Stephen Holder

stephen.holder@indystar.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Andrew Luck is as fiery a competitor as any player on the Indianapolis Colts’ roster.

It’s why he stood behind a podium in London last season and said, after a close loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, “I’m tired of almost.” He does not play the game he loves for almosts. He does not leave blood, sweat and tears on the field for almosts.

Put simply, the Colts’ quarterback wants one thing: Victory.

So, it's unsurprising that Luck would align himself with other winners like, say, Kobe Bryant. Luck teamed up with the former Lakers great, the Houston Rockets’ James Harden and several other star athletes for an ad campaign for sports drink Body Armor.

Luck talked 1-on-1 with Colts Insider Stephen Holder about his own competitiveness as well as his take on his current career arc, how he’s perceived nationally and a new attitude he’s sensed in the locker room:

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Question: Kobe Bryant is a big stakeholder in Body Armor and does the voiceover in the ad you appear in. Did you have much interaction with him and did you have much in common with him in terms of his competitiveness?

Answer: I met Kobe three or four years ago in Los Angeles, and I have always admired him as a basketball player. But the more I sort of learned about him from talking to certain guys, you come to realize what a ruthless competitor he was. So, I talked to him a bit about competition and you could tell that he loved competing and loves basketball. I’ve been with Body Armor since I’ve been a professional. I drank it in college and I really liked it. So, this was the first endorsement I did after going pro. And then Kobe joined in and became a big shareholder a couple years later, and he’s taken a big creative lead in the campaign. And the mantra is that obsession is natural, that it’s OK to be obsessed with your sport and to be an obsessive competitor — basically what Kobe embodies.

Q: You’re now five years into your career. As you enter Year 6, where do you think your career is? What is your perspective on where you’ve been and what’s next?

A: Gotta win. Just gotta win. I’ve always put a lot of pressure on myself. You know that. And the team has always put a lot of pressure on itself to be successful. In my rookie year, the big talk outside the building was about rebuilding and “give them time.” But no one in the locker room wanted to hear that. We wanted to win now. That’s the same approach in my mind. I don’t want to say that I feel time is running out. I really don’t. But in my mind, I do feel a sense of urgency for getting something accomplished. And that something is winning.

Q: There’s always a lot of talk nationally about your place in the league, whether you should be described as elite and the fact that you haven’t reached a Super Bowl. Do you understand why those questions are out there and why that narrative exists?

A: I do understand what the job entails in the big scheme. But I also have never worried about someone else calling me elite or pedestrian or being labeled this or that. I just want to do the best I can for the Colts. And if I’m doing the best I can, then I think we’ve got a chance to win games. That’s always where my focus has been. I understand where the perception comes from because I do it, too, for other sports. Whether it’s soccer or hoops, I’m a fan like anybody else. But when it comes to my job and my passion, I’ve never worried about it.

Q: You’ve gone from being on the verge of reaching the Super Bowl in 2014 to the last two years, going 8-8 and being often injured. What has that ride been like personally and teamwise?

A: Honestly, I don’t like to look back too much. I think a lot of what’s going on in this building right now is moving forward in all areas. But there are certain things that I’m obviously not proud of in the last two years. You want to win. You need to win. This is a winning franchise and we don’t want to be associated with mediocrity. And 8-8 seasons are about as average as you can get. That’s not what this team is about and I hope that’s not what I’m about. There are times when it was tough. But we stuck through it and I think we’ll be better for it. So, a big part of this offseason is learning from where we’ve been but also moving forward.

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Q: Paul George was criticized in some circles this week for comments seen as critical of his teammates. A player of your stature has a big role in leadership, especially as this team gets younger. What is your leadership style and do we in media sometimes make too much of leadership?

A: Well, I don’t want to compare myself to Paul George just because I don’t know anything about what’s going on in the Pacers’ locker room. But as far as leadership, No. 1, you’ve got to earn it. And you’ve got to earn it by getting the respect and trust of your teammates. You can’t buy it, you can’t just show up and have it. It comes from working and being out there and having those shared struggles and shared experiences and being together. I think you have to be good at what you do. On most teams, the biggest leaders are generally some of the best players, too. I’ve seen T.Y. Hilton grow into a great leader in the last couple years. And, then, I do think you have to lead within your own personality. That’s so important. That’s something that Jim Harbaugh used to talk to me about a lot, because then it will be genuine. If you try to be someone else, they’ll see right through it. I’ve always tried to be my own personality. I’ve certainly become more vocal as the years have gone on, and it’s something I try to get better at it every year and I need to get better at this year as well. But (leadership) is earned. You certainly can’t dupe anybody into being a good leader.

Q: There have been a lot of comings and goings on this roster lately. GM Chris Ballard has constantly talked about everyone earning their job, and he even traded Dwayne Allen. Have you seen a different vibe in the locker room?

A: I don’t know if it was that move or just all the moves, but there certainly is a feeling in the locker room … that everybody on this team — including myself, including Adam Vinatieri — have to go out there and earn a spot on the roster. I think that Chris has taken the approach that competition will bring out the best in everybody and it’s going to weed out the guys who can’t help the team. I know as quarterbacks, Scotty (Tolzien) and Stephen Morris and I, we compete, even in conditioning. Guys are in the weight room working as hard as they ever have since I’ve been here. We’ll see. It’s not about the first two days. It’s Week 2, 3, 4, 5, too. But there’s certainly a feeling that really promotes competition, which I do think will bring out the best in everybody.

Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.