It turns out Jim Irsay wasn’t wrong when he told reporters Tuesday that Andrew Luck has a “bone issue.” Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard was forced to spill the beans later in the day that indeed Luck’s calf problem has moved down his leg and now he’s dealing with an ankle injury.
“There’s no question that he had a calf (strain), that he has a calf, but the lower part is more of an ankle issue,” Ballard said. “Once we get that under control, we think we can help with the pain.”
From Colts GM Chris Ballard this evening: QB Andrew Luck's calf strain has slowly become an ankle issue. Specifically, a high-ankle issue.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 13, 2019
Ballard did say that Luck isn’t expected to need any surgery, but there are some questions as to his availability for the first game of the regular season. Indy opens the 2019 campaign at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sep. 8.
It’d be a shame if Luck is held out of that game. These are two 2018 playoff teams who could both vie for a postseason spot again. Luck vs. Philip Rivers is one of the league’s marquee match ups.
One thing is for sure, Luck will see no action in the preseason. It also shows why the team was so unwilling to deal back up quarterback Jacoby Brissett this offseason.
Just listened to Colts GM Chris Ballard talking about Andrew Luck injury.
To summarize, Colts doctors right now: pic.twitter.com/DaGzvGot7K
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) August 14, 2019
“When I first came in the door, one of the things we talked about was building a team and it wasn’t going to be just about one guy,” Ballard said. “Look, I understand the importance of Andrew Luck. Are you kidding me? This guy’s one of the top five quarterbacks in the league. But we also got another quarterback we like in Jacoby Brissett. To me, that’s part of building a team. You’ve got to be able to handle when things don’t got the way you plan them out to be.”
Brissett went 4-of-12 as the Colts’ starter in 2017, but played well. He completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven picks.
