NFL PLAYER NEWS

Luck encouraged by health of shoulder in camp

The Sports Xchange

July 29, 2018 at 7:52 pm.

Jan 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA;  Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) drops back to pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Photo Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) drops back to pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Photo Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is feeling good about the first few days of training camp in his return from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the 2017 season.

Luck told The Indianapolis Star on Sunday that he has felt no pain in his right shoulder but just the normal soreness and fatigue.

“Stresses on my arm that are different,” Luck said, according to the Star. “Stresses, shoot, on everybody’s body at this camp that are different.”

The Colts expect Luck to play in their preseason opener on Aug. 9 against the Seattle Seahawks, and he looked like he was ready for action on Sunday night during a two-hour practice.

Luck completed 19 of 22 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions in the padded workout. He connected on several deep balls with wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.

“It was fun,” Luck said via the Star, “being able to focus on getting better at practice, not just getting through practice and surviving — surviving to the next one.”

First-year Colts coach Frank Reich was impressed with Luck, whose surgically repaired shoulder gave him fits last year and kept him off the field.

“There have been four or five throws that have been like, ‘Oh yeah, that looks 100 percent like normal,'” Reich said. “Then there have been one or two that we just need to work through and continue to get better.”

Luck has participated in three of the team’s four practices thus far. He took Saturday off to rest the shoulder.

The seven-year veteran continues to work on his throwing motion but says he has not shied away from putting extra zip on some throws.

“The second day (Friday), things seemed to calm down, like, ‘Oh yeah, I remember that,'” he said. “There were a couple of throws that second day I felt very, very good about.”

The Colts will not practice Monday. Luck will be on the field again Tuesday and Wednesday before taking a day off from throwing on Thursday.

“He’s getting better and we’re all making progress,” Reich said, “but we will plan to play him accordingly based on how much we would want to play our starting quarterback. And maybe a little bit more just because he didn’t play last year, but I don’t think astronomically more than we would have.”