The Indianapolis Colts have let go of one of their most talented players.
A few years ago, while watching an Indianapolis Colts practice in preparation for a Monday night football game, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski noticed something unusual: the backup quarterbacks were not getting any practice time. Gruden questioned Tom Moore, Indianapolis’ longtime offensive coordinator and the man in charge of the Colts offense, on why Peyton Manning was the only quarterback at practice.
Moore exclaimed, “Guys, if 18 [Manning] goes down, we’re fucked.” “And we don’t have sex practice.”
In Indianapolis, little has changed: the Colts are doomed in the lack of a star signal-caller at center. There is currently no date for Andrew Luck’s return from throwing shoulder surgery, which was performed when Obama was still president. With Luck obviously out of the picture for the Colts’ season opener, Scott Tolzien, who has a career record of two touchdowns and seven interceptions, will most likely lead Indianapolis through the first several games.
Although there have been 123 million reasons during the last five years why Indianapolis should not force Luck to start the season before he is ready, fans and fantasy football owners may demand his return. Remember that Robert Griffin III, the guy chosen directly after Luck, jeopardized his career by saying he was “all in for Week 1.” Jim Irsay, the Colts’ owner, has stated that when making decisions about Luck’s shoulder, he considers the Colts football franchise for the next ten years. So be it, if September football in 2017 is the cost.
“It’s difficult to emphasize how much time I’ve spent telling Andrew that he needs to make this decision with the team, the fans, his teammates, and so on in mind. “Not just your competitive spirit,” Irsay said.
Given the ownership’s viewpoint, it’s even more shocking that new general manager Chris Ballard didn’t sign a seasoned backup quarterback this offseason. Irsay indicated that the team’s attempt to sign an anonymous quarterback in his mid- to late 30s was unsuccessful. When Luck was sidelined in October 2015, veteran Matt Hasselbeck took over as starting quarterback, and the team finished 5-3. Instead of purchasing a comparable insurance coverage for
This season, the team has remained faithful to Tolzien, who is currently competing with former undrafted free agent Stephen Morris for the starting role. If Tolzien fails to upset other undrafted free-agent quarterbacks, he will face an uphill task to beat any NFL squad. The Colts defense appears to be starting seven new players this season, which should help the group but may require some preseason adjusting.
The good news is that the Colts will face three of the league’s poorest teams—the 49ers, Browns, and Rams—in the first five weeks of the season. They also perform in Seattle and Arizona, which is awful news. If they lose those simple games, they may face the Jacksonville Jaguars for the title of Worst Team in Football on October 22.
