{"Id":"5926f979-9092-4970-90c8-af3f015a9994","Title":"Golden: Even in a loss, battle-tested Sam Ehlinger proves he belongs on the NFL stage","Slug":"golden-even-in-a-loss-battle-tested-sam-ehlinger-p","Description":"INDIANAPOLIS — Sam Ehlinger’s first NFL start Sunday didn’t end in storybook fashion, but the 65,000-plus at Lucas Oil Stadium left knowing their young quarterback can handle this calling.\nWith the obstacles he has overcome in his 24 years, Ehlinger ain’t running scared.\n“With the first start, you never really know what to expect until you’re in there and the live bullets are coming,” Ehlinger said. \"I think now I know what it feels like to play a regular-season game. I think there is a lot of potential for growth. That much I’m excited about.”\nThe Indianapolis Colts lost 17-16 to the Washington Commanders after leading by nine points late, but their new quarterback showed that he's up to the challenge, despite a costly fumble in the third quarter and an uncharacteristic late drop from star wideout Michael Pittman.\nAt 3-4-1, the Colts aren’t scaring anybody after benching potential Hall of Fame quarterback Matt Ryan, but Ehlinger’s performance provided proof that this team will be no pushover. The Texas ex made a habit of getting wins in the 512, and he sounded like the same confident cat who was part of four winning seasons and four bowl wins here. His final numbers — 201 yards passing on 17-for-23 marksmanship — would have been better had he not been victimized by a couple of drops, particularly Pittman’s, which would have put the Colts close to a winning field-goal attempt.\nWorse yet, coach Frank Reich, normally an aggressive play-caller, went conservative and kicked field goals on fourth-and-3 from the Washington 21 and fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line.\n\nEven with the loss, he was complimentary of his young charge.\n“Sam looked really good,” he said, adding that this moment isn’t too big for the NFL sophomore.\u00A0\nEhlinger belongs here. He was completely in his element from the first snap and showed no signs of backing down against one of the league's most athletic defenses. Plus, he has that all-important leadership gene. The veterans were noticeably shocked at veteran Matt Ryan’s demotion but didn’t take out any frustrations on the new starter.\u00A0\n“He’s very poised,” offensive lineman Ryan Kelly told me. “We had a couple of three-and-outs early in the game, and he came over to us on the bench and told us it’s going to be OK.”\n\nEhlinger has this thing that’s difficult to put it into words.\nHe isn’t a sprinter. He doesn’t possess a bazooka for an arm. At 6 feet 2, he isn’t as tall as most quarterbacks these days.\u00A0\nBut you look up, and he’s making things happen — from the day when the third grader announced to his class at Cedar Creek Elementary and later to parents Ross and Jena that he was going to be an NFL quarterback just like idols Drew Brees and Vince Young, to a successful four-year career at the University of Texas, to Sunday, when he became the eighth Longhorn to start at quarterback in an NFL game.\nDon’t bet against Ehlinger because he will take your chips and fill his pockets with the same good-natured smile that made him a favorite of Longhorn fans everywhere.\nHe’s a baby-faced assassin obsessed with becoming the answer at quarterback for the Colts, who have started 13 quarterbacks since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning left for Denver in 2010.\nOn a day when Manning was on hand with other franchise legends such as Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, receivers coach Reggie Wayne and Jeff Saturday to honor newest Ring of Honor inductee Tarik Glenn, the offense looked nothing like those juggernaut attacks that produced two Super Bowl appearances and a title, but there were moments when one could see the potential.\u00A0\nEhlinger was sacked twice but showed good elusiveness to keep plays alive. He was ready for this, and while there were rookie mistakes, it was nothing that he can’t correct.\nEven when he was running third string behind Ryan and Nick Foles, Ehlinger was always a worker bee, preparing himself to be the starter though he wasn’t first on the depth chart. When starter Shane Buechele went down his freshman year at Texas, Ehlinger was ready for his first start at USC, and he came within one stop in regulation of toppling Sam Darnold and Co.\u00A0\n\nSo when Reich informed him he would be replacing a possible Hall of Famer, Ehlinger didn’t panic because he had already been putting in the work.\n“Regardless of when the opportunity was going to come, I was going to be ready, and that's alleviated a lot of the stress,” he told reporters earlier in the week. “I mean, I can’t imagine if I weren’t preparing the way that I was and it’s like, 'Hey, you’re up.’ ”\nAfter the QBs were told of the move this week, Ryan told Ehlinger, \"I've got your back, no matter what happens.\"\nHe’s a pro’s pro, and Ehlinger will benefit from his experience.\nThe chance of him starting this soon seemed remote this time last season, but a great preseason that included 289 passing yards, four touchdowns and a 45-yard scoring run showed playmaking potential that got the attention of Reich, GM Chris Ballard and especially owner Jim Irsay.\nReich said Ehlinger has “that special sauce” that makes him an intriguing option at the position.\u00A0\nThey met for an hour after the Tennessee game and made the decision to go with the young quarterback.\n\nOpportunity knocks\nJena Ehlinger and her fiance, Currin Van Eman, were in a Nashville hotel room one day after the Titans laid a terrific beating on the aging Ryan in a 19-10 Indy loss Oct 23. A lawyer friend had asked Jena to speak to the Attorney General Alliance on the dangers of fentanyl, the drug that combined with Xanax to claim the life of her 20-year-old son, Jake, a Texas linebacker, due to an overdose in 2021.\nAs opioids terrorize the country, claiming countless lives, young and old, Jena and Sam have joined the fight. \u00A0\nJake Ehlinger, a gregarious sort, was younger than Sam but was his de facto bodyguard.\n\n“Nobody would mess with Sam if Jake was around,” Jena said. “He had no fear. He made Sam look like a chicken.”\nJake’s death rocked Jena, Sam and daughter/sister Morgen to their core. They had already endured the loss of husband/dad Ross Ehlinger, who died while competing in a triathlon in 2013, Sam’s eighth grade year.\u00A0\nNow Jake, the family’s life of the party, was gone in a flash.\nSam’s success in college — he finished with a 27-16 record and was part of four bowl wins — was a welcome piece of good news after his father’s death, and now his NFL dream and the family’s faith were the two pillars holding everything together.\n\nSo when Jena looked down and saw “Sam” alit on her cellphone, her mother’s instincts took over.\nWas there something wrong?\nWhy was Sam calling in the morning? He never calls in the morning because of his busy schedule.\nShe picked up.\n“Hey, we were just about to have a quick prayer before this meeting,” she said.\n“You better say another for me,” he said. “I’m starting next week.”\nFaith, family and football\nThe Ehlinger clan is bound by a strong path. They’ve experienced tragedy, triumph and even more tragedy, but it’s been all smiles lately because the oldest boy is now the 24-year-old starting quarterback for the Colts.\nEhlinger didn’t see this coming in June when he married fellow Texas ex Cami Jo DiGiovanni atop a mountain in Aspen, but his career has taken a huge step along with life changes.\u00A0\nSam, Jena and Morgen miss Ross and Jake, but Jena believes they have the best seat in the house as Sam takes aim at a long NFL career.\n“I just see those two together\u00A0with thousands of their friends up there celebrating like crazy and screaming, ‘Look at our boy,’ ” she said. “There was no one prouder and more protective of Sam than Jake. I can assure you he is over the moon.”\nJena said she doesn’t envision ever moving to Indianapolis, as many mothers of young players have done over the years, but she isn’t against spending more time in Indy.\n“I joke with Cami Jo’s mom all the time,” she said. “I tell them we need a plane and we need an apartment.”\nIf Ehlinger gets to that second contract, why not a house?\nAs the biggest professional challenge of his life beckons, Ehlinger is poised to meet it head on even if things are happening a mile a minute.\n“I think it’s an unbelievable experience and opportunity, and I’m very thankful,” he said.\u00A0 “I haven’t really taken a moment to take it all in because I’m so focused on getting better and doing what I can to help this team be successful on a daily basis, but I’m humbled and very grateful.”\nGrateful, motivated and oh so ready for this.","DescriptionHtml":"INDIANAPOLIS — Sam Ehlinger’s first NFL start Sunday didn’t end in storybook fashion, but the 65,000-plus at Lucas Oil Stadium left knowing their young quarterback can handle this calling.\nWith the obstacles he has overcome in his 24 years, Ehlinger ain’t running scared.\n“With the first start, you never really know what to expect until you’re in there and the live bullets are coming,” Ehlinger said. \"I think now I know what it feels like to play a regular-season game. I think there is a lot of potential for growth. That much I’m excited about.”\nThe Indianapolis Colts lost 17-16 to the Washington Commanders after leading by nine points late, but their new quarterback showed that he's up to the challenge, despite a costly fumble in the third quarter and an uncharacteristic late drop from star wideout Michael Pittman.