INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The secret is out.
The passes seen Tuesday at the Colts complex were not Andrew Luck’s first tosses of the offseason. It turns out Luck has thrown pigskins off all sizes this spring.
On Tuesday, armed with a smaller football, Luck threw his first bomb of 2018 — he believes he will play in the Colts 2018 season opener.
“Absolutely, no, knock on wood, I’m going to be there,” Luck said. “I’ll be playing. I believe it in my bones.”
“We plan on Andrew being the starting quarterback week one,” Head Coach Frank Reich said. “Really, it’s just been the last couple of weeks that my confidence level has started to really rise.”
“He just needs to go back to being old Andrew, and I think he is ready to do that,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said. “I really don’t see him missing a beat”
Despite the little teaser Tuesday and the assurances that there are no doubts at this time from Irsay or Reich regarding Luck’s availability for the season opener, there is still a long way to go here. The next seven weeks leading up to training camp are critical.
“My goal is to be ready to training camp,” which will be in about seven weeks, Luck said. “That doesn’t mean I am throwing a hundred balls a day six days in a row. There is going to be a plan. Frank and I have had some really good conversations.”
Speaking of conversations, are you buying what Jim Irsay is hearing from the people closest to Luck’s rehab?
“He is special. Body fat ratio to muscle, he is almost incomparable, except LeBron James and a couple other of these guys that some of these guys that have worked with him have said. And they’ve said ‘Hey he can probably play beyond his 40s.'”
On a day filled with 5- to 10-yard passes, that quote is what you call “airing it out.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – If you haven’t logged onto Twitter yet, something you’ll see trending is Colts Owner Jim Irsay.
That’s because there’s a possibility his Twitter account was hacked. A photo of a naked woman appeared on Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s Twitter page late Wednesday, early Thursday morning.
The photo was tweeted out around midnight Thursday and was deleted about 10 minutes later.
24-Hour News 8 has reached out to the Colts for comment.
This story will be updated once more information becomes available.
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Colts owner Jim Irsay recently invited members of the Super Bowl 41 winning team back to Indianapolis to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the win.
Peyton Manning, Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne were among those players who returned to Lucas Oil Stadium. The 2006 team was honored at halftime of the Nov. 20 Colts and Titans game.
24-Hour News 8 caught up with Wayne and Irsay after the game.
The Colts owner had high praise for his former wide receiver.
To hear what Irsay had to say about No. 87, click on the video.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has officially signed an extension with the Indianapolis Colts.
The franchise quarterback will remain with the Colts through the 2021 season.
According to the Colts owner Jim Irsay, the new six-year $140 million deal is the biggest in NFL history
Both the Colts and owner Jim Irsay posted messages on social media announcing the extension.
The former Stanford standout spent a fair amount of last season sidelined with a lacerated kidney and a partially torn abdominal muscle.
Luck sustained the injury during a win against Peyton Manning and the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in November.
In Luck’s absence, the Colts finished the season with an 8-8 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in Luck’s career.
The top overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft has a 35-20 record as the starter, throwing for 14,838 yards, 101 touchdowns, 55 interceptions and has topped the 4,000-yard mark twice in his career.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Only three months stand between the Colts and their regular season home opener against Detroit.
While the front office has made quite a few changes to team personnel this off-season, owner Jim Irsay has made one point very clear – he wants Andrew Luck to stay a part of the horseshoe as long as possible. That gives number 12 some leeway with contract negotiations.
“He came out yesterday and said ‘I like those sunglasses.’ And I said, ‘do you want those too?’” Jim Irsay joked.
The quarterback has led the boys in blue to three playoffs appearances in his four years in Indy – putting quite the price tag on that throwing arm.
“We have a great relationship and I see something getting done. I mean, it’s not easy. It’s obviously going to be a big number – and we want to make sure that the contract is Colt-friendly as we approach the next decade,” said Irsay.
While negotiations are still ongoing, Jim Irsay says he’ll be surprised if Luck’s contract isn’t finalized by training camp.
“It comes down to the debates and the negotiations of years. Total numbers, total guarantees, all those sorts of things. And obviously how it relates to the cap,” said Irsay.
