Andrew Luck's postgame recovery process turned into a quick reminder of what he'd missed over the past 20 months.The throws
Jonah Williams Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , the hits and, yes, even the Monday morning soreness.So on his 27th birthday, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback
stood at his locker and reflected on how he was dealing with moving beyond one
game and onto the next."I forget what it felt like, sort of the postgame, the
next day," Luck said Wednesday with a laugh. "I've never been in a serious car
wreck thankfully, but I imagine you get a little bit of that feeling. It's
always good to take those steps and look at the game objectively and also
physically move around and get going."It's certainly different from last year's
weekly routine.But this is the next step in Luck's long road back.He threw 53
passes in Sunday's game against Cincinnati, the fourth-highest single-game total
of his career behind only the 55 he threw in a comeback victory over Green Bay
in 2012, the 54 he threw in a comeback victory at Detroit later that season and
the 54 he attempted in the Colts' playoff loss during his rookie season.Two
years later, Luck threw 53 passes against Denver and Cleveland.Since then,
though
Jonah Williams Jersey 2019 , he had never topped 50 ??something new coach Frank Reich didn't intend to do in his first regular-season start since January 2017.
The Bengals defense dictated it.Luck also was sacked twice and took an
additional seven hits during the game, managed to draw two penalties for
roughing the passer and even endured a helmet-to-helmet collision that led to
the ejection of Bengals safety Shawn Williams late in the first
quarter.Following the game, Luck said he felt fine.On Monday, the painful
reminders came rushing back."I was sore. I felt a couple of those hits," Luck
said. "Otherwise, I think I came out fairly clean. I felt like I had juice left
in my arm, which I am excited about. We did throw a lot, I didn't realize we
threw it that many times."Luck felt better Wednesday as preparations kicked into
high gear for this weekend's matchup at Washington, where rain and wind from
Hurricane Florence could make it challenging.Reich doesn't anticipate making any
significant changes to the game plan or practice schedule yet, waiting for more
accurate forecasts as the weekend and the hurricane get closer."We'll take some
snaps with a wet ball, but I'm not a big believer in throwing with a wet ball
too much, it gets heavy. Sometimes that can put a little stress on a
quarterback's shoulder
White Jonah Williams Jersey ," the former NFL quarterback said."You might do a little bit of a wet ball drill by quarterback-center exchange and a few light tosses
here and there."Of course, neither Reich nor Luck were there for last year's
blizzard in Buffalo ??a game played in conditions 23-year veteran Adam Vinatieri
called the worst he's ever faced.Reich said there have been "ongoing
communications" with league officials about potential contingency
plans.Meanwhile, it appears Luck will have his longtime left tackle, Anthony
Castonzo, back in the lineup.Castonzo hasn't been full-go since re-injuring his
hamstring Aug. 4. He initially was hurt during workouts between the end of
minicamp and the start of training camp, went on the physically unable to
perform list and then had another setback shortly after returning to
practice.The Colts (0-1) considered bringing back Castonzo for last week's
opener before deciding to deactivate him.This week, Castonzo promises he'll be
on the field."I'll be full-go, I'll be at left tackle," he said. "It was
extremely close (last week), I talked it over with the coaches and doctors about
the risk of going out there, it was just a really high risk."Castonzo's return
could allow Joe Haeg to slide from the left side to the right side where he
played more frequently during the previous two seasons. J'Marcus Webb started at
right tackle last weekend, but was placed on injured reserve Tuesday after
hurting his hamstring on the Bengals' 83-yard fumble return
Black Jonah Williams Jersey , which sealed the 34-23 victory.The return of Castonzo and the possible move of Haeg could provide Luck with the more cohesive line Indy
anticipated this season, giving Luck a better chance of staying healthy.Even
though Luck understands that the Monday morning soreness is just part of the
game he must get re-acclimated with."After one of those hits, I was like, 'OK,
am I OK? Is it there? Can I still do this?'" he said. "But that was really the
only time that I can remember, which was a relief, you know, not to be in the
back of my mind 100 percent of the time."Notes: Denzelle Good and Chris Milton
(concussion protocol) were the only players who did not practice Wednesday. ...
