Andrew Luck is back. Sort of.
The Colts star quarterback took part in Wednesday's practice, his first of the season since undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder in January.
Despite already being ruled out for Sunday's game with the 49ers, Luck -- officially listed as limited -- took part in individual drills and will do so again on Friday after using Thursday for rehab.
Talking with reporters, Luck revealed that his surgery was a posterior labrum repair, which traditionally takes longer to heal than other types of labrum procedures.
Asked point blank if he'll play this season, the sixth-year signal-caller responded: "I'll definitely play this year. No question."
Luck wouldn't -- and couldn't -- offer a timeline for his return, though, saying: "I think that's unfair to myself, to me, at the end of the day."
Coming out of Wednesday's session, Luck emphasized that his recovery has, at times, been "quite frustrating," despite his ability to stay on pace to play again.
"There have not been any setbacks at all ... I do feel like I've progressed," Luck said. "We've never put out a schedule, per say. There have been goals and they've been time-oriented with dates. And we've managed to meet those goals. But as far as a schedule, I think that's a dangerous word to use in regards to coming back as a quarterback with a throwing-shoulder surgery."
Wednesday was a pivotal benchmark toward suiting up, but Luck and the Colts can't peg his return to the calendar. He'll play when his arm is ready, handing the controls over to Jacoby Brissett until the hour arrives.
"I've got work to do to get to a level where I feel comfortable going out there and whipping every throw ... and that's part of the process. Part of the program I'm on," Luck said. "That's why I'm starting to integrate back into practice because certain things I can do and feel pretty darn good doing. And there's other things I need to work on."
