Matt Goncalves, a Manorville native and Eastport-South Manor alum, is in his rookie season playing offensive line for the Indianapolis Colts. Goncalves made his NFL debut in Week 1 at home vs. the Houston Texans and is relishing playing at the NFL level after being drafted out of University of Pittsburgh in the spring.

Tide: What were your initial thoughts when you stepped on the field, being you’ve worked so hard for this your whole life and now it’s a reality, you’ve reached the highest level?

Goncalves: Yeah, I mean it was an unreal feeling to be honest, to be able to go out there in gameday not turn on red zone, it was a pretty cool feeling, and to hear Lucas Oil Stadium on third down, fourth down, it was unbelievable; it was everything I’ve asked for and dreamed for, so it was very exciting, and I look forward to the rest of the games as well, so every game is a dream come true.

Tide: You’re part of a franchise with a lot of history and with much success. There’s been iconic names such as Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. Talk about what it means to wear the blue and white.

Goncalves: It means everything. To look at the historical players to come out of the Indianapolis Colts gives you another reason to work harder each and every day. So, it’s definitely something that lingers in the back of your mind, especially when you get deep into the year wanting to do what some of those guys did. It definitely means something, so like I said, it’s in the back of our minds.

Tide: If Anthony Richardson stays healthy, he can be a great QB. You have Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, who should be back soon. It’s a really talented offensive unit. Talk about the vibes amongst the offense. You guys could score a lot of points and definitely could be a contender this year.

Goncalves: Yeah, it’s something that we know we’re capable of, especially with the talented weapons we have and with AR [Anthony Richardson] being able to air the ball out 65 yards and run it on the ground, too. He runs a deadly combination along with Jonathan Taylor back there, and some of our great receivers and the great offensive line that we have as well, protecting AR and opening up lanes for Jonathan Taylor. So, I think altogether it’s an exciting offense ,and I think we have an exciting defense, too, so I think altogether our team is shaped out of the long hall.

Tide: I know it’s not for a while, but you’ll be making two trips to MetLife Stadium this year. Talk about how excited you’ll be to get to play not far from home later in the season.

Goncalves: Yeah, it’s very exciting getting to go back there right around New Jersey and New York and something you dream about when you grow up, and having your family there and some friends and stuff like that, it’s definitely a dream come true and to be close to home, it always means something to me.

Tide: Any personal goals that you have for your rookie year?

Goncalves: I’d like to take the field and get a couple snaps and play my first couple snaps in the NFL—that  would be awesome, to be able to go out there and run, block, pass, block and all that stuff, that’s definitely a goal for me. It’s not being an All Pro or anything like that. I just want to get onto the field. It’s kind of like the goals I set at Pitt, too, so hopefully I could make those possible.