Q&A: Colts' Andrew Luck talks board games, music, beard and more

Dana Hunsinger Benbow | The Indianapolis Star

The goal was to pepper Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck with as many questions as possible — fun questions and quirky ones, mostly unrelated to football.

He was an awesome sport about the challenge, keeping his answers short and sweet.

"Let's do this," he said, as we set off on an interview arranged so Luck could talk about his work with Quaker Oats to encourage schools to get active.

But he was more than willing to chat about restaurants, books, architecture and other stuff.

Question: If you were to be exiled from Indianapolis, what meal at what restaurant would you have to eat before you left?

Answer: "I'd probably go to R Bistro. They change their menu every week, so I don't know what meal it would be. I would let Regina (Mehallick) make something for me." Mehallick is the executive chef and owner of R Bistro.

Q: What is your favorite meal at R Bistro?

A: "Honestly, I can't remember because I go there quite a bit. But it has not disappointed."

Q: With your architectural background, do you have a favorite building in Indy?

A: "I like the Murat (Theatre, also known as the Old National Centre). It's different. It's almost cheesy, in a sense, but in a good way, a good way. I think cheesy is the wrong word, but you know? It's just different and I think what the city has done with the (Indianapolis) Cultural Trail, you can tell it's really encouraged folks to spruce up ... like the Mass Ave. area. I love walking down there, the buildings, some of those old warehouses they convert is just interesting."

Q: You live on Mass Ave?

A: "Close to Mass Ave."

Q: Why did you choose to live downtown versus the suburbs?

A: "I grew up in the suburbs, so I figured 'Why not try downtown living?' And, honestly, I love it. I've been very pleasantly surprised at how much downtown Indianapolis has to offer."

Q: Do people recognize you? I thought I heard you say once that people don't recognize you as much downtown as in the suburban areas.

A: "It doesn't seem like that. Maybe I'm just telling myself that. But, um, some people do and some people don't. But I really do like living down there. I like being able to walk or ride my bike to restaurants and do different things. It's an easy commute out here (referring to the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center where the Colts practice)."

Q: I heard a story from a friend of a friend on Facebook that she was at Yogulatte and had forgotten her wallet and all of a sudden this guy comes up behind her and paid for her yogurt and it was you.

A: "I don't think that happened. There is a similar story (rumor) at a different place where I offered to do that."

Q: Do you do that? Do you randomly pay for strangers' stuff?

A: "I have not. But should I?" he asked laughing. "Maybe it happened. I don't know. I have a bad memory."

Q: Have you been to a lot of concerts here?

A: "I have."

Q: What was your favorite?

A: "Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (an American Indie folk band). I saw them last year during the season. It was fun. I also got to see Awolnation, one of my favorite bands."

Q: The most recent book you've read?

A: "It's tough during the season, just because there is not a lot of time to read, but I try to read a couple pages a night. To me, it's an easy way to get off your feet and relax. You watch so much film. And it's fun to watch movies, but sometimes you just don't want to watch a screen. So, I read Condoleezza Rice's account of her time in office with the Bush administration. She was a professor at Stanford while I was there. I never took any of her classes, but she was always kind to me if I got to see her. Very approachable and, obviously, an impressive lady. To read about her and everything she did, obviously, during a very tumultuous time, was very interesting."

Q: I read the ESPN magazine piece on you this month. They mentioned you like board games. What's your favorite?

A: "There is a board game called Settlers of Catan. That is what I play. I am so embarrassed."

Q: Who do you play it with?

A: "My girlfriend plays. My parents, my siblings they all play. But (Colts left tackle) Anthony Castonzo and his girlfriend know how to play. And then some of the guys I went to Stanford with. There are a fair amount of guys on the team that play it, you know the trainers and such. So we are trying to get a big tournament. It's embarrassing."

Q: Which brings me to my next question. How do you describe yourself, because you are so smart and intellectual for an NFL guy. Are you a dork, a nerd? Are you a self-proclaimed nerd?

A: "Ummmm. I don't know."

Q: Do you like to call yourself cool?

A: "No. I know I'm not cool. I know that."

Q: There are not that many guys in the NFL that are reading books like you.

A: "You'd be surprised. There is a certain stigma that is attached. You forget. There are 65 guys in that locker room. Married, not married, from every socioeconomic background. It's such a diverse (mix) ... so I think it's unfair when the stigma of we don't read or whatever, you know? I'm sorry. I'm not trying to attack you."

Q: What about The Fault in Our Stars by John Green? Have you read that? He's an Indianapolis guy.

A: "My mom just actually gave me that book. I haven't. I think she read it and she said I should. I think it's actually sitting on my desk."

Q: What do you do to wind down after games?

A: "We always get Italian and come back to my condo — girlfriend, parents usually, you know if there's family in town, friends. We sit around and eat pasta, talk and they watch a little football and we hang out and relax. It's a nice way to wind down. We don't really talk much about the game."

Q: OK. What about the facial hair?

A: "Uh. It's not very good."

Q: Does your girlfriend like it?

A: "She permits me. She permits me to do whatever I want with it. It's usually my mom who gets on me about my facial hair. I can't grow a good mustache so I guess it's just a neck beard. I just have trouble growing up there. But I've tried to clean it up a little more lately. I was getting my hair cut at Red's (Classic Barber Shop Co.) the other day, and they were like 'Andrew. We need to trim the beard.' I was like go ahead."

Q: What is something that would surprise people about you?

A: "I walk around and bike around a lot downtown. Not sure a lot of people know that."

Q: Do you go in disguise?

A: "Yeah. Sometimes."

Q: What do you wear?

A: "Can't tell you this. No. I'm just kidding. A hat and sunglasses sometimes."

Q: You're a sponsor of Quaker Oats. Do you have a favorite oatmeal recipe?

A: "I eat a lot of oatmeal anyway. But every morning, I get an omelet and I get fruit, oatmeal and I put yogurt on my oatmeal, which is sort of weird. But there is this recipe I like with honey roasted maple pecans, bananas (on oatmeal) and that's pretty good. But I don't do that every day. It's too much to do on a daily (basis)."

Q: I don't want to do the football thing. But what did it feel like to beat Peyton Manning?

A: "It's an interesting question, and I understand why you would ask that question, but football has never been about me versus him. It's always been about the Colts versus whoever, so I was happy to beat the Broncos, of course. But not because it was Peyton. It was because we beat a good team that was undefeated."

Q: OK. ETA on the smart phone. (Luck doesn't own one.)

A: "Ohhhh. Not too close. I have my iPad."

Q: If you got a Twitter account, what would you want your Twitter name to be?"

A: "If I got a Twitter account, I would have to do something with my beard. We'll see. I don't think I'll have a Twitter any time soon."