Andrew Luck said all the right things Monday.
He feels good [url=http://www.montrealcanadiensteamshops.com/authentic-shea-weber-jersey]Authentic Shea Weber Jersey[/url] , hopes to be full go when training camp begins and believes he will be a better overall quarterback when he returns.
All he has to do now is prove it.
For the first time in more than three months, Luck fielded questions from local reporters about his surgically repaired right shoulder and explained his longer-than-expected recovery might have been at least partially the result of his desire to come back too quickly.
“I think I pushed a little too hard at times. Your body, as I’m learning, will tell you no at certain times and you just have to listen to it,” Luck said as the Indianapolis Colts started their offseason work.
“I’ve gone and skipped steps before and paid for it. Been in pain and not able to help the team. Embarrassed, guilty, whatever. I’m not going to do that again.”
Luck didn’t go into specifics about what he would, could or should have done differently after initially hurting the shoulder in September 2015.
He missed the next two games then made four straight starts before suffering a season-ending liver injury in November.
Luck opted against surgery that offseason and instead wound up signing a five-year, $140 million contract extension.
In 2016, he started 15 games and had his best statistical season despite continued pain. But he hasn’t taken a snap since having surgery for a partially torn labrum in January 2017, and he still isn’t throwing regulation-sized footballs. He’s been limited to working only with miniature footballs this offseason.
Still [url=http://www.officialpenguinsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-justin-schultz-jersey]http://www.officialpenguinsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-justin-schultz-jersey[/url] , it’s progress. And it’s a far cry from last October when Luck’s throwing regimen suddenly stopped because of continued shoulder soreness.
He spent the next month seeking additional medical opinions before moving his rehab to Europe.
Luck finally returned to the team facility in late December and has spent most of the past three months working out in California with noted quarterback experts Tom House and Adam Dedeaux.
The good news is Luck says he’s feeling much more confident in his recovery.
“If I wasn’t making progress, it would freak me out and we would have to change something. But I am,” he said. “I’m feeling better.”
The bad news: Fans have heard all this before.
Whenever Luck gets back, he will be working with a vastly different supporting cast.
New head coach Frank Reich will be calling the plays. Running back Frank Gore and receiver Donte Moncrief left in free agency and receiver Phillip Dorsett was traded to New England for Jacoby Brissett, who started the final 15 games for Indy last season.
Luck might have a slightly different look, too.
“I wouldn’t say I’m changing my throwing motion,” he said. “And that’s a big part of what I’ve been working on, making sure I’m using my body as effectively as possible to throw a football and not over- or under-compensate in any way.”
Some of the Colts’ newcomers, such as recently signed free agent Eric Ebron, chose Indy because they believe Luck will be better than ever.
“He was the reason I came here, to keep it honest [url=http://www.packerscheapstore.com/oren-burks-jersey-cheap]Oren Burks Jersey[/url] ,” said Ebron, a tight end. “It doesn’t matter as much where I played, I wanted a quarterback who would work with me the way that I knew I needed him to work with me.”
When exactly Ebron and Luck will start working out together remains unclear.
While acknowledging there now is a timetable for his progression, he’s keeping it confidential for now.
But the biggest difference between this year’s offseason workouts and last year’s is that Luck sounds more confident about himself and his shoulder.
“I feel stronger, I feel more fit,” he said. “I feel way more confident in myself and I don’t look at my shoulder and say ‘why are you failing me?’ like the guy in ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’ I feel like I have a bit more grasp of the situation. There is still a bit of a journey left and I’m not going to skip any steps.”
NOTE: The Colts have put receiver Rodney Adams on the reserve-retired list. Adams was a fifth-round draft pick out of South Florida in 2017.
The Tennessee Titans will be working out veteran safety Eric Reid in their search for a potential replacement after losing Johnathan Cyprien for the season with a torn left ACL, according to a person familiar with the visit.
Reid will work out for the Titans on Friday, a person familiar with Reid’s visit told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team does not announce which players it is working out.
The Titans will become only the second NFL team to bring Reid in for a visit this year. Reid’s visit with the Cincinnati Bengals ended with the safety filing a claim this spring arguing he was unsigned as a result of collusion by NFL owners over his protests of police brutality and racial inequality by kneeling during the anthem.
Coach Mike Vrabel said earlier Thursday that the Titans have looked at Reid.
“I know we’re in the process of talking and trying to bring him in,” Vrabel said. “(GM) Jon (Robinson) and I will continue to discuss that and see where it goes. Yes, it’s a guy we evaluated and we’ll probably try to talk to his rep and see how many guys we can bring in here for a workout.”
Reid, 26 [url=http://www.officialcanadiensprostore.com/authentic-adidas-carey-price-jersey]Adidas Carey Price Jersey[/url] , has been out of work since playing out his contract with San Francisco. He started 69 of 70 games with 10 career interceptions.
The safety said in March that he does not plan to protest during the anthem this season if signed by a team. After he filed his collusion claim, the NFL Players Association also filed a non-injury grievance on Reid’s behalf in May. Cincinnati owner Mike Brown reportedly asked Reid during their visit whether he would continue to kneel during the anthem.
The Titans are looking for help at safety after losing Cyprien. The veteran left practice Wednesday after hurting his left knee during a noncontact play. He grabbed at his knee and then walked to the locker room with trainers, waiving off a cart. Cyprien, who signed a four-year deal last season, started 10 games after dealing with an injured hamstring.
Tennessee already has Kendrick Lewis, 30 and with his fourth NFL team, and Demontre Hurst among the other options at safety on the roster. Kenny Vaccaro, who played the last five seasons in New Orleans, and Mike Mitchell also are among veteran safeties currently unsigned.
“Devastated to tell you that after checking him out, he tore his ACL and he’ll be out for a year, which is tough for me as is a new head coach to watch guys work hard [url=http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/jonathan-allen-jersey]Authentic Jonathan Allen Jersey[/url] , extremely hard, in the offseason and care about the team and play hard and do everything that we’ve asked them to do and then not get a chance to experience the NFL season this year,” Vrabel said.
Tennessee already has All-Pro Kevin Byard at the other safety spot, with Logan Ryan, Adoree Jackson and free agent signee Malcolm Butler at cornerback for a unit that has its sights set on being the NFL’s best secondary. Ryan said at least the Titans have time to adjust.
“It tests our depth, but some of that’s been well-documented that we feel like we have good depth so it’s going to show it …,” Ryan said. “This didn’t happen the day before the first game. It’s giving us time to work out the kinks. They might move me around a little bit and allow me to do more things in the secondary if need be and get more of our guys on the field.”
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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