Jason Pociask and Nate Tripp have been Indianapolis Colts fans since they met in the fourth grade in Plainfield, Ind.

Tripp watched his friend build his body to play football. Pociask hit the weights every day, Tripp said, from junior high on.

After college at Wisconsin, the tight end was drafted in the fifth round by the New York Jets in 2006. Pociask had stints with New England and Tampa Bay. Each time Pociask (pronounced poh-zi-ak) returned to Hendricks County, Tripp showed off a garage decked out in Colts items and talked trash about his friend’s employers.

That conversation changed last week, when Pociask was signed to the Colts’ practice squad.

“We grew up watching Peyton Manning,” Tripp said. “Now he’s playing with him.”

Actually, it’s just practice, the low-key Pociask quickly reminds. The life of a practice-squad player can change daily. One day a player has a job, the next he could be sent home to wait for the phone to ring.

The Colts are down a tight end with Tom Santi injured. It’s unknown when Santi will be back or if Pociask will get signed to the active roster.

“Opening week, your goal is to be on a roster. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to accomplish that, but what better place to be?” said Pociask, 26.

“To have an opportunity to work your way up on a team you grew up watching, and all your friends and family love them, it’s a good place to be.”

Tripp and 8-year-old stepson Gage sat with Pociask’s father, Mike, in the front row at Lucas Oil Stadium for Sunday’s 14-12 Colts victory over Jacksonville. Pociask watched from the sideline with the other practice squad players.

“All you’ve got to do is sit there with the sun on your face, the jets flying overhead and see him standing there,” his father said. “It was a singular, unique moment.”

Mike Pociask, an engineer for 33 years, still lives in Plainfield. An offensive lineman when he played college ball at Evansville, he’s proud of how hard his 6-2, 259-pound son works, especially on blocking, and how he has practiced with the NFL’s best, including Brett Favre in New York.

“You think about the players he’s worked with and who he’s walking out on the field with, Peyton Manning and Dwight Freeney, and you can’t help but be excited for him to be around them,” Mike Pociask said.

After the game, the Pociasks and Tripp met in the players’ family room. They saw Colts up close, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, center Jeff Saturday, running back Joseph Addai and cornerback Marlin Jackson.

“That was awesome. My son was so excited,” Tripp said.

The Pociasks aren’t much for sentimental conversation. They talked about the ideal stadium facilities and about the game.

Mike Pociask reiterates what his son keeps telling excited callers.

“He’s on a mission,” his father said. “That’s forefront.”

If Jason Pociask can stay with the Colts for a while, he might relocate to Plainfield from his temporary housing in Indianapolis. Although his parents are divorced, his mother still has an empty home there.

“Free rent, right?” he said.

If this proves to be a temporary job, he will keep hitting the weights and working up a sweat in search of that roster spot.

“If it lasts a week,” he said, “it’s still cool to be here.”