Insider: Why Andrew Luck vs. Matt Hasselbeck isn't a real debate

Matt Hasselbeck played his best game in years Sunday, arguably the best quarterbacking performance we've seen from the Indianapolis Colts in any of their 11 games this season. He's 4-0 as a starter, playing at a level no one anticipated from a 40-year old backup and keeping his team on track toward the playoffs.

And, yet, when Andrew Luck heals from the lacerated kidney he currently is nursing, Hasselbeck will immediately be sent back to the bench.

As he should be.

When the subject of re-inserting Luck into the lineup once healed was raised this week, Colts coach Chuck Pagano was almost aghast the question was even asked, promptly shutting down any notion the team would hesitate to go back to Luck when he's able to play. He called the idea "ludicrous." It was clear that Luck having the poorest season of his four-year pro career gives the Colts no reason for pause, despite the issue being debated by some fans and media.

That should surprise no one. A rational look at the situation makes it easy to make the case that going back to Luck is the right call.

Why?

Start with this: If the goal is the Super Bowl — and it is, regardless of the Colts' inconsistencies this season — then you play Luck. Hasselbeck has shown an ability to win, throwing for 315 yards in Sunday's win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the odds that he could play at that level in the postseason, against stiffer competition, are uncertain. It's not impossible. But it definitely is implausible.

NCAA president 'very pleased' with revisions to Indiana religious freedom law

Conversely, Luck has demonstrated time and again an ability to play at a level on par with the elite quarterbacks in football. Why were the Colts a win shy of the Super Bowl last season? Largely because Luck played at an unbelievable level in the playoffs, beating the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos before running out of gas against the New England Patriots.

Generally, it takes dynamic quarterback play (or a historically stout defense) to win championships. Luck, with his impressive athleticism, elusiveness and power, is the definition of a dynamic quarterback. Hasselbeck once was. Today? Not so much. His own words confirm it.

"I know my limitations," he said earlier this month. "That might actually be a strength. But I have a lot of limitations."

Some have likened what's happening in Indianapolis to what is unfolding in Denver. There, the Broncos are having success with backup Brock Osweiler under center while Peyton Manning deals with a foot injury. It's beginning to look more and more like Manning won't get his job back, but there are absolutely no parallels between the Broncos' and Colts' quarterback situations.

The 25-year old Osweiler is the Broncos' future, and the 39-year-old Manning has been declining since last season. In Indianapolis, it's the opposite. The elder backup is keeping the seat warm for a young sensation just entering his prime.

That's not apples vs. oranges. That's strawberries vs. radishes.

But while it's a straightforward decision that Luck should return to the lineup when healed, that does not mean there are not layers to this issue.

The Matt Hasselbeck you don't know

Something that must be kept in mind is that Luck's injury is not one typically dealt with in football. It is not a garden-variety twisted ankle or even a broken bone. Those are the kinds of injuries that, usually, can be easily assessed and for which timelines can accurately be set.

Neither of those things is true with Luck's injury. That is why the Colts set a timeframe of two to six weeks when attempting to determine the length of his absence.

Further complicating the issue is the fact that, for now, Luck is unable to engage in any strenuous physical activity. For the time being, that includes conditioning. The risk of impeding the healing process — which physical exertion can do — means Luck presumably will need time to get himself back into what coaches consider "football shape." That could affect the decision on when to put Luck back into the lineup.

Either way, Luck ultimately will get his job back. That issue seems settled.

But Hasselbeck's recent heroics certainly are making Luck's injury an easier pill to swallow.