Colts welcome Luck to camp
Andrew Luck couldn’t wait to start his new job, and the Indianapolis Colts couldn’t wait to get him back on the field.
On Tuesday, both sides finally got their wish.
After a 5 1/2-week absence from the Colts’ offseason workouts, the No. 1 overall draft pick showed up in a red No. 12 jersey and started showing everyone what he’d learned while attending his final classes at Stanford.
“I’m just trying to soak everything in, and I’m starting to have a good understanding of what’s going on here,” Luck said after Tuesday morning’s light one-hour workout.
Admittedly, he’s still trying to master the playbook, get on the same page with his new teammates and figure out how to get around Indianapolis. But none of that mattered Tuesday as dozens of reporters, photographers and television cameras monitored each pass Luck threw.
Vice president and general counsel Dan Emerson, who has been negotiating Luck’s contract, watched the first half of a two-hour afternoon practice. Team owner Jim Irsay and two of his three daughters watched the second half of the afternoon session from a golf cart.
What everyone saw was a nearly flawless performance.
Luck connected on his first 12 throws in the morning team drill and only one of 16 passes hit the ground – a ball that hit rookie tight end Dwayne Allen in the chest and ricocheted to the ground.
Coach Chuck Pagano noted that Luck didn’t make a single mental mistake. Griff Whalen and Coby Fleener, who worked out with fellow alumnus Luck at Stanford over the past month, said Luck seemed as calm and in control as he was in college.
“He’s one of the greatest learners I’ve ever met and he’s already up to speed,” said Fleener, Indy’s second-round draft pick in April.
League rules prohibit rookies from attending team minicamps until they finish classes with the exception of one three-day rookie camp, which ended May 6.
Luck plans to make one more trip to the West Coast, for this weekend’s graduation ceremonies at Stanford. After that, he’ll focus solely on football.
“I have no obligations after minicamp outside of football,” he said.
“So I’ll focus on football and we’ll have to get some work in after the OTAs (organized team activities) end.”
Around the league
Pro Bowl free safety Ed Reed skipped the Baltimore Ravens’ mandatory minicamp. Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, Reed can be fined up to $63,000 if he misses all three days of practices. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he hasn’t spoken with Reed, adding, “I’m not sure what the situation is.” … Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith said he wants to play “three or four more years” in the NFL before calling it quits. The five-time Pro Bowler figures by the time he retires from football his 14-year-old son Peyton, an exceptional soccer player, will be playing in college. And Smith doesn’t plan to miss many of those matches. … Remorseful, embarrassed and bitterly disappointed in himself, Giants guard David Diehl stood in front of his locker and apologized for “a bad decision” that resulted in his being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Police say they received calls about a car accident in Queens about 8:45 p.m. Sunday. When they got there, they found a BMW had struck several parked cars, and that Diehl was the driver. …
Bills quarterback Vince Young is accusing his former agent and ex-financial adviser of cheating him out of at least $5.5 million the former first-round draft pick was supposed to have earned in his rookie contract and through endorsement deals. … Darrelle Revis says there has been no movement on talks with the New York Jets on possibly re-doing his deal, and a sit-down with the team will have to come “sooner or later.” The All-Pro cornerback has two years remaining on his contract.