Castonzo, running back Marlon Mack (hamstring), defensive linemen Denico Autry
(ankle) and Grover Stewart (shoulder) and safety Clayton Geathers (knee) all did
limited work. Former Texas Tech head coach and current USC offensive coordinator
Kliff Kingsbury is the primary (and appears to be the only) college target for
NFL teams with openings at head coach. Kingsbury is definitely an intriguing
play caller and visionary for modern offenses, but he isn’t the only college
coach the NFL should be looking at.Nearly 400 miles from Texas Tech is the
University of Texas, where a 43-year old Cincinnati native Tom Herman has raised
the Texas Longhorns football program back to relevancy. Herman hasn’t reportedly
been courted by NFL teams
Youth Jonah Williams Jersey , but would he make a good candidate? Let’s look at his profile.SummaryHerman is the head coach at the University of Texas where he just
completed a 10-win season by winning the Sugar Bowl. He also had success as the
head coach at the University of Houston and won a national championship at The
Ohio State University as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under
Urban Meyer.Resume1998: Texas Lutheran (WR Coach)1999-2000: Texas (Graduate
Assistant)2001-2004: Sam Houston State (Wide Receivers Coach/Special Teams
Coordinator)2005-2006: Texas State (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach)2007-2008:
Rice (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach)2009-2011: Iowa State (Offensive
Coordinator/QB Coach)2012-2014: Ohio State (Offensive Coordinator/QB
Coach)2015-2016: Houston (Head Coach)2017- present: Texas (Head Coach)Why he
could workHerman is the head coach at the University of Texas. In this, his
second season with the Longhorns, the team won 10 games, finished second in the
Big 12 to a very talented Oklahoma team, and upset Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Prior to Texas, Herman spent two years as the head coach at the University of
Houston, winning 22 games and a conference championship. His defensive
coordinator at both stops was Todd Orlando who did a great job developing
players such as William Jackson and Brandon Wilson at Houston. When Herman and
Orlando took over at Texas, Orlando was able to make use of Malik Jefferson’s
blue chip skill set. Previous coaches at Texas had failed to get the most out of
Jefferson, but under Herman and Orlando, he had his best collegiate season. It
is not unlikely that Herman would bring Orlando with him in some capacity, and
having an experienced college coach on defense will be useful against the zone
read and run-pass option plays that are now prevalent in the NFL Prior to
becoming a head coach, Herman was Urban Meyer’s first offensive coordinator at
Ohio State. The Buckeyes had a record of 38-3 and won a national title with
Herman as their offensive coordinator.Ohio State was not his first offensive
coordinator job. Herman served as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
coach at 4 different schools from 2005-2014. He knows how to run a modern
offense effectively
Renell Wren Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , and he knows how to develop a quarterback. Herman is also a native of Cincinnati but was raised in California.Why he may not be
the guyHerman has never coached a down in the NFL. Because of this, he will have
a lot to learn in terms of how to deal with NFL personnel and NFL personalities.
As a head coach, Herman only has four total seasons of experience, so while he
has had success, he has not had sustained success. Some coaches are charismatic
and can get a lot out of their players right away, but as time goes on players
tire of them. Opponents will also catch on to scheme and game plan better over
time. Final ThoughtsThe NFL is going crazy looking for smart and innovative
offensive coaches. Herman is a member of Mensa who coached under Urban Meyer,
where he was a critical member of that 2014 national championship team. He has
had two head coaching stints and has had immediate success at both and just
upset the second best team in the SEC in the Sugar Bowl.On top of that he has
years of experience as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. This is
a cutting edge coach who could be the next best thing in the NFL.
