Andrew Luck said he feels great and hopes to be ready for the start of the 2018 season.
"I feel awesome," the Colts quarterback told Sports Illustrated's Peter King during a FaceTime video shared by the Colts. "I am in a great place. It's been a long journey to this point and it'll still be a long journey until we get what we need to get done in Indianapolis.
"The rehab has been hard at times. The one thing I know in my heart is that I am getting better and I feel great. I'm extremely optimistic. It's been fun to see myself improve. I couldn't be more excited for this offseason and for our new coach, everything that's happening and where the direction of our team is going."
Luck said he's still not ready for a full throwing regimen and is still "strengthening and preparing (the) shoulder to be able to handle the throw load that is part of being an NFL quarterback."
"The focus right is now is still strengthening all those muscles and making sure that my shoulder can handle it," added Luck, who also discussed new head coach Frank Reich. "The one thing I've learned through these couple of years of dealing with it is that I can't skip steps. You have to do everything as well as possible As much as I want to grab a ball and throw it a million times, I know I have to build up to be able to handle that point and right now I'm in that building phase still.
"But it's exciting and I know in my heart of hearts, I'm gonna be a better thrower, a better quarterback, a better teammate, a better Colt because of what I'm going through and will continue to go through."
Check out @SI_PeterKing's Facetime with Andrew Luck as they talk about Luck's shoulder, the hiring of Frank Reich and the 2018 season: pic.twitter.com/pKpo8RM5Dw
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) February 21, 2018
Luck, who missed all of 2017 and had been dealing with a rotator cuff issue since 2015, said any future surgery is "not an option."
"I feel very, very good about where I am," said Luck, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. "That ship has sailed in my mind, which is also a bit of a relief. I'm not going to lie."