Back in 2012, Luck signed a four-year, $22.1 million deal with a fifth-year team option. But with his age and productivity – number 12 could end up as the highest paid quarterback in the league.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The Denver Broncos confirmed Sunday that Peyton Manning is retiring.
Manning will hold a press conference Monday.
The Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay released a statement on his retirement.
Few have left their marks on a sport as Peyton Manning has. Simply put, he revolutionized NFL football. Peyton energized it as had no one before him, he made it more fun for our fans, and made the game better.
Off the field, Peyton has been a tremendous ambassador for the game and the epitome of someone who gives back to the community. He is the most recognizable face in the history of the NFL, and perhaps its most popular.
I will miss seeing #18 on the field on Sundays and I am proud and thankful for all he’s done for the Colts, our community, and the NFL. On behalf of Colts and NFL fans worldwide, I thank Peyton and congratulate him on an incredible career.
COMPLETE PEYTON MANNING COVERAGE
- Jim Irsay talks about Manning’s legacy
- Peyton becomes NFL’s all-time leading passer
- Manning writes letter to family of teen killed in crash
- Photos: Peyton through the years
- Peyton’s post-seasons with the Colts
- Photos: Peyton’s adorable son joins dad at podium
- More Peyton Manning stories
24-Hour News 8’s Anthony Calhoun is in Denver for Manning’s retirement announcement. Watch WISH-TV Monday for live reports throughout the day.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Ted Marchibroda, former Colts head coach, has passed away at the age of 84.
Colts owner Jim Isray tweeted the sad news.
In addition to being a former Colts head coach, he was also a former head coach for the Baltimore Ravens.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Jim Irsay is reuniting the Beatles piece by piece.
The Indianapolis Colts owner made his latest pricey purchase Friday, picking up Ringo Starr’s first Ludwig drum set at auction for $1.75 million, a team official confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday.
Irsay owns prominent guitars from the group’s other three members – Paul McCartney, the late George Harrison and the late John Lennon. Earlier this year, Irsay also purchased a drumhead that will fit the set he just bought.
“Finally, after 45 years, the Beatles are together again,” Irsay said in a text message to the AP.
Irsay is a huge music fan and an avid collector. He owns roughly 30 famous guitars, including instruments used by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia and Eric Clapton.
Indianapolis, IND. – The Colts are gearing up for Thursday’s NFL draft, where the team has the 29th overall pick. A little over 250 players will be chosen out of a pool of over 3,500 athletes, so, for some, the wait can be awfully long. We caught up with some current Colts players who recounted their draft day stories.
“The hardest part of the entire process,” said Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson of the wait. “The football drills, the meetings, were not easy, but the waiting, not knowing where you’re going to end up, that’s the hardest part.”
Jackson was taken in the second round in the 2006 draft by the Cleveland Browns, something that was a complete surprise.
“When I was drafted, I thought I was going to Tennessee,” added Jackson. “They had a late first round, early second round, and Cleveland moved up to get me, so I had no idea.”
Colts cornerback Vontae Davis, who was taken in the first round of the 2009 draft by the Miami Dolphins, also didn’t have a good feel of where he was headed.
“Once you’re in the draft meetings, it seems like everybody likes you, so you don’t know who you’re going to,” said Davis.
The Colts have nine total picks in the draft with needs particularly at safety and on both sides of the line. Colts owner Jim Irsay also didn’t rule out the possibility of a trade.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano’s third Chuckstrong Tailgate at the team complex to raise money for cancer research was another great success.
Pagano has been in remission after battling through leukemia a few years ago, and he says it’s time to find a cure.
“Cancer doesn’t discriminate,” said Pagano. “Everyone’s touched by it in some form or fashion. I’m very grateful and very thankful for today, and I’m privileged to give back.”
The event has raised nearly $2 million to date. Team owner Jim Irsay, on hand for support, was asked about Pagano’s impending contract with the team.
“These things are ongoing behind the scenes,” said Irsay. “It’s not a Super Bowl or bust season or anything like that. I feel positive about Chuck and what he’s done with us. Nothing rules out that we couldn’t do an extension before the season. If not, we can still, I’m sure work things out.”