INDIANAPOLIS -- The armor that has kept Indianapolis Colts franchise quarterback Andrew Luck upright through more than a 100 sacks, countless more hits and instability on the offensive line finally has some dents in it.
There's never a good time for a player to get injured, but this is definitely the wrong time for the Colts to be worried about Luck's right shoulder. They have a losing record and haven’t looked good outside of their fourth-quarter comeback against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Chuck Pagano was asked which play Luck hurt his shoulder and the coach said, "Pick one of them."
Now that hurts.
Indianapolis' season will be determined by Luck's health. No Andrew Luck, no chance for the Colts. Luck has masked their flaws over and over again by finding a way to lead them to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.
Pagano said he doesn't think Luck's right shoulder injury won’t keep him out the lineup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but there’s a lot of uneasiness inside and outside of the organization.
"I wouldn't bet against 12 ever," Pagano said. "Supreme confidence that he'll play."
Luck’s practice time was limited Wednesday. Veteran Matt Hasselbeck and practice-squad quarterback Alex Tanney made the throws in practice.
A limited Luck is significant news because he has a reputation for taking the majority, if not all, of the snaps in practice. The only time Luck has missed a snap in a game during his career is when Pagano has taken him out of a contest that was already determined or it was a meaningless game.
"Take it day by day," Luck said. "I expect to play, that’s for sure, but obviously I'm going to defer to the doctors and trainers on everything."
The Colts have continued to roll the dice by not making the offensive line an emphasis through the draft and free agency during Luck’s three-plus seasons. As Pagano said after the loss to the New York Jets on Sept. 21, Luck has been dealing with offensive line issues -- some because of injuries and others because of poor play -- for three years now. The Colts have started 25 different offensive line combinations since selecting Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012. Luck has been sacked 105 times, which is the ninth most in the NFL since 2012.
“You have to be on the field if you’re helping your team, that’s always part of the goal,” Luck said. “You deal with stuff. To me, [the shoulder's] not that big of a deal. Manage it and go out and play.”
