterback, they likely aren’t Super Bowl contenders this year to begin with, although, the AFC South never seems to be out of play. Getting Luck as healthy as possible must be the number one priority over winning any games this season.

The team opens the regular season on September 10th against the Los Angeles Rams. If Luck does decide to play, he will have under two weeks to practice to get acclimated with his offense.