Andrew Luck Comments on Sacks, Colts' Offensive Line Play

The Indianapolis Colts have allowed a league-high 20 sacks this year, but quarterback Andrew Luck isn't placing all of the blame for the team's porous pass protection on the offensive line.

"I don't think the sacks are necessarily indicative of how well our offensive line is playing," he said Wednesday, according to Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith. "You can probably blame me for holding the ball too long. It is that clock developing in the game. Maybe the clock is a little different for each play, but yeah, you do develop a clock."

ESPN.com's Mike Wells thought Luck was being generous:

According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Luck has been sacked 135 times since entering the NFL in 2012, the ninth-highest total in that span.

Last year, a lacerated kidney limited him to seven games. ESPN's Trey Wingo is worried about what another season of withstanding heavy pressure could do to the 27-year-old:

Many fans blame general manager Ryan Grigson for failing to properly address the offensive line in the NFL draft. Since taking over in 2012, he has selected five offensive linemen in the first four rounds of the draft.

In an interview on The Jim Rome Show on Tuesday (via Kirk Larrabee of 247Sports), Grigson acknowledged his failure to surround Luck with a capable line:

"I need to do a better job in terms of the players and so forth. We've had some buzzard luck in the past with guys with injuries and things like that, but then again, we've just got to keep [Luck] upright, because he is so vital to our whole process out there. So we got to do better."

With both the offensive line and defense performing at an underwhelming level, it's fair to wonder whether the Colts are wasting Luck's best years. At 2-3 through five weeks, Indianapolis is one game behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South.

The more punishment Luck receives, the more he's at risk of suffering another major injury, jeopardizing his long-term future.

Speeding up his release might help Luck avoid some hits, but there's no question the team's pass protection needs to improve in the coming weeks.