INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts are fresh off the bye week and in action this weekend, hosting Tampa Bay.
DeForest Buckner is back with us for Inside the Huddle and said the week off was a chance to regroup.
"Oh yeah, definitely," Buckner said. "Get away from the game a little bit, let the body heal up. It was a good time. We took the fam to Orlando, go to Disney World and, you know, had a nice little pool day at the resort, so it was a nice, fun time."
We asked Buckner about Shaq Leonard, who was waived on Tuesday.
"Shaq is one of one, you know what I mean? He's a hell of teammate, hell of a person. You know, just everything that he was able to do in his six years for this franchise and the community, and obviously on the team. It's always tough to see a guy like that be let go," said Buckner.
Buckner said it's the tough side of the business.
"It happens all the time, but obviously for a guy well-established in this organization and everything that he's done for this community, it's a tough one," Buckner said.
The Colts are 1-4 at home, 5-5 overall with seven games remaining in the season. They're in the hunt for the playoffs, a topic that Buckner's teammates - particularly his fellow defensive linemen - haven't overlooked.
"We've talked about how being, we're 1-4 at home this season, I mean, but on the road, we're like 4-1. It's unbelievable. We've gotta give these fans something to cheer for, you know what I mean? We've gotta bring that energy coming this week against Tampa Bay," said Buckner.
Buckner said the Buccaneers present some challenges for Indianapolis.
"They're a tough team, you know what I mean?" he said. "A lot of the games they lost, they were close, they were in it. You know, it's gonna be... it's gonna take all four quarters. It's going to be disciplined football, it's going to be physical football on Sunday, so we've definitely gotta be there ready to go."
Before we let Buckner get back to game preps, we asked what he planned to put on his Thanksgiving dinner plate.
"Usually, I like, obviously, some stuffing, you know, mashed potatoes, turkey, you know, gravy and all that. It's always a good time," said Buckner.
Each Wednesday on Inside the Huddle, we introduce you to the Riley Kid of the Week.
"Riley Kid of the Week, we've got Amir. He's from Michigan City, he loves computer games and coding. He's a smart kid. Smarter than me," Buckner said.
Inside the Huddle is brought to you by Republic Airways Lift Academy. Each week, Republic makes a donation to Riley Hospital for Children in honor of DeForest Buckner.