Dewey McDonald ran on to the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday pretty relaxed for a guy making his NFL debut.

The nerves came the night before as he prepared to make his debut. Thinking about getting on the field created more nerves than actually getting on the field.

It’s nothing new, though, for the Jefferson High graduate and Ranson native.

“For me, I’m always nervous the night before, watching film and getting ready for the game. Once the day gets here, I’m pretty much relaxed,” McDonald said. “You don’t have time to think twice about anything. If you’re not playing fast in the NFL, you’re playing from behind. You don’t have time to second-guess yourself.”

Though the nerves didn’t get to him, the excitement was there as McDonald took in the atmosphere at the the Colts’ stadium, one much different from the preseason games he participated in.

“It was exciting,” McDonald said. “It was a definitely a different environment from the preseason. It was a great atmosphere.”

That environment included a packed house full of rabid Indianapolis fans, who watched the Colts defeat the Baltimore Ravens 20-13.

“Lucas Oil, they’re definitely the best fans from what I’ve seen so far,” McDonald said. “No matter how we’re playing, the fans are behind us. It was loud at the beginning and got even louder once they closed the roof.”

McDonald, who was put on Indy’s 53-man roster last Monday, got in on the action on Sunday with a pair of tackles on special teams. He was pretty pleased with his debut.

“I definitely think I had a great start, and there’s definitely things I can build upon,” he said. “Overall, I had a good first game, but there’s definitely tons of room for improvement.”

One things McDonald can be sure of is that he has the support of the Eastern Panhandle, something he thinks about as he’s playing.

“Obviously, it comes with a platform,” he said. “That’s just more motivation to work harder and perform harder, knowing not only that you’re being watched by your bosses, but that everyone back home is watching.”