Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck: I was 'scared in my core' about NFL future

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck admitted that he feared his NFL career had come to an end during his darkest moments while rehabilitating his shoulder injury.

"I was scared, scared in my core, in my insides. There was a time I was very scared about football, and about my place in football," the 28-year-old Luck told the Indianapolis Star.

Luck went a step further, noting that his feelings turned negative as time went on during the lengthy rehabilitation process.

"I was a sad, miserable human," Luck said. "I was not nice to myself, nor was I nice to anyone else. I was a miserable SOB to be around. I was nervous. I was scared."

Luck likely is excited as he will play in his first NFL regular-season game since 2016 on Sunday (1 p.m. ET) when the Colts host the Cincinnati Bengals at Lucas Oil Stadium. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown and one interception in three preseason games.

After starting all 16 games in each of his first three seasons and guiding Indianapolis to identical 11-5 records, Luck was limited to seven starts in 2015. He made 15 starts in 2016, throwing for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns versus 13 interceptions.

Luck underwent surgery on his shoulder in January 2017 in a procedure that addressed an injury he sustained in 2015.

The Colts finished 4-12 in 2017 with Jacoby Brissett starting 15 games at quarterback. Recurring soreness in Luck's shoulder prompted the Colts to finally shut him down two weeks after he returned to practice in early October. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 2.