Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck returned to practice this week in a limited fashion. He will not play on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Luck, who started throwing again in late-July following surgery in January to repair a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, had not practiced with his teammates since the final week of the 2016 season. He has missed all of the Colts' minicamps, organized team activities, training camp, and every preseason and regular season practice since.
When it became obvious that Luck would miss extended time during the regular season, the Colts traded former first-round wideout Phillip Dorsett to the New England Patriots for third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett on September 2. Colts quarterback Scott Tolzien, who spent two seasons with the 49ers (2011-2012), started during Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams. Brissett has started each game since.
Through Brissett's three-straight starts, he has completed 53 of his 90 passes for 632 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh met with the media on Thursday and provided his quick analysis of the Colts' interim quarterback, whom they will face on Sunday.
"He's not as much of a run threat as Russell [Wilson] or Cam [Newton] but I think Brissett is a really underrated quarterback," Saleh said. "The guy can make every throw. He sits back there tall, strong. He does have good patience and he can throw everything. Against Seattle, he made a couple of throws that were pretty impressive so he's a pretty good quarterback back there.
"He's only been there what? About a month now since they traded for him? A month and a half? Like everyone else, as he gets comfortable, he's only going to get better."
Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano feels that Brissett is doing a great job filling in for Luck.
"He fit right in here from day one," Pagano told Bay Area reporters via a conference call on Wednesday. "He's a great pro and he's a real talent. He's a smart guy and he's a tireless worker. He's a selfless guy. He's been able to pick things up in a hurry and do some good things for us. He's got great poise and a sense of calm about him and a really good command.
"It hasn't been easy coming in on a short period of time and getting a lot thrown at you but he's managed it well. He's handled it well. He's earned the respect of this organization and our staff and the locker room and his teammates in a hurry. He's a great pro and we feel very fortunate things worked out and that we got him and he's done a good job and he's going to do nothing but get better."
Sunday's kickoff between the 49ers and Colts is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Neither team is favored as the odds remain even as of Thursday morning, according to Yahoo! Sports.
