Doyel: Where's Andrew Luck?
I’m looking for him. You know, him. The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback. Wears No. 12. Arm probably in a sling, assuming it’s still attached to his body.
You know who I mean.
Seen him?
Seen Andrew Luck?
He wasn’t at practice on Friday, at least not the part of practice open to the media. Speaking of that, picture this:
The media is ushered into the Colts’ indoor practice facility on 56th Street for our 30-minute peek at practice. We’re told to stand in the corner, the one closest to the door, which is fine. There is just one position group working out near us — and it’s the offensive line.
That group, in our face. If I’m Colts general manager Ryan Grigson, I make sure the offensive line — his biggest failure, the reason Andrew Luck is hurt, the reason Grigson could lose his job after this season, assuming owner Jim Irsay hasn’t bought into the conventional wisdom that it’s all Chuck Pagano’s fault — is as far away from the media as possible. Out of sight, out of mind? Something like that. If I’m Grigson, the offensive line works out this week at Bishop Chatard High School.
Behind them, we see glimpses of the Colts’ offense. Or what’s left of it, with Andrew Luck somewhere else in the building, assuming he’s here at all. Who knows where he was on Friday? That was my mission: Find him.
And when Chuck Pagano came into the media room an hour later, I asked him a question he called “the silliest in all my years of football.” Or something like that. My question? I’m sure of it:
Is Andrew Luck in the state of Indiana?
Understand why I asked that. Pagano has been avoiding telling us much of anything all week. We ask: Did Andrew throw the ball today?
“He’s limited,” Pagano says.
We ask: Is Andrew not getting reps because he's resting, or injured?
“He’s limited,” Pagano said.
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After the fourth or fifth time of Pagano blatantly avoiding a question, saying only, “He’s injured,” I burst into laughter right there in front of him. Because this is silly, this dance we’re all doing.
So I ask Pagano a question that, if he avoids, will give me the answer:
Is Andrew Luck in the state of Indiana?
My hypothesis: If Luck’s throwing shoulder is seriously injured, there’s a good chance he’s in Alabama seeing the shoulder surgeon to the stars, Dr. James Andrews.
After tearing my question apart, Pagano finally says, “Yeah, he’s in the state.”
That settled, I moved into the locker room. Where’s Andrew? Not here. But his locker looks used today. A pair of shorts are hanging (gray plaid, if you must know). So is a T-shirt (blue). And a rain jacket (gray). Also in the locker: a wallet with a credit card peeking out, and a cellphone. A flip phone. We all know Luck has a flip phone.
If this is a ruse, if he’s not in the building — or the state — the Colts are good at this.
Me, I find outside linebacker Trent Cole and ask him if Luck is here. He won’t tell me. Interesting. I walk away, and Cole hollers something at me:
“You can’t dog people out and expect people to help you out,” he said, apparently referring to some stories I’ve written recently.
And so I said: “Trent, 0-2 is 0-2. What am I supposed to write about an 0-2 team?”
And Cole, to his credit, smiled and said, “I hear you. You’re doing your job.”
Thank you. And today that job is to ascertain the whereabouts of one Andrew Luck. He’s about 6-4, 240 pounds. Brown hair. Wild eyes. Neckbeard.
Seen him?
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I look for fresh meat, someone who couldn’t possibly know I’ve been dogging people out, and there he is: Josh Johnson. Newest Colts player. Brought into the facility on Friday morning for a tryout. Johnson already has failed tryouts this season with the Eagles and Cowboys, but he didn’t fail this one. He was at practice later Friday. And then at his locker, albeit without a nameplate. And I asked him: Was Luck here today?
“Yes,” Johnson said.
That’s solid information. So is this: The Colts’ potential starter Sunday, 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck, looked terrific at practice. He was throwing against air, and air probably isn’t as competitive as the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his passes had zip and accuracy. On one throw he rolled right, giving speedy rookie Phillip Dorsett time to make a double move before heading deep. On the run, Hasselbeck hit Dorsett in stride.
That came a few snaps after Hasselbeck dropped back, giving T.Y. Hilton time to run deep, before hitting Hilton in stride in the end zone. Hilton was screaming joyously even as he caught it, and was still screaming happily as the reps continued 50 yards up the field.
Will Grigson’s hope-and-wishes offensive line provide that kind of time Sunday for Hasselbeck, Luck, Johnson or whoever plays quarterback for the Colts? We’ll see.
As for now, I’m still looking to see Andrew Luck. And it looks like … I missed him. But my IndyStar colleague, Zak Keefer, did not! Keefer bumped into Luck in the hall on Friday, said hello, and got a hello in return.
So Luck wasn’t in Alabama on Friday. He was in Indiana. That much I can tell you for sure. Will he play on Sunday? Do the Colts know one way or the other? In this vacuum of facts, with all the noise out there about Luck’s shoulder, is there any information we can actually use?
Should have asked Pagano that. His stock answer would have been accurate. Because if you’re looking for information about Luck’s shoulder?
It’s limited.
Find Star columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at@GreggDoyelStar or atwww.facebook.com/gregg.doyel .