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Dwayne Allen hopes to be the man at tight end for Indianapolis Colts

By The Sports Xchange
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) shakes hands with Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen (83) after the Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 in AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on January 18, 2015. The Patriots will advance take on the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona on February 1, 2015. Photo by Matthew Healey/ UPI
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) shakes hands with Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen (83) after the Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 in AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on January 18, 2015. The Patriots will advance take on the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona on February 1, 2015. Photo by Matthew Healey/ UPI | License Photo

INDIANAPOLIS -- Dwayne Allen admits that he was somewhat surprised that, one, the Indianapolis Colts decided to re-sign him over fellow 2012 draft pick Coby Fleener, and, two, how quickly that a new contract deal came together.

"That's certainly the biggest change from last year, having that uncertainty behind me," Allen said before the start of Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice.

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Did the questions concerning his future with Indianapolis bother the 6-foot-3, 265-pound tight end as last season played itself out?

"Yeah it did. It did bother me. I am sure it would bother anyone who would be facing the last year of their contract. For those guys who may be facing the last year of their contract, I'd tell them to do the right things, like put your head down and keep grinding and it will work out somewhere," he explained.

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"(I) was surprised how quickly (a deal got done). I am very confident in my ability to play the tight-end position. That's the way I've always been. But I was surprised at how quickly things unfolded once free agency started."

It took a couple of negotiating sessions for a deal to be completed.

"There was some negotiating that took place between different teams. But the Colts made it very clear that this is where they want me to be. And this is where I wanted to be," Allen said.

Fleener had been the Colts' second-round pick, behind No. 1 overall Andrew Luck, four years ago. He was taken one round ahead of Allen, who came into the National Football League with a pretty hefty chip on his shoulder.

First of all, Fleener had been the recipient of the John Mackey Award, which is given to the nation's top collegiate tight end. And he had been a college teammate of Luck at Stanford where they had been a very productive tandem during the 2011 season.

Allen, meanwhile, thought that he was the best tight end in college that year after a strong season at Clemson. He was bigger, faster and more athletic than Fleener.

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As it turned out, Fleener became the more productive of the two in Indianapolis. There were several reasons for the statistical disparity, though. Due to offensive line issues, Allen was used more as an in-line blocker. His pass-catching skills weren't fully utilized.

Also, Allen battled numerous injury issues for most of the past three seasons. He missed a lot of practice and playing time.

So when it came time to make a decision on who to bring back for 2016 and the immediate future, most observers figured Fleener would get the call. While not the complete package athletically that Allen is, his overall production within the framework of the offense was thought to be the deciding factor.

But that wasn't the case. Despite the injury issues, Indianapolis officials were intrigued by what they saw from Allen. They loved his overall makeup.

"I just think based on his body of work and what he brings to the table. You look around the league and he meets all the requirements that we are going to ask of our starting tight end," head coach Chuck Pagano said.

"He's one of the better blockers in the league. We know when healthy he can be a mismatch. He's a big-body guy that can make plays. He's going to be big for us in the red area. He's a starting tight end. He's a damn good tight end. That's why he's here."

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Colts coaches felt as if Allen had the biggest upside and wanted to see what they could do to make Allen the spotlight tight end in the Indianapolis offense.

"That's the tough thing in this business. You'd love to have them all back. But that just doesn't always work out," offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski explained.

Chudzinski, though, is known as a tight ends coach after having success with Kellen Winslow Jr. in Cleveland and Greg Olsen in Carolina. That could translate into big numbers for Allen.

"I think the versatility of him and Jack (Doyle), and you look at someone like Erik Swoope and some of the other young guys that we have there. All those things typically work themselves out in training camp," the Colts' assistant coach said.

"I see Dwayne as someone who could be a definite weapon for us. Again his versatility is the thing that makes him unique. He can do so many things well and that allows us to do some different things on offense."

So now, Dwayne Allen got his wish. He is the guy at tight end for Indianapolis.

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"Am I the guy? We have a lot of guys," Allen said with a smile. "I've always taken the same approach to work, I want to be the best tight end whenever Sept. 11 starts. I go out each day and try to get a little better knowing that my end goal isn't until September."

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