Adam Terry's first official day as a member of the Indianapolis Colts brought a chance meeting.
Touring the facilities he'll be calling home this season shortly after he signed, the Queensbury graduate came face-to-face with the man who really runs the show in Indianapolis - Peyton Manning.
"He was working out," Terry said. "My initial impression was that he was a friendly guy and intense. It's a little different. He's a quarterback, he's not a big overpowering figure but when he takes the reins in practice, watch out."
Getting on the field with Manning is the plan, and even though it's been a year since he's been on gridiron, Terry enters his sixth season in the NFL with a fresh sense of excitement.
"Right now it's my freshman year of college," Terry said. "I have that background of information that I got over five years. I know what to do. It's a lot of excitement. The organization creates this passion of the game, and I think I have just as much as they do."
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Microfracture surgery on his right knee sidelined Terry since the AFC Championship with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008. He was placed on injured reserve in 2009 and spent most of last season on his couch watching and sometimes screaming at Ravens games on the television on Sundays.
It was a tough time, but Terry said he used that time to completely devote himself to his rehab and his newborn son, Brysen. The rehab was a slow process. Terry was on crutches for the first two months and he couldn't put any weight on the newly repaired knee.
The Syracuse graduate slowly began strengthening his quad and eventually working on strengthening his knee.
"It wasn't until the playoffs that I felt I was coming around, that the knee was starting to come around," he said.
Terry became a free agent in early March. Unsure of what to expect since he'd been off the field for a year, Terry was contacted by eight teams. He set up visits with four of them.
His first stop was Indianapolis, an organization that has been one of the top teams in the league for almost a decade. They were the first team to contact Terry and his agent once he was on the market.
During his visit with the Colts, Terry wasn't wined and dined as much as he was poked and prodded by about six doctors that day. It wasn't until he was given a clean bill of health later that afternoon that he actually sat down to meet with the Colts' front office.
The Colts are looking to get bigger on the offensive line this year, and at 6-foot-8 and 335 pounds, Terry fits the mold.
"I (went out there) and I left with a deal," Terry said. "It's a good situation. ... I can move well in their system; It seems to be a good fit."
There are four tackles on the Colts roster, including last season's starters Ryan Diem (6-6, 320 pounds) and Charlie Johnson (6-4, 305 pounds). Terry knows that if he wants to crack into the starting lineup this season, he's going to have to work. Terry started seven games with the Ravens in 2008 and will bank on that experience to succeed with the Colts.
Organized team activities, called OTAs, begin in June and training camp starts in July. Terry said he's running and has started lateral movements and is getting close to game shape.
"My expectations (are) to go out there and show what I can do in that position for a starting job and then go forward," he said. "You know there's unfinished business here and there's excitement about it."