Colts in good hands with Brissett in quarter

INDIANAPOLIS – Training after Andrew Luck began Monday for the Indianapolis Colts, with head coach Frank Reich claiming the team was "in good hands with Jacoby Brissett as a quarterback".

The day began with a team meeting during which Reich and his general manager, Chris Ballard, passionately explained the direction that the franchise takes after the shocking announcement on Saturday that Luck, the choice No. 1 in 2012, is retiring after seven years. Luck's locker, in the middle of the locker room, was empty and all his belongings were gone, including his nameplate.

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"On the one hand, we can respect and honor the player and his teammate [Luck] was, "said Reich. At the same time, we can share an excitement and enthusiasm about the team that we have to go ahead and travel in front of us. In the end, it's not the quality of a player; that's not it. This is the quality of our team. "

The Colts are on the verge of discovering how complete their team is with Brissett, who has taken almost all of the first team's photos since last spring, as a new starting quarterback. The team was to take a step ahead of last season's record of 10-6 and the AFC playoff appearance. Reich jokingly said Monday that they would be happy to take over the role of outsider now that Luck has retired.

"It was a roller coaster of emotions," Brissett said. "The bottom line is that you can not see Andrew every day – ups and downs, but it's going up now … I've been shocked ( Luck's retirement.) Then we had a long conversation.It was an emotion that came and went.You sit with him and you understand his decision.This is one of my good friends.It's hard.He seemed to smile at the end.This is what helped me to clarify and understand the situation.See him smile, i would wish the best We will talk long after our football careers. "

Brissett, catcher TY Hilton and offensive lineman Anthony Castonzo were some of the few players to know that Luck was retiring after suffering from what the former Stanford quarterback had called Saturday "a cycle of injury, pain, detox, pain, detoxification ". Luck has left him with shoulder problems, bruised ribs, a lacerated kidney, calf strain and, more recently, ankle pain. He has missed 26 games since the 2015 season.

Many Colts learned that Luck was planning to retire before or after their pre-season game against Chicago, once Adam Schefter of ESPN reportedly announced the new Saturday. Luck spoke to his former teammates and coaching staff in the locker room after the match. The players said that there was complete silence while luck spoke.

"It was tough," receiver Chester Rogers said. "It was probably one of the most difficult speeches I've had in my career, you hate to see someone coming out." It's sad, but also happy for him because he's coming out when he wishes. "

Bill Barnwell of ESPN welcomes Chris Sprow, editor of ESPN NFL, to talk about Andrew Luck's retirement, including what the Colts' approach could be for the ######################################################################################## 39; future. Listen now!

Hilton, who was in the same preliminary class in 2012 as Luck and was the quarterback's favorite target throughout their life together, posted a heartfelt message on Twitter about what luck meant to him. "It's very hard, it's my best friend," Hilton said. "It hurt me, I'm not going to lie, I could have a heart to heart with him, I was cool with the decision, he will always be with me."

Brissett said he "feared" that his supporters would have booed Luck as he was leaving the field at the end of Saturday's match.

"You do not want to hear that, especially for a guy like that who did everything he's done, what he's been through," Brissett said.

Luck will be missing at Colts, but the reality is that they have to move forward with Brissett in the center. He started 15 games during the 2017 season when Luck missed all year due to an injury to his right shoulder. The Colts were 4-11 with Brissett this season, but the makeup and the situation are radically different now. Brissett is in his second season in the Reich offensive, and the Colts are sending the same offensive starting line and key positions to key positions in an offensive that finished seventh in the NFL last season.

According to Reich, Brissett has hired approximately 1,200 representatives with the first team since the spring.

"You can just feel his presence in the group and in the field," said Reich. "The trust that he had, the chemistry of his receptors … We all know that Andrew and TY had unique chemistry and relationships, I can feel that it was growing." It was very important that Jacoby had taken all these representatives. "