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The Colts’ offensive linemen have made it a point to work out together this offseason in an effort to develop the continuity amongst the group, and their quarterback has joined in.
It’s important for the quarterback to have a good relationship with the players who will be protecting him, and that’s what Andrew Luck is trying to do with the Colts’ lineman. One such instance? According to Colts.com’s Kevin Bowen, Luck organized a lake house trip for him and the offensive linemen earlier this offseason.
“It was fun,” left tackle Anthony Castonzo, the senior member of the offensive line, said. “Just a guys’ thing at a lake. The amount of meat that we ate on the first night when we got there was unreal. It was a well-oiled machine. We had guys down cooking turkey and burgers. We had another grill of brats and sausages. We had people inside making beans, people inside setting the table. We had people delegating. Everybody came together and it was an awesome meal. Kind of a team building. We played games. It was definitely a fun weekend.”
A lot of the gatherings between Luck and his linemen involve food, whether it’s a weekend at a lake house or just simply going out for dinner. At those dinners, however, all Luck wants to talk about is football. And his linemen can’t tell him no.
"No, you can't do that to him," Castonzo said with a laugh, according to ESPN’s Mike Wells. "He loves it too much. When he brings it up, we're happy to chat about it. I think it's the fact that he wants to be out there. He wants to be doing it, so he's running through all the reps mentally. So if something comes up in his mind, he can't really correct it on the field. When we're together elsewhere he'll bring it up."
Luck can’t be on the field this offseason due to the shoulder surgery he had in January, which means that he’s relegated to the sidelines with mental reps and playbook work. He’d obviously much rather be out there, and he certainly loves to talk about football whenever he can - even at a dinner when his linemen might want to take a break from their day jobs.
The quarterback fits in well when he’s hanging out with the linemen, however, and Castonzo knows why.
"We have a lot of quirks,” he said. “We kind of understand each other because we all have different quirks, and I think that's why Andrew kind of fits into our group, too, because he has his own quirks. Not saying he's a weirdo, but he's got his own quirks and we all kind of recognize it. You know what, we understand each other. It's definitely a different group."
It’s always great for the quarterback to develop such a great relationship with his offensive linemen, because that will only help the relationship on the field. Not only do the two need to be able to work together on calls and protections and things like that, but it’s also important for the linemen to respect the guy they’re protecting and want to do all they can to keep him clean. It sounds like Andrew Luck definitely gets along with his offensive linemen and is takings steps this offseason to continue to grow that relationship.