Written by Stephen Holder at IndianapolisStar.com
Football is, above all, a business.
That would make Dwayne Allen a commodity as much as a football player. And at the end of last season, Allen’s perception was that he was not one the Indianapolis Colts were likely to re-invest in.
“At the end of the year, it was one of those things where, we were losing, I wasn’t being used and I felt like I was the only one who felt like that was a problem,” Allen said Tuesday. “When you have that, it gives you the feeling that you are not wanted and you don’t belong.
“But, of course, with their offer, they said otherwise.”
Allen’s refreshingly honest comments came a day after he and the Colts agreed to a four-year, $29 million deal that keeps the tight end in Indianapolis just a day before he was to hit the free-agent market.
The Colts, he said, had made their wishes known. They wanted to keep him, he was told, but the evidence – in the form of an offer – was slow to come.
“The interest was talked about but an offer didn’t come until the last couple of days or so,” Allen said. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did field calls from other teams on Monday – impending free agents were allowed to contact outside clubs beginning Monday afternoon – and the interest seemed to be there. But once Allen and the Colts realized they could get what they desired, there was no point in continuing down that road, Allen said.
“Ultimately,” he said, “we came to a conclusion that, No. 1, I wanted to be in Indianapolis and, No. 2, they wanted me here.”
Now, it’s time to look forward. A few things need to change if this is going to work out for both parties. For one, the Colts have to find a way to get Allen more involved in their offense. His absence as a featured piece last season was basically malpractice, Allen was limited mostly to a blocking role despite his pass-catching ability. He was targeted a mystifyingly low 29 times, catching 16 passes for 109 yards. Compare that with his rookie season in 2012, when he was targeted 66 times and caught 45 passes.
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