Andrew Luck's Shoulder Injury Seems Like It Was Poorly Managed

Andrew Luck had surgery on his throwing shoulder in January, and in a conversation with reporters today, he revealed that the injury was from before the 2016 season:

That Titans road game in 2015 was in Week 3. Luck missed the next two games and wound up playing in a total of seven games that season. He returned last year to make 15 of 16 starts, posting career highs in completion percentage (63.5), yards per attempt (7.8), and Total QBR (71.2), but he was also sacked 41 times behind an offensive line that Football Outsiders had ranked 28th in adjusted sack rate. Indianapolis finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

The Colts had used four of their eight draft picks in 2016 on offensive linemen, and in June they signed Luck to a massive contract extension. They were clearly invested in Luck and seemed to be making moves in order to protect that investment. As late as last October, however, owner Jim Irsay insisted that Luck’s shoulder injury was no biggie:

“There isn’t some kind of chronic shoulder injury or anything like that, I promise you. There are no surgeries planned. He is fine and the shoulder is something that just disappears into the woodwork when he wins his next MVP or when he wins a Super Bowl.”

And yet:

Luck insisted he’s not worried and won’t put a timetable for his return. That a franchise quarterback’s throwing shoulder injury can affect him until he needs surgery two years later does not inspire confidence in the Colts.