Donnie Avery: Game-Winning Touchdown Against Detroit Was Nearly a “Disaster”

The Indianapolis Colts continue to work their magic. On Sunday, the Colts and rookie quarterback Andrew Luck moved to 8-4, quadrupling their win total from with four games still remaining on the 2012 schedule. And they did so in dramatic fashion, with Luck hitting the rejuvenated Donnie Avery on a game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock. Donnie Avery joined The Ride with JMV on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis to discuss his breakout season in Indy, his decision to come to the Colts in the offseason, Reggie Wayne as a role model, Andrew Luck’s best trait, and his game-winning touchdown against the Lions Sunday.

On his career finally coming together now that he’s staying healthy:

“It’s all about staying healthy. Once you stay healthy, and once they call your number, you’re supposed to make plays, and that’s what I did this year.”

On Chuck Pagano recruiting him to join the Colts in the offseason:

“Pagano called [me] at the airport and he said, ‘Don’t take any more visits. We really want you. We’ve seen what you can do in the past when you’re healthy and we believe in you, so come help us out.’ So I stopped taking visits and came to Indy.”

On Reggie Wayne:

“He never comes out of the game. When I first got here I was like, ‘Damn, how is his lungs that good?’ I’m out there gasping for air, trying to emulate him. I’m just doing everything to try to be similar to him.”

On what impresses him most about Andrew Luck:

“He’s a team leader. I’ve never seen a rookie quarterback that tries to get the team up and going — not just the offense, but the whole team in general.”

On that game-winning touchdown against the Lions:

“Everybody’s running a somewhat deep route and I’m the last read on the play. I’m running a drag route. I see Andrew scrambling. The reason why I didn’t turn up and block was because I still saw him with the ball cocked. If he would have put that ball down and started running I would have turned up and blocked. Good thing I was watching his arm because that would have been a disaster if I would have turned around and he threw it to me.”