\nAt 3-4-1, the Colts aren’t scaring anybody after benching potential Hall of Fame quarterback Matt Ryan, but Ehlinger’s performance provided proof that this team will be no pushover. The Texas ex made a habit of getting wins in the 512, and he sounded like the same confident cat who was part of four winning seasons and four bowl wins here. His final numbers — 201 yards passing on 17-for-23 marksmanship — would have been better had he not been victimized by a couple of drops, particularly Pittman’s, which would have put the Colts close to a winning field-goal attempt.\nWorse yet, coach Frank Reich, normally an aggressive play-caller, went conservative and kicked field goals on fourth-and-3 from the Washington 21 and fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line.\n\nEven with the loss, he was complimentary of his young charge.\n“Sam looked really good,” he said, adding that this moment isn’t too big for the NFL sophomore.\u00A0\nEhlinger belongs here. He was completely in his element from the first snap and showed no signs of backing down against one of the league's most athletic defenses. Plus, he has that all-important leadership gene. The veterans were noticeably shocked at veteran Matt Ryan’s demotion but didn’t take out any frustrations on the new starter.\u00A0\n“He’s very poised,” offensive lineman Ryan Kelly told me. “We had a couple of three-and-outs early in the game, and he came over to us on the bench and told us it’s going to be OK.”\n\nEhlinger has this thing that’s difficult to put it into words.\nHe isn’t a sprinter. He doesn’t possess a bazooka for an arm. At 6 feet 2, he isn’t as tall as most quarterbacks these days.\u00A0\nBut you look up, and he’s making things happen — from the day when the third grader announced to his class at Cedar Creek Elementary and later to parents Ross and Jena that he was going to be an NFL quarterback just like idols Drew Brees and Vince Young, to a successful four-year career at the University of Texas, to Sunday, when he became the eighth Longhorn to start at quarterback in an NFL game.\nDon’t bet against Ehlinger because he will take your chips and fill his pockets with the same good-natured smile that made him a favorite of Longhorn fans everywhere.\nHe’s a baby-faced assassin obsessed with becoming the answer at quarterback for the Colts, who have started 13 quarterbacks since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning left for Denver in 2010.\nOn a day when Manning was on hand with other franchise legends such as Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, receivers coach Reggie Wayne and Jeff Saturday to honor newest Ring of Honor inductee Tarik Glenn, the offense looked nothing like those juggernaut attacks that produced two Super Bowl appearances and a title, but there were moments when one could see the potential.\u00A0\nEhlinger was sacked twice but showed good elusiveness to keep plays alive. He was ready for this, and while there were rookie mistakes, it was nothing that he can’t correct.\nEven when he was running third string behind Ryan and Nick Foles, Ehlinger was always a worker bee, preparing himself to be the starter though he wasn’t first on the depth chart. When starter Shane Buechele went down his freshman year at Texas, Ehlinger was ready for his first start at USC, and he came within one stop in regulation of toppling Sam Darnold and Co.\u00A0\n\nSo when Reich informed him he would be replacing a possible Hall of Famer, Ehlinger didn’t panic because he had already been putting in the work.\n“Regardless of when the opportunity was going to come, I was going to be ready, and that's alleviated a lot of the stress,” he told reporters earlier in the week. “I mean, I can’t imagine if I weren’t preparing the way that I was and it’s like, 'Hey, you’re up.’ ”\nAfter the QBs were told of the move this week, Ryan told Ehlinger, \"I've got your back, no matter what happens.\"\nHe’s a pro’s pro, and Ehlinger will benefit from his experience.\nThe chance of him starting this soon seemed remote this time last season, but a great preseason that included 289 passing yards, four touchdowns and a 45-yard scoring run showed playmaking potential that got the attention of Reich, GM Chris Ballard and especially owner Jim Irsay.\nReich said Ehlinger has “that special sauce” that makes him an intriguing option at the position.\u00A0\nThey met for an hour after the Tennessee game and made the decision to go with the young quarterback.\n\nOpportunity knocks\nJena Ehlinger and her fiance, Currin Van Eman, were in a Nashville hotel room one day after the Titans laid a terrific beating on the aging Ryan in a 19-10 Indy loss Oct 23. A lawyer friend had asked Jena to speak to the Attorney General Alliance on the dangers of fentanyl, the drug that combined with Xanax to claim the life of her 20-year-old son, Jake, a Texas linebacker, due to an overdose in 2021.