Colts should be very concerned about Andrew Luck

The Indianapolis Colts have a chance to be very good this season. After dealing with general manager Ryan Grigson for five seasons, owner Jim Irsay finally got serious about winning and fired Grigson, replacing him with the competent Chris Ballard.

The result was a solid if not spectacular offseason for the Colts, who bolstered a previously weak defense with the signings of Sean Spence, Margus Hunt, Jabaal Sheard and Johnathan Hankins before drafting Malik Hooker, a top safety prospect, out of Ohio State. With those new assets in tow, the Colts have to feel good about their chances in a relatively weak AFC South. After all, the division has been won by the Houston Texans in each of the last two seasons, both times posting a 9-7 mark.

However, there is the proverbial fly in the ointment for Indianapolis. While the Colts have improved the roster, the lynchpin remains Andrew Luck, who has the most guaranteed money in NFL history on his current contract at $87 million. If Luck is injured or not his best, Indianapolis will be lucky to go 8-8 this year, let alone compete for its first playoff berth in three years.

After going through offseason shoulder surgery on his throwing side, Luck talked to the press on Tuesday at Indianapolis’ mandatory minicamp. His comments could be cause for concern, per ESPN:

“To be honest, I have not thought about it,” Luck said. “If I’m ready for it, then great. If I’m not, then that’s the way it is. I’m certainly hopeful for it. In my mind all I can do — and I truly feel this way — with this rehab, with my shoulder, I can’t look five months down the road, three months down the road, a week down the road. To me it’s about the next rehab session, the next day. That’s where my focus is and that’s where I think it needs to be to truly get back to 100 percent.”

There is still time before camp, which doesn’t get underway until late July. Still, the fact Luck isn’t throwing a football at all should be alarming. The Colts are built entirely around Luck throwing the ball all over the lot to T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. After seeing Luck struggle to stay healthy over the past two years, Indianapolis has to be praying to the football gods we aren’t seeing a trend emerge.

For now, time remains on the Colts’ side. Luck has time to get his arm right, get into the swing of training camp and be ready come Week 1. Yet, if there are any limitations on the superstar quarterback come September, it could be over before it started in Naptown.