INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts coach Chuck Pagano wants to end a possible quarterback controversy before it could even start.
Pagano was asked Monday whether he would consider sticking with veteran Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback if he continues to play well once Andrew Luck returns from his lacerated kidney and partially torn abdominal muscle.
"Andrew is our starting quarterback," Pagano said. "When he's healthy, he's 100 percent healthy and the doctors and trainers say he's ready to roll, he's going to be under center."
Hasselbeck improved to 4-0 as Luck's replacement when he led the Colts to a 25-12 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Hasselbeck is 97-of-150 for 1,023 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
Luck, the Colts' franchise player, is 2-5 and having his worst season of his four-year NFL career. He is 162-of-293 for 1,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The Colts are still referring to Luck as week-to-week as to when he will return to the lineup.
Indianapolis, which is tied with the Houston Texans for first place in the AFC South, plays at Pittsburgh on Sunday.