4. A look at the Colts’ three rookie offensive linemen.
Saturday’s game was a prime opportunity for three of the Colts’ rookies to play a significant number of snaps: Matt Goncalves (third round) played 52 snaps at right tackle; Tanor Bortolini (fourth round) played 26 snaps at center and 20 snaps at left guard; Dalton Tucker (undrafted) played all 72 of the Colts’ offensive snaps at right guard.
These extended live game replays are especially important for the offensive line players, who do not alternate on and off the field during drives.
“As a young player, you have very limited opportunities because players get most of their reps in practice, and rightfully so,” Bortolini said. “You want guys to be ready when it comes to game day. So you have limited reps and you have the opportunity to go out there and do real live game work where you don’t know if it’s a three-, four-, five-play rack or if you’re going to have a 10- or 15-play drive. You have no idea how it’s going to turn out. So it’s just great to really get those game-like reps and game-like drives.
“I think it just requires a different conditioning and mentality when you know you have to run six plays, and when the six plays are over, you know you’re done with the workout. It’s a lot different than when you’re on a drive and you have no idea when it’s going to end and you’re really pushing yourself on every play and every rep.”
For Goncalves, who played in just three games in his final college season at Pitt, the preseason games were an important opportunity to get used to the pace of the NFL. He’s also gaining that experience in practice, as the Colts’ deep defensive line means he’s playing against players like Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo and Laiatu Latu.
“I’ve learned a lot from that. The biggest teacher is failure,” Goncalves said. “They’ve taught me a lot, especially when I get beat in the pass rush, just seeing what they do day in and day out. And when they beat me, I can learn from that, but I probably helped them too.”
For Bortolini, the experience of being able to play both center and guard in one game was good experience in case he is called upon to play either role during the regular season.
“The more you play, the better you feel about it,” Bortolini said. “I think the more snaps I got as a guard, the more comfortable I felt out there as the game went on. I think it takes a few plays to get settled in, get used to playing and feel comfortable again.”
The last man here is Tucker, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound guard with a 74-inch wingspan from Marshall. His teammates have noticed not only what he’s captured on video, but also how he carries himself on the Colts’ offensive line.
“He’s definitely someone who stays under the radar, but he’s got a lot of experience, he’s a tough guy and I think he’s wired like all of us, like I was picked here,” Goncalves said. “I think you’ve really seen that in these preseason games. He’s doing a great job and I’m very confident playing next to him.”
Goncalves, Bortolini and Tucker all said they are grateful for the high standard set by veteran O-line players like Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith. That standard applies not only to the starters, but also to the backups – who must be ready to step in and meet that standard at any time over the course of a 17-game season.
“We have a really great group of O-linemen that have really helped us young guys, and I think that’s not common in a lot of places where they’ve been really great mentors to us, really great role models,” Bortolini said.
Tucker added: “In my head, I’m not going to go out there and disappoint these guys who have done nothing but try to help me become the player that I am. I don’t want to disappoint anyone, play the best game I can and live up to their standards because they’re here for a reason. They’re here for a reason. They know what they’re doing. Learning from these guys has been incredible.”
