:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58603803/usa_today_10335700.0.jpg)
Just in case things haven’t been interesting enough for Colts fans over the last 12 hours, the icing on the cake has been Chris Mortensen’s report on the status of Andrew Luck’s shoulder.
FWIW: On Sunday, ESPN's @mortreport reported there still are doctors who have concerns about Andrew Luck's shoulder and whether he could wind up needing additional surgery.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2018
While nothing about this report is definitive, you’ll forgive me if my half glass full perspective on the world is a bit rattled. Throughout the entire process with Luck’s shoulder and even the Colts coaching search, I’ve made it a point to report on and believe only those things that we know to be true. Rumors and speculation about the status of Luck’s shoulder have been rampant throughout the process but similar to Jim Irsay, the history of these surgeries and the recovery timelines had me believing that is was far more likely than not that he would play football in 2017.
What we’ve seen since that time is that speculators have been proven right more often than they’ve been proven wrong. It’s likely that hasn’t been the case throughout history but to this point, any potentially bad news has seemed to be accurate. Looking at Luck when he returned from the Netherlands it seemed very obvious to me that he had regained his strength and been aggressively lifting and building muscles in his arms and shoulder. What sense does it make that he could have made such visual progress, express confidence in the stability of his shoulder moving forward, and make his way out to Los Angeles to work with throwing coaches only to require additional surgery?
The bad dream continues for Colts fans. We will have to hope that these concerned doctors are grasping at straws without any access to Luck or his medical team. Even still, it should be on the radar and it is likely best that fans prepare for the worst and hope for the best from this point forward on Andrew Luck’s 2018 season — or perhaps his football career.
For those who are speculating that Josh McDaniels may have chosen to remain in New England due to concerns about Andrew Luck’s shoulder, Dianna Russini of ESPN is hearing that is not the case.
While collecting information tonight, those close to the situation are not buying that Andrew Luck’s health issues or problems with the owner are factors into McDaniels’ decision. I’m told Kraft & Belichick met with McDaniels for hours today...Josh changed his mind #colts #pats
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) February 7, 2018