ColtsSpeak: Andy Newman

PhilB: How do you feel about your Colts today?

Andy: Well, it’s changed a lot over the past couple of months. I think, no matter what we do, I’m always going to be 100 percent full-on supportive. Even in the beginning, when I heard the rumblings of us signing quarterback Philip Rivers, I wasn’t a huge fan. I watched a lot of Chargers games last season and I was not a huge fan of Philip Rivers’ play, but I know he’s been great in the past. What I’ve heard, I know that he has the potential with a great offensive line and better help to be a better quarterback. I think we have the system that he can play well in and be that great quarterback. I’ve already got on the bandwagon and bought a Philip Rivers jersey already. I’m ready.

PhilB: I know there’s some mixed reaction in the fan base. I acknowledge how you feel. My initial reaction was can Colts fans forget the past when he was … ?

Andy: Killing us in the playoffs?

PhilB: Yeah, killing us in the playoffs, and not only that, was jawing with fans in the stands. I know he doesn’t swear, but he’s still got that sneer, and every time I post a Philip Rivers story, some fans go nuts. There is a division out there.

Andy: Yeah, I do remember the days when he would kill my dreams as a little kid, of us going to the playoffs and almost winning and him killing us. We always had an issue with him and the Chargers. I still have that kind of in the back of my mind. Hey, if (GM) Chris Ballard and (head coach) Frank Reich are saying this is our guy, then I’m going to be 100 percent for it.

PhilB: OK. What other moves have caught your eye?

Andy: Definitely the DeForest Buckner trade. Why wouldn’t anyone say that? I had no clue who he was. I’m going to be completely honest. I know a lot about the NFL normally, but for whatever reason, I just had never heard his name. I went back and watched the Super Bowl (while Buckner was with San Francisco) and saw some of the stuff that he did and watched his highlights and stuff. That guy is a monster.

PhilB: That’s all you’ve got to do, brother. All you’ve got to do is turn on the Super Bowl and you’ll see him.

Andy: Getting down Patrick Mahomes and all that, I was kind of surprised as to how good he was without him really being on my radar. At first, I was like, ‘Who is this?’ And then, getting to know who he was, I was like, ‘Wow, great guy.’ Hopefully he’ll be great for the Colts organization. Another move that I thought was definitely interesting was the signing of the undrafted kicker from Georgia.

PhilB: Rodrigo Blankenship! ‘Rec-Spec.’ ‘Hot Rod.’

Andy: The guy with the goggles. I’m a Notre Dame fan, so when I’ve watched Notre Dame against Georgia or any Georgia game on TV, I was like, ‘Wow, those guy’s glasses.’ That was the one guy on Georgia, other than quarterback Jake Fromm, I know exactly who that guy is. That’s the kicker. I’ve kind of got it into my head that’s what we’re going for. Is Adam Vinatieri coming back or is Adam not coming back? I love Adam to death. I think he’s one of the greatest players of all-time, obviously the greatest kicker of all-time, if we were able to say goodbye to Peyton Manning - he’s my favorite Colts player of all-time, if we’re able to say goodbye to him with reasonable doubt that he could do his job, if Adam last season alone does the exact same thing, I don’t understand why we keep holding onto him. I love him to death, 100 percent, but if we can get rid of Peyton Manning, why can’t we get rid of Adam Vinatieri? Nothing against Adam at all. If he’s still kicking well, then sure, fine, but from what I saw last season … I remember back in the day, where Adam Vinatieri would be, I’m not even worried about this extra point, 100 percent, we’re good. Last year, every single time I would wince at the screen because I thought he would miss it. I heard stuff about an injury.

PhilB: He had a knee injury that required surgery and the Colts finally shut him down after 12 games. He is not signed and every time we ask the Colts, they say they haven’t talked to him yet, that he’s still rehabbing. I think it’s telling that they gave Chase McLaughlin a one-year tender, then they signed Rodrigo. That shapes up into a preseason kicking competition. From everything I hear, Adam is not ready yet and he doesn’t have a contract. So I think that they’re going to probably, politely, respectfully move on. I don’t think we’ll see him back. I love Adam, too, but I think that’s done.

Andy: Yeah, I love that guy to death. He’s done a lot for the Colts organization, and sadly, another organization (New England) I really don’t like to talk about. He’s a great individual and a great guy, always nice to fans. But there comes a time. I definitely respect what he’s done for the city and for the state, but sometimes you’ve got to move on.

