Stephen Holder

stephen.holder@indystar.com

Colts at Jaguars%2C 1 p.m. Sunday%2C CBS

He's the franchise quarterback, the cornerstone of everything blue and white.

Andrew Luck is the present and future of the Indianapolis Colts, already one of the best young players in the NFL, regardless of position.

Yet through two games, both defeats, doesn't it seem as if Luck's been rather, well, average?

That's not a popular thing to say. For some, it's perhaps difficult to admit. But between the rash of errant throws, the handful of questionable decisions and the overall unsettled play witnessed from Luck through two weeks, it's hard to argue against this: We haven't seen the best of Andrew Luck thus far in 2014.

Harsh? Perhaps. But players of Luck's ability aren't held the same standards as most of their peers. Expectations are higher. Luck's previous feats have rightly raised the bar for a kid who turned 25 mere days ago.

This is hardly a crisis. The Colts' abysmal pass rush? Now, that's a crisis. But considering how much this still-winless team leans on its quarterback to transcend its shortcomings, the Colts could use more consistency from Luck.

"There's probably some plays that he'd like to have back, that we'd all like to have back," coach Chuck Pagano said. "But we're still very fortunate to have Andrew Luck as our quarterback. I think there's a ton of people out there who'd love to have No. 12 as their quarterback. A lot of things factor into quarterback play.

"It's a team effort, not one guy who wins a game for you. The defense that you're playing has to factor in, how they're playing, the talent level, how they cover. There are a lot of things that factor in. I'm not worried about him."

That's probably the right approach. But it doesn't change the fact that Luck has misfired a few too many times against the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles. Remember the would-be end-zone interception the Eagles defender dropped Monday night?

And do you recall Luck forcing the ball into double coverage to Reggie Wayne on the last-ditch effort in the closing seconds against the Broncos? T.Y. Hilton got open at about the same time Luck delivered that fateful throw to Wayne, one that would be intercepted.

Monday, against the Eagles, the Colts ran the ball with great success. Their 169 rushing yards was their highest output in 15 games. But the passing game never felt in sync. Luck can be somewhat streaky, and his streak never seemed to get underway on Monday.

"I know I wasn't sharp enough for (the passing game) to get into a rhythm," Luck said afterward.

That, plus a conservative offensive approach by offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Pagano helped keep the ball out of the Colts' perimeter playmakers. The longest completion Monday was a 19-yard out pattern to Wayne. Luck, 20-of-34 for 172 yards, averaged 5.1 yards per attempt. That's well below his career average of 6.8.

Pagano attributed some of that to the Eagles' defensive tactics.

"We've got to get our playmakers the ball," he said. ". . . But (defenses) are not going to just let T.Y. run behind them anymore. We tried it a couple times and there were a couple throws where they had him covered down the field. They're taking him away. You're going to take what the defense gives you. A check down here or a check down there."

As much as the Colts are elated about their rushing success on Monday, perhaps the best thing they can do heading into Sunday's game at Jacksonville is to develop a game plan that gets Luck going. That means the no-huddle offense, an attack featuring throws he's most comfortable with and creative methods of getting Hilton, Hakeem Nicks and tight end Dwayne Allen involved (Allen inexplicably had zero catches and zero targets on Monday).

Luck will pull it together. You wouldn't expect anything less from the man who threw for NFL-record yardage through his first two seasons.

If he does that, the Colts' other outstanding issues might yet be survivable.

Second guessing

Pagano on Tuesday second guessed he and his staff's decision to run two running plays on the team's final possession that resulted in a crucial three-and-out.

"The first down was good," he said. "Then (we) probably should've just had (Luck) throw it. That's on me. I have to do a better job."

The Colts were forced to punt with 2:07 left and the Eagles subsequently drove down for a game-winning field goal.

Roster move

The Colts on Tuesday reacted to the high ankle sprain suffered by starting defensive tackle Art Jones by signing defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles from the New England Patriots practice squad. Quarles is an undrafted free agent from South Carolina, a first-team All-SEC selection last season.

Colts at Jaguars, 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS