INDIANAPOLIS – Andrew Luck has gone from lying around his parent’s house in West Virginia reading books and watching a lot of college football and soccer during the bye week to taking more steps to returning to the starting lineup for the Indianapolis Colts.

Luck, out since Nov. 10 with a lacerated kidney and abdominal muscle injury, has picked up his work intensity. The quarterback is throwing more passes – short, intermediate and long – and he spent time running sprints Wednesday.

Colts QB Andrew Luck.is making progress to return from his lacerated kidney AP Photo/AJ Mast

“Getting better, feeling better,” Luck said. “Probably increase the volume, intensity of what I’ve been doing. Definitely trending upward, trending in the right direction. Have to get in shape if you want to play a football game. There are steps to get there. And that’s a big part of the preparation.”

The next step will be for Luck to start practicing with the rest of his teammates. There’s still no timetable on when that will happen, though.

“I think I’m on the right track,” Luck said on getting into shape. “I don’t think I’m 100 percent in that department. I have no doubt when I’m cleared to practice that I’ll be in the right condition to handle that and play well.”

Luck gets scans periodically on his kidneys and there continues to be good progress in the healing. Owner Jim Irsay told NFL Network during the league owners meetings last week that he thinks Luck could return for the team’s Week 15 game against Houston or Week 16 at Miami.

Luck and coach Chuck Pagano aren’t ready to give a date, especially since Luck has yet practice.

“Day by day really, trying to make myself feel better every day, we’ll see what happens,” Luck said. “Anything is a possibility, but I’m not going to throw a date out or anything.”