PhilB: Do you like the draft picks?

Andy: I was extremely excited and happy about the draft picks we got. I’ve always wanted a taller wide receiver. I really thought Devin Funchess was going to be our dude (in 2019). He was going to be a big target for Andrew Luck to be able to throw to, kind of just bomb it up there and him jump up and grab it. Then he obviously got injured and Luck is gone. (Second-round pick) Michael Pittman Jr. is definitely the type of guy I really, really wanted. High-character guy, definitely does the job well. I heard that he had minimal drops when he was in college. He’s definitely a dude that I know is tall and can get up there and overpower cornerbacks and safety. He’s definitely the kind of guy I wanted. Then, I’m going to be honest, our second pick (in the second round), I was super confused as to why we got another running back. Jonathan Taylor, I remember watching him in the Big Ten Championship Games and other games with Wisconsin. I was like, ‘Holy cow, this guy is a beast, a monster.’ I was confused as to why we needed another running back. Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins, and Marlon Mack are a good three, but hey, if Chris Ballard thinks Taylor is worth it, with that low of a pick, it was a good idea for for how good he is.

PhilB: I predicted they would take a wide receiver and running back in the second round. People kept carving me up in social media for that mock drat prediction on a running back. I kept trying to tell people that Mack is entering a contract year, he’s missed a lot of games, he gets dinged up. Taylor makes sense because now you’ve got two guys who can share the load. Maybe you can keep Mack fresh, maybe he doesn’t get dinged up as much. And if he’s in a good situation, maybe he doesn’t cost as much to keep. But if he wants big money and decides he wants to leave after 2020, then you’ve got Taylor.

Andy: That’s exactly what I’ve been hearing. I was confused as to how that dynamic would work. I didn’t know if we would move Nyheim Hines to more of a running back/wide receiver position so he got more reps? Then I’m thinking, we’ve already got two small, speedy guys. I really like Jordan Wilkins. I think he’s a great running back. Are we giving this guy the short straw? What’s going on there? I was just confused. They’ve obviously got it worked out.

PhilB: Hines is a third-down back with a specialty for catching passes out of the backfield and getting isolated in space. Frank Reich has talked a lot about utilizing Hines more in that role, and Philip Rivers loves to use backs like that. Wilkins probably gets the short straw, but if one of those guys gets hurt, you’ll see Wilkins. I see them keeping four running backs.

Andy: I’m OK with the idea, it’s just something I’m not used to. I’m more in tune to the days when it was just Edgerrin James, just Joseph Addai, just Frank Gore. We have Marlon Mack. We had our Dominic Rhodes guys, too, but it was more like a top running back and guys underneath. Hey, I’ll see how it goes. I’m 100 percent for it.

PhilB: What’s your prediction for the season?

Andy: I’ve been thinking a lot about that honestly. I 100 percent feel like this is a team that could go pretty far and give the Chiefs or Ravens a run, whoever is on top, me personally I think it’s the Chiefs. I don’t know. It kind of hinges on how well our new guys mesh, then how well Philip Rivers does. If Phil is playing the same way he played last year, we’re not going to be able to do a lot. If he’s able to work with the new system, get stuff figured out, I definitely think we can win 10 games. We haven’t won the AFC South Division in a while (since 2014), which is crazy to me. I’d really love to do that again. I remember the years of just absolutely destroying everybody in the AFC South. If we can get back to a culture like that, when we’re winning all the time and getting far in the playoffs and not getting blown out 45-7, that’s a culture and a team that I would 100 percent like to have back. I think we have the pieces for that, but I honestly haven’t seen a lot of these guys play. Really this is the most up in the air that I think I’ve ever been about the Colts.

PhilB: How do you feel about the prospects of getting a season played?

Andy: I really hope so. If it comes down to the point where we have to not have fans, I guess I’m for that, but I’d really, really love to have fans in the stands. We’ve had season tickets, I’ve shared them with my uncle for a long time now, and not being able to go to Colts games, I really love that atmosphere and having everybody around for the same thing, but not having that would definitely be disappointing. But if you’ve got to do something like that, then fine, but I’d much rather have fans in stands. I don’t know, I really think we can get a season off, I hope so, but then again, I’m up in the air, like everything else now.

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