Coming off a tumultuous season and offseason for Colts fans, rebuilding the support that has followed the team for years was going to be key.
Those attempts reached Muncie on Tuesday when the 2012 Colts Tailgate Tour made a stop at AAA Hoosier Insurance to give fans the opportunity to meet and greet with players and a Colts cheerleader.
Cornerback Jerraud Powers and offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo signed autographs on memorabilia and took pictures with fans at the event.
Powers said these efforts are important for the players to give back to the communities that support them.
"Any time you can give back to the fans and show that you appreciate what they do," Powers said. "It's not just us out there playing. ... They do a lot for us."
The Colts lost Peyton Manning in the offseason and are welcoming a new coaching staff and some upper level management. All of this comes after an unexpected 2-14 season that shocked the fan base but Castonzo said fan events aren't necessary to keep support up for the team, just to give back.
"We almost don't even have to do this to keep support up," Castonzo said. "It's more just to show how much we appreciate the support regardless of a season like last year. It's more just to say thank you to the fans and we know they are going to support us no matter what."
Fans were also able to enter drawings for free tickets and enter an exhibit that allowed fans to experience different aspects of the Colts and field turf.
Wesley Worthen, a diehard Colts fan from Houston, said he was just leaving the city after visiting family in Muncie when he saw the tour.
"I think an event like this is important because if they had things like this when I was growing up for our teams, I would have loved it and I know my son is like, 'Wow, this is great,'" he said.
Worthen said he didn't think the tour really helps the team's publicity too much because of the exposure they already get.
Muncie resident Jo Tuite, who attended with her daughter, said after the offseason changes the team has to show something to the fans who are upset.
"I think they have got to do a lot of [public relations] right now," Tuite said. "Well, there are some fans that completely understand the decisions that were made this year with all of the cleaning house but there are other who are very unhappy like myself."
Fans in line were relieved to only have to wait a few minutes before they had an opportunity to interact with the players.
"I did not expect at all to be able to just walk right up and we were like the second person in line for autographs," Tuite said.
Tuite said she was just driving by when her daughter noticed what was going on and decided to stop by.
Now the next step for Powers is to get the season started with the new staff.
"I'm more excited for the fans to see how the new coaches and stuff are going to act rather than all the players," he said. "They're a great group together and they're going to bring a lot of excitement to the organization."
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