Andrew Luck participated in drills the first day of training camp Thursday, but the Colts quarterback sat out the full-team portion of practice with a strained calf.
Head coach Frank Reich cited the Achilles injury Kevin Durant suffered in the NBA Finals for influencing his decision to sit Luck.
The 29-year-old quarterback strained his calf this spring and missed the Colts' OTAs and minicamp, although Reich said in June he would have been able to play if there were a game.
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But having seen Durant tear his Achilles in his first game back after missing a month with a calf strain, the Colts are taking no chances with their franchise quarterback early in training camp.
“We didn’t really talk about it, but I think we all knew it,” Reich said of Durant's injury (via the Indianapolis Star). “I was certainly thinking it. When you see something like that happen, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s why we do what we’re doing.’”
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said earlier this week that Luck would be limited the first week or so of camp, and Reich certainly concurs with that mindset.
“When you don’t go the whole spring, it’s the smart thing to do,” Reich said. “We’ve got plenty of time. He’s working hard, he’s dialed in. He’ll get plenty of reps.
“The plan would be for [Friday], for him to do 7-on-7, and we might just keep it 7-on-7 for a few days. We’ll do that for one, two, three, four days, however many it takes.”
“It’s all about progress,” Luck said (via the Star). “I wasn’t in a position to go in and test it or push it. I think I did an appropriate amount of work today, got better, and we’ll keep adding.”
Backup Jacoby Brissett will take first-team reps during drills as the Colts ease Luck back into action.