\nAs opioids terrorize the country, claiming countless lives, young and old, Jena and Sam have joined the fight. \u00A0\nJake Ehlinger, a gregarious sort, was younger than Sam but was his de facto bodyguard.\n\n“Nobody would mess with Sam if Jake was around,” Jena said. “He had no fear. He made Sam look like a chicken.”\nJake’s death rocked Jena, Sam and daughter/sister Morgen to their core. They had already endured the loss of husband/dad Ross Ehlinger, who died while competing in a triathlon in 2013, Sam’s eighth grade year.\u00A0\nNow Jake, the family’s life of the party, was gone in a flash.\nSam’s success in college — he finished with a 27-16 record and was part of four bowl wins — was a welcome piece of good news after his father’s death, and now his NFL dream and the family’s faith were the two pillars holding everything together.\n\nSo when Jena looked down and saw “Sam” alit on her cellphone, her mother’s instincts took over.\nWas there something wrong?\nWhy was Sam calling in the morning? He never calls in the morning because of his busy schedule.\nShe picked up.\n“Hey, we were just about to have a quick prayer before this meeting,” she said.\n“You better say another for me,” he said. “I’m starting next week.”\nFaith, family and football\nThe Ehlinger clan is bound by a strong path. They’ve experienced tragedy, triumph and even more tragedy, but it’s been all smiles lately because the oldest boy is now the 24-year-old starting quarterback for the Colts.\nEhlinger didn’t see this coming in June when he married fellow Texas ex Cami Jo DiGiovanni atop a mountain in Aspen, but his career has taken a huge step along with life changes.\u00A0\nSam, Jena and Morgen miss Ross and Jake, but Jena believes they have the best seat in the house as Sam takes aim at a long NFL career.\n“I just see those two together\u00A0with thousands of their friends up there celebrating like crazy and screaming, ‘Look at our boy,’ ” she said. “There was no one prouder and more protective of Sam than Jake. I can assure you he is over the moon.”\nJena said she doesn’t envision ever moving to Indianapolis, as many mothers of young players have done over the years, but she isn’t against spending more time in Indy.\n“I joke with Cami Jo’s mom all the time,” she said. “I tell them we need a plane and we need an apartment.”\nIf Ehlinger gets to that second contract, why not a house?\nAs the biggest professional challenge of his life beckons, Ehlinger is poised to meet it head on even if things are happening a mile a minute.\n“I think it’s an unbelievable experience and opportunity, and I’m very thankful,” he said.\u00A0 “I haven’t really taken a moment to take it all in because I’m so focused on getting better and doing what I can to help this team be successful on a daily basis, but I’m humbled and very grateful.”\nGrateful, motivated and oh so ready for this.","Summary":null,"Tags":[],"TranscriptUrl":null,"HasPublishedTranscript":false,"Season":null,"Episode":null,"EpisodeType":"Full","ImageUrl":"https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/a858b0a5-e5e6-4a14-9717-a70b010facc1/1eed8189-4240-4ad0-bfbc-ab5d0156e0c2/5926f979-9092-4970-90c8-af3f015a9994/image.jpg?t=1654626072&size=Medium","AudioUrl":"https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/a858b0a5-e5e6-4a14-9717-a70b010facc1/1eed8189-4240-4ad0-bfbc-ab5d0156e0c2/5926f979-9092-4970-90c8-af3f015a9994/audio.mp3","WaveformUrl":"https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/a858b0a5-e5e6-4a14-9717-a70b010facc1/1eed8189-4240-4ad0-bfbc-ab5d0156e0c2/5926f979-9092-4970-90c8-af3f015a9994/waveform?t=1667250584&token=S3mxhfYvf7vZy0DwQCK5abFU7OMKF4Ag","VideoUrl":null,"EmbedUrl":"https://omny.fm/shows/hear-this-story/golden-even-in-a-loss-battle-tested-sam-ehlinger-p/embed","DurationSeconds":577.411,"PublishState":"Published","PublishedUrl":"https://omny.fm/shows/hear-this-story/golden-even-in-a-loss-battle-tested-sam-ehlinger-p","Visibility":"Public","PublishedUtc":"2022-10-31T21:10:46.867Z","PlaylistIds":[],"Chapters":[],"State":"Ready","ShareUrl":null,"RssLinkOverride":null,"ImportedId":null,"Monetization":{"PreRoll":false,"PostRoll":false,"MidRolls":[]},"AdMarkers":[],"HasPreRollVideoAd":false,"RecordingMetadata":null,"PublishedAudioSizeInBytes":9245401,"ContentRating":"Unrated","AudioOptions":{"IncludeIntroOutro":false,"AutoLevelAudio":false},"ExternalId":"69604845007","CustomFieldData":{"textbodycount":"8458","gan-contentsourcecode":"NAAS","gan-content-protection-state":"premium"},"MediaUrls":{"AudioUrl":"https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/a858b0a5-e5e6-4a14-9717-a70b010facc1/1eed8189-4240-4ad0-bfbc-ab5d0156e0c2/5926f979-9092-4970-90c8-af3f015a9994/audio.mp3","VideoUrl":null},"ProgramId":"1eed8189-4240-4ad0-bfbc-ab5d0156e0c2","ProgramSlug":"hear-this-story","OrganizationId":"a858b0a5-e5e6-4a14-9717-a70b010facc1","ModifiedAtUtc":"2022-10-31T21:10:46.867Z"}