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INDIANAPOLIS – Andrew Luck is on the clock.

Tick, tick, tick goes his 2017 season.

Here we are, Week 8 in the NFL, a season spiraling out of control, a coaching staff hanging by a thread, and the Indianapolis Colts’ franchise quarterback is still being held out of practice after developing soreness in his surgically repaired right shoulder this past week. With each passing day, it feels more likely Luck won’t suit up this season.

But wait.

If and when Luck returns to form — a bold prediction, granted, but not a development that can be ruled out — the Colts have not changed their stance: Luck will play.

“Nothing has changed,” coach Chuck Pagano said this week when asked if circumstances or the stage of the season would impact any decision to have Luck return to action.

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It’s a choice many would disagree with. Everyone from sports pundits to the casual fan has expressed disagreement with the mere notion of Luck playing later in the season if this team continues to unravel.

But here’s a different viewpoint: There are some very compelling arguments that Luck should play in 2017.

The sports media landscape is currently filled with voices offering the same sentiment: Luck should sit out the rest of this season. The Colts are 2-5 and this season has turned into a rebuilding year. What’s the point, they ask?

Glad you asked.

Let’s start with this fun fact: If Luck does not play in 2017, he will go some 20 months without playing in an NFL game. In what universe is it a good thing for the player upon whom a franchise is built to go nearly two years without playing in a game?

Luck should play because he needs to play.

There are both physical and mental benefits to Luck playing. Physically, he gets the chance to get reacclimated to game conditions and work off the considerable rust that will have accumulated. Better to do so in 2017, when the stakes aren’t likely to be high, than in 2018, when the Colts might be playing for something more meaningful than pride.

It benefits Luck mentally, too, by allowing him to overcome the psychological hurdles every athlete faces after a protracted absence. Luck will need to again trust his arm and his substantial abilities. The sooner that process gets underway, the better the franchise will be.

Consider how former Indiana Pacers star Paul George benefited from returning from his gruesome leg injury late in the 2014-15 season. He played just the final six games of that 82-game campaign, but he avoided an entire offseason of internal and external questions about his comeback by proving to himself and others that he was back.

After lengthy absences, all players have to regain their confidence. You should not underestimate the importance of this.

“It’s nerve-wracking,” Colts center Ryan Kelly said. “You’re thinking, ‘Am I going to be ready? How’s my conditioning?’ And until you get out there, you’re never going to know. So, you just have to get out there and do it.”

Keep in mind, Kelly is referencing his own recent seven-week absence because of a broken foot. These issues would be much more pronounced in Luck’s case with his absence having reached the 10-month mark.

There are other variables here, too. The Colts are in a rebuilding and evaluation phase. With an injury-plagued roster already thin on talent, the idea of the Colts reaching the playoffs feels like a punchline.

Since one of General Manager Chris Ballard’s foremost goals is to evaluate his roster with an eye toward next season, do you not think he'd like to know what it looks like with his best player?

How can one truly assess T.Y. Hilton or Donte Moncrief with a 23-year old backup under center? How can you determine the viability of the running game when defenses don’t have to account for one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks? How can you make heads or tails of a team missing its biggest piece? Getting a glimpse of this team with Luck under center provides a much more accurate depiction.

Finally — because this is bound to be one of the chief counterarguments to playing Luck — we must address the elephant in the room.

If you’re worried about Luck getting injured again because of the Colts’ shaky offensive line, that’s certainly understandable. Luck has taken too many hits. Only an idiot would argue otherwise.

But here’s a bit of breaking news: Football is a dangerous sport. Players get hurt. Offensive lines across the NFL are in terrible shape. And that’s not about to change.

By this logic, the Green Bay Packers should also hold out Aaron Rodgers if he heals from his current broken collarbone. Green Bay’s offensive line isn’t exactly a case study in reliable pass protection.

And if you’re concerned about Luck’s shoulder, the fact remains it was surgically repaired. The shoulder should be the least of his worries. If it wasn’t in solid shape, doctors would never have cleared Luck to return to the practice field to begin with. As for the soreness that set him back this past week, it’s a common occurrence when athletes return from surgery. But it’s not red flag.

You can make the argument that Luck, if cleared, should sit. Many assuredly will continue to do just that.

But there’s a shortsightedness to that argument. Those who say Luck has nothing to gain by playing in 2017 could not be more wrong.

If he can play, Luck should play. And it shouldn’t even be a question.

Follow IndyStar Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.