The Sports Xchange

Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Robert Mathis will not see game action until late September or early October.

That’s the projection of Colts’ owner Jim Irsay, who echoed the senntiment of head coach Chuck Pagano that Mathis, 34, won’t be rushed back from the torn Achiles tendon that kept him out all of last season.

“I’d think we would be foolish not to consider (Mathis’ age and the type of injury he suffered) It would be stupid on our part to say, ‘You’re healthy, you’ve been cleared’ and then throw him to the wolves. We’ve got to be very, very smart with Robert. He knows that,” the Colts coach said.

Irsay told the Indianapolis Star the decision isn’t closed.

“We want to make sure the doctors feel he’s ready. And that re-injuring and that sort of thing is not going to be a problem,” Irsay said. “We’ve talked about kind of October, roughly. Can he come back quicker than that? Knowing Robert, anything is possible. I really just don’t think he’s going to be ready for the Buffalo game at the start of the season.”