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Colts shed some light on Andrew Luck: Ankle is the issue, Week 1 not in danger yet

After Jim Irsay’s out-of-the-blue comment about Andrew Luck having a bone issue that is keeping him off the field, the Indianapolis Colts tried to straighten some things out.

We don’t have all the answers, but the Colts don’t either.

Here are the main takeaways from what general manager Chris Ballard said on a conference call, based on the timelines of Mike Chappell of Fox 59/CBS 4, Stephen Holder of The Athletic and Zak Keefer of The Athletic: Luck had a calf injury that turned into an ankle injury. It’s an issue with the front of his ankle and he’s having trouble moving side to side. No surgery is planned.

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Luck is unlikely to play in the preseason. When asked if Week 1 of the regular season was in jeopardy, Ballard said he wasn’t ready to go there. But he did say the Colts wouldn’t put any player on the field if he was at risk.

Andrew Luck early in camp, before he was shut down with an ankle issue. (AP)
Andrew Luck early in camp, before he was shut down with an ankle issue. (AP)

Andrew Luck missed the 2017 season

If this was another player, maybe there wouldn’t be such alarm with more than three weeks remaining before the regular season. But we all remember two years ago with the Colts and Luck.

Throughout that year, the Colts expressed optimism about Luck’s shoulder. Even as time went on, the Colts wouldn’t admit Luck’s season was in jeopardy. Then he missed the whole 2017 season.

"This is not 2017,” Ballard said, via Holder.

Ballard also said, “We think we've got a handle on it.”

That could be true. But based on recent history with Luck and the Colts, there should be some skepticism.

Luck’s injury goes back to March

The calf injury that Luck was dealing with dates all the way back to March, Ballard said via Chappell. In May he was still having issues. The team tried to work him in slowly at the start of camp in late July, but Luck was still having pain. Then it turned into the injury at the front of the ankle, which was described as a high-ankle issue. That’s all concerning.

The Colts were concerned it was Os Trigonum Syndrome, Keefer said, but eliminated that possibility late Monday night. That is what led to Irsay’s comment about the small bone early Tuesday.

For now, Luck will continue to rehab. The Colts feel like they’ve identified the area of concern while they seek more information. Now all they can do is wait and hope Ballard is right that this is not 2017 all over again.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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