INDIANAPOLIS – Pat McAfee is starting his fifth year with the Colts. One of the more out-going players in franchise history, McAfee always is ready with an answer. With training camp underway, Colts.com catches up with him.
Most fun thing I did during the summer – A.Q. Shipley and I went down and golfed at Doral. That was pretty awesome. I took on the Blue Monster and put up a pretty good score. It was a blast playing a course the PGA guys play on. You realize how bad you really are. That's what I got out of it, but it was fun.
Adam Vinatieri hunted dangerous animals with a bow, would you do anything like that?– Never in my life. I'm all about people doing what they want to do, but I'm not a big hunter. I'd miss probably, too. I have a horrible shot.
Teammate I expect to have a great camp and why – I think everybody is going to have a good camp, how about a good season? I think a guy who will have a great camp and even more so a season is T.Y. Hilton. I think T.Y. is going to be a super threat this year both in the return game and at wide receiver. He's flashy. Last year, I didn't think he really caught his stride until a little bit later in the season. This year, he's going to be really good.
Song(s) and artist(s) I listened to the most this summer – I saw the Zac Brown Band in concert, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life. It sounded exactly like his CDs do. During the break you want to relax, so you listen to things like Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown. I listen to a lot of rap and rock. I go across the board. I keep it open.
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What I want to accomplish in camp** – I want to get better and get my rhythm. I think the big thing for specialist is finding that rhythm. I think we found it in the spring. We might have lost it the first couple of days in camp, but we're back in it now.
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Toughest thing about training camp** – Staying in the dorm is the absolute worst part. Staying in a hotel the night before a game is not a problem. Staying in a dorm you miss your bed. You do like to build the camaraderie. It's a double-edged sword. The communal bathroom is tough. You have to walk down the hall to get there. There are little things like that that you have to do for a couple of weeks.
Most fun thing about training camp – The most fun thing is I get to watch the team build. The offense stays with the offense and the defense stays with the defense most of the time. They don't get to see what each other is doing, but I do. I get a pretty good grasp of how our team is going to be in the first couple of weeks. Watching a team build and grow has to be the most awesome thing. Last year, I knew our team was going to be good just watching it in camp. I enjoy doing that. You see young guys prove themselves, or fall out. You see the older guys prove themselves all over again. It's very interesting to watch.
What you know now about training camp that you didn't as a rookie – You just have to work day-to-day. A lot of people look at the big picture and start crossing out days and wishing for it to get over. You have to work every meeting, every lift, every practice. Take everything as its own individual event instead of looking at camp as a whole as an event.
How to beat the heat and spend any downtime – You don't beat it. Just deal with it. I'm Irish. I get burnt out here. You have to take it. I hope the tan carries through the winter, then get back at it next year.
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Best advice you received before entering the NFL and who gave it to you** – It came from my dad, 'If you're not working, somebody else is.' That's not just the NFL, it's life in general. If I take a day off and relax, somebody else isn't. There's a good chance they're getting better than me. I think that's the best piece of advice you can give anybody. I was in high school when my dad said it to me. I was at a good age to hear that, and I'm thankful he said it and I paid attention to it. I didn't know if I were going to play soccer or football at that point, and he told me someone might be getting better than me. I was at a molding phase in my life, and I think that will stay with me forever. Little Midas McAfee will be hearing that at a young age.
The perfect meal is – I've been on a health kick because I'm getting older. When I was younger, ran rampart and could eat whatever, it was pepperoni pizza with ranch dressing. Now, I'm starting to see the calorie intake is beginning to settle around the old gut area. I have to eat healthier. I like steak, asparagus and potatoes, with unsweetened tea.
Who are the teammates you eat most often with in training camp and why – It's usually positional because we have meetings at different times. I'll sit the the O-line, D-line, anybody who's around. I think everybody gets along with each other.
Do you trend older or younger – It depends on what type of mood I'm in – if I want to learn or if I want to teach. It's about what you want to do.
Who was the NFL player you wanted to meet the most before you made the league and why – It was **Adam Vinatieri (click here for video)**, honest, and now I get to (see) him on a daily basis. It's awesome. I'm living the dream. It's just regular life. Seriously, it was Adam who I wanted to meet. As a punter and kicker, Adam is the player you'd look up. He's been put in situations that not a lot of kickers have been in, and he's pulled through in all those situations. If you look at the history of the Super Bowl, it has to be Adam. When I was drafted, I was going to get to meet him. They told me I would have to hold for him. I'd never held before, so I was infinitely nervous. For the first two years I was in the league, the first one was with Matt Stover and the second was with Adam, I was so nervous about holding. I was nervous much more about that than anything else. Once I got past that, it was great to meet him.
