INDIANAPOLIS —Scott Tolzien will get the start at quarterback on Sunday, when the Indianapolis Colts open up the 2017 regular season on the road against the Los Angeles Rams, general manager Chris Ballard said Monday.
Ballard said Andrew Luck remains "week-to-week" as he continues to work his way back to the field after undergoing surgery to his throwing shoulder this offseason.
"Still no timetable," Ballard said when asked about Luck's return. "He's in the training phase right now, he's done excellent with his rehab, and we'll continue to take it week-to-week. He'll be out this week vs. the Rams, but we'll still take it week-to-week."
So the starting job remains Tolzien's, who has been the Colts' No. 1 quarterback since the start of the offseason training program, through training camp and the preseason.
And even though the Colts on Saturday acquired quarterback Jacoby Brissett in a trade with the New England Patriots — which sent wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to New England — Ballard confirmed Monday that "Scott's our starter."
While Brissett is expected to provide competition at the position once he gets acclimated to the Colts' playbook — the team held its first regular season practice to prepare for the Rams on Monday — Ballard is confident Tolzien, a seventh-year veteran, can get the job done until Luck is able to return.
"It's Tolzien's job, because Brissett's got to get up to speed," Ballard said. "But I like — and we like — Jacoby Brissett, and we think he does have upside, and we think it's going to give us some competition at the position."
As for Luck, Ballard said the organization continues to think long-term when it comes to its 27-year-old franchise quarterback.
Getting back to the practice field, on a daily basis, remains the goal for now for Luck, who was moved from the PUP list to the active roster on Saturday, giving him the freedom to start practicing whenever the team deems him ready.
"I think we need to think about this with every player: every player needs to practice," Ballard said. "They need to be with their teammates; they need to go through practice. And Andrew's going to need the same thing.
"I think Andrew would tell you, 'Hey, I want to get back to where I can practice every day; I can throw to our receivers every day. I can feel the pocket, feel the pressure every day.'" Ballard continued. "We want to get back to that point."
