Colts owner Jim Irsay kept promising that Andrew Luck was coming back. Tuesday, Luck himself admitted he wasn’t sure.
Via Mike Wells of ESPN.com, Luck said there were times during his 19 months of shoulder rehab that he didn’t know if he’d made it back to his previous level as a quarterback.
“There were one or two moments where I wondered if I am ever going to be able to do this again,” Luck said. “Certainly this [preseason opener] isn’t what I’ve been working toward the whole time, but sort of in the same vein it is another step in this journey and one that is sort of about the next one right now. That’s really exciting and that’s fun.”
Luck hasn’t played since the end of the 2016 season, and has taken a patient approach after last year’s setback, taking days off in camp to mirror a regular season schedule. But that doesn’t mean he’s not ready to play Thursday against the Seahawks, and willing to admit he’s enjoying the process more now.
“I probably struggle hiding how I feel at times,” he said. “Whether that’s a positive or negative thing, whatever. I think I’m happier with myself. The crux of the matter [is that] I think that really allows me to enjoy football and it does feel like a game to me instead of a job or a profession. I don’t want to ever lose that feeling. I sort of get it when you hear guys in their late 30s and 40s, and they’re talking about it’s like playing a kid’s game. I think I semi-understand what they feel in their hearts now.”
That’s the kind of perspective one earns when he thinks everything is being taken away from him.
