The Indianapolis Colts played all of last year wondering when they would see the face of the franchise, Quarterback Andrew Luck, return to the playing field. Luck went down with a injury during the 2016-2017 NFL Season that forced him to have shoulder surgery in January 2017. Following the shoulder surgery, Luck was suppose to be ready to play for the start of last season but his recovery process was a long and lingering process that prevented him from ever being activated in the 2017-2018 season.
On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts fans got a glimmer of hope as the Indianapolis Colts released a brief video on their Twitter page that showed Luck making a pass. Luck participated in the mandatory offseason minicamp that began Tuesday in non-contact drills and briefly throwing the ball. This was the first time since October 2016 that we have seen Luck throwing a football, which is a step in the right direction for the Colts organization.
The Colts have really struggled without their franchise quarterback under center. Since Luck has gone down with the shoulder injury, the Colts are 4-12. The Colts used two quarterbacks last year, Scott Tolzien and Jacoby Brissett. Tolzien started the season in game 1 but lost his job after failing to move the ball against the LA Rams. That forced the Colts to bring in former New England Patriots backup quarterback Brissett. Brissett showed glimpses of hope but the reality was that he simply wasn’t prepared to take the reins and lead the team.
The Colts were not a good team at all in 2017-2018, finishing the year tied with the Houston Astros in last place. The finished up with a 4-12 record and posted the second lowest amount of points in the AFC, with 263 points. Just to give an idea of how much of a difference it makes with Luck in the lineup, the year prior in 2016-2017, the Colts scored 411 points and at no time since he came in the league have the Colts scored less than 333 points.
With Luck back practicing with the team, the Colts will once again be competitive with the additions of their offseason acquisitions. The Colts were active in the draft, focused on upgrading their protection for Luck. With their first round draft pick, the Colts selected Notre Dame Guard Quenton Nelson. Nelson is considered one of the best prospect guards that the NFL has seen come into the league in many years.
In the 2nd Round, the Colts grabbed another guard, this time picking up Auburn guard Braden Smith. With the Colts already having Jack Mewhort on the roster, it is expected that they will move Smith to Right Tackle.
Luck has played in the league for six seasons and thrown for at least 4,000 yards in half of those seasons. He was drafted by the Colts with the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and has since gone on to be voted to 3 Pro Bowls. Luck has thrown for 132 touchdowns in his career and 68 INT’s.