could follow in his half-brother’s footsteps.The Indianapolis Colts rookie linebacker soon learned he had much larger shoes to fill.Leonard has embraced the legacy of Edwin Jackson John Simon Color Rush Jersey , who wore the same jersey number with the Colts before he was killed in a February traffic accident. Now Leonard will honor Jackson’s memory during the NFL’s annual My Cause My Cleats celebration, something Jackson’s family endorses.“When my family and I watch Darius, we see the same passion and fire Edwin played with,” said Adam Jackson, Edwin’s brother. “Edwin often talked about how he represented a lot of people when he was on the field, and that he wanted to make them proud and give them a show. It seems like this is similar for Darius Leonard. From what I have read about Darius, he was considered an underdog coming out of college just like Edwin. They both used this underdog mentality as fuel to become NFL starters for the Colts.”The similarities go far deeper than numbers and resume lines, though.Both were largely overlooked by big-name colleges because of their size. Both far exceeded expectations at Football Championship Subdivision schools and impressed NFL coaches with their ability to run from sideline to sideline. Both won over their pro teammates with fun-loving personalities and their passion for the sport, and both embraced giving back to their communities.Leonard knew nothing about Jackson when the Colts drafted him in the second round, No. 36 overall, in April.It wasn’t until he requested the number of his half brother, former NFL player Anthony Waters, that Leonard got a crash course in what Jackson meant to the organization.“He was a great person https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Chester-Rogers-Jersey , he came from a great family and he was great to be around,” second-year linebacker Anthony Walker said. “He was one of the guys I was closest to last year, and he kind of took me under his wing and showed me how it worked in the NFL.”Now Walker finds himself fulfilling Jackson’s old role by serving as a mentor, to Leonard 鈥?the league’s leading tackler heading into Sunday’s game at Jacksonville (3-8) and a bona fide candidate as defensive rookie of the year.The starting tandem and locker mates seem to thoroughly enjoy trading stories, doubling as comics and playfully teasing one another during locker room interviews in the same fashion. They’re loud and full of joy 鈥?just like Jackson, who was nicknamed “Pound Cake” after walking on at Georgia Southern and being cut by the Arizona Cardinals in 2015 before landing in Indy.“It seems like his personality and who he was is very similar to who I am,” said Leonard, who was dubbed “Maniac” during his college years at South Carolina State following a 19-tackle game against Clemson in September 2016.Leonard’s performance caught the attention of Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who also was a huge fan of Jackson and his radiant smile that seemed to welcome anybody who came into the locker room.And it led Leonard to this place 鈥?where he, Walker and injured safety Mathias Farley intend to wear specially designed cleats to help raise money and awareness for the Edwin Jackson 53 Foundation. In this, the third year of the cleats program, organizers have expanded it to a three-week window so every player has a chance to participate in front of their home fans.Indy’s chance comes Dec. 16 against Dallas 鈥?a potentially huge game for an organization that has won five straight to climb back into playoff contention 鈥?and Jackson’s brother will attend the game.It will be Adam Jackson’s second trip to Indy for a tribute. He and his family also came back Sept. 30 when the Colts played a highlight reel of Jackson on the stadium’s big screens and donated $32,000 to the foundation. Indy lost that game in overtime but won over the hearts of the Jackson family.“It was a special moment for all of us Antonio Morrison Jersey ,” he said. “We followed him everywhere from elementary school to Georgia Southern, all the way up to Indianapolis. It was a touching moment to walk in the same footsteps Edwin had walked and see how much his hard work was appreciated and how much it still is appreciated.”And now Adam Jackson will get to see the appreciation once more through the fittingly fancy footwork of Walker and Leonard.“Darius is also part of the same college fraternity as Edwin’s grandfather, Omega Psi Phi,” he said. “So I think if anyone is going to wear Edwin’s jersey, it should be Darius, and he has represented the number 53 quite well.” INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Luck tossed around more dance moves than footballs this offseason.He loved every minute of it.So when the star quarterback returned to the Indianapolis Colts complex Monday, he was rested, recharged and ready to start offseason workouts.“I finally got a chance to get away,” Luck said after the initial welcome back team meeting. “I talked to (general manager) Chris (Ballard) about that a little bit. He sort of challenged me to turn my mind off. It took a while, but I did get away. I feel refreshed. It was a very nice offseason.”At least it was different.Luck didn’t throw in either of the two previous offseasons, but not by choice. Instead, he followed doctor’s orders while recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder. This time, Luck opted for a well-deserved break after perhaps the best season of his pro career.Plus Kenny Moore Color Rush Jersey , Luck had other plans.After dating Stanford gymnast Nicole Pechanec for nearly a decade, the couple finally got married last month in the Czech Republic.“Not much has changed besides a ring on the finger and she’s got great insurance now,” Luck cracked. “It’s awesome. It was the best day of my life and probably the best offseason I ever had.”Luck also had fun shooting a commercial for sports drink company Body Armor. The addition of baseball star Mike Trout helped convince Luck to take a chance.Dressed in 1970s disco garb, Luck and Trout cut it up on the dance floor — stirring up a conversation about Luck’s groovy moves. He even heard from Stanford coach David Shaw, who emailed that his children rewound the commercial multiple times when they first saw it.“My initial reaction to just about everything is no,” Luck said. “Then I thought about it and talked to my agent. He said Mike Trout was interested and I admire him very much. Then thought about it and – why not? I think I feel much more comfortable making fun of myself than trying to be cool.”He wasn’t the only Colts player to try his hand at performing.All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson posted a video on Instagram of himself, bare-chested, mimicking the moves from a Cardi B video. The rapper and fans weren’t the only ones who were watching.“I don’t know if Andrew was acting or not, but Quenton, I thought, was pretty good,” center Ryan Kelly said. “As long as he (Nelson) keeps mowing people over in the running game, I don’t care.”Nelson did not speak Monday.But Luck said he is eager to get back to work nearly three months after the 2018 season ended with a divisional-round loss at Kansas City.The good news: Not much has changed inside the locker room.Ballard spent the offseason investing heavily in keeping the roster intact. Three more Colts players — receivers Chester Rogers and Marcus Johnson and safety Mathias Farley — joined the list when they signed one-year tenders Monday.Indy has re-signed six of 15 unrestricted free agents https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jeremiah-George-Jersey , with receiver Ryan Grant the only player heading out of town. He signed with Oakland two weeks ago.Meanwhile, Ballard added only two newcomers, former Carolina receiver Devin Funchess and former Kansas City pass-rusher Justin Houston. Funchess gives Indy a bigger downfield threat. Houston brings a veteran presence to a young defense that improved dramatically under first-year coordinator Matt Eberflus.“With me doing a little bit of pass rushing, hopefully he’ll help with how I use my hands, learning what moves to use here and what moves to use there,” All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard said. “Hopefully, I can stay in his back pocket and learn from him.”And now that the offseason is over, Luck can’t wait to see how much he can improve on the big stage.“I haven’t thrown at all,” Luck said. “I’ll have a plan. Again, I have learned so many things over the past couple of years and part of that is building a plan and adjusting within it based on how you feel. We will certainly use the resources in the building and some other folks that help. So that’s a big part of this offseason as well.”