Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship spent a super chill night in before learning he’d made the roster.
From breathing in and out of a paper bag every time the Colts have a late third down, to crossing every finger and toe while mentally doing reverse multiplication tables before clutch field goals, everyone de-stresses in a different manner.
And we’re not even there, really.
Deep down, we know we have no way of affecting big moments on the field, huge personnel decisions, or meaningful trade conversations. So sometimes, it’s nice to know that those involved are usually better at managing these stressors than we are.
Take Rodrigo Blankenship, the Colts’ new starting kicker who went from Georgia Bulldogs legend to UDFA to the man Week 1.
What did he do the night before learning he’d beaten out Chase McLaughlin for the starting gig? Toss and turn? House a shrimp cocktail? The multiplication tables thing? Nope; Blankenship just sat around with his girlfriend and built a few Lego sets.
The night before cuts, Rodrigo Blankenship spent the evening building Legos and hanging out with his girlfriend.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) September 8, 2020
Amazing.
Yes, according to the man himself, he put the finishing touches on a Ferrari and a Star Wars set and called it a night.
Raucous Friday, especially in this day and age.
"“It wasn’t a sleepless night,” Blankenship told Sports Illustrated. “Regardless of what was going to happen, I was at peace. I came to the realization that this opportunity was a blessing in and of itself, and that I just needed to be grateful for everything that had happened and to be grateful for whatever decision was made, one way or the other. It was just part of God’s bigger plans for me. So that’s how I treated it and that’s how handled it and felt about it.”"
Blankenship’s a culture fit for the Colts in the strangest way — finally, he fills the maniacally nerdy void left by one Andrew Luck.
After listening to Rodrigo Blankenship on today’s Zoom interview, I’m convinced the Colts finally found someone who’s nerdier than Andrew Luck. The kicker put together some LEGO creations to pass the time the night before cut day. What’s not to love?
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) September 8, 2020
Isn’t this an ideal kicker to have, though? No overwhelming fear of impending doom. He just put some square pegs into some square holes and got some shuteye.
No paranoia about accidentally stepping on a painful stray piece, either. Now that takes poise and concentration.
We’re gonna like this kid.
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