The NFL moves fast, even in the off-season. And with rookie mini-camp over, and with organized team activities fast approaching, we're suddenly in the middle of the Indianapolis Colts' 2010 off-season. Before the beginning of OTAs in mid-May, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will take a look at the Colts' roster now that the draft and collegiate free-agency is over.
We move to tight end in Indy Football Report's pre-organized team activities look at the Indianapolis Colts' roster, and at first glance, it would appear little there has changed.
But that's only true if the first glance is at the high-profile part of the position.
Because while it's true that TE Dallas Clark remains the main weapon at the position – and one of the most integral players in the Colts' offense – it's equally true that at the other tight end position, tight end/H-Back, there has been significant change.
Those changes could be critical in critical situations throughout the season.
But we'll start with Clark, and we'll do so with a word about how Clark has helped change the dynamic of the Colts' offense throughout his career.
Remember? In 2003?
That was when the Colts used a first-round selection on Clark, then a relatively little-known tight end from the University of Iowa. At the time, the reaction to the selection among fans was somewhat similar to the reaction two seasons before, when the Colts selected WR Reggie Wayne.
At the time, in 2001, Wayne seemed a luxury on a team that needed defense, and in 2003 the same was true of Clark. The Colts at the time already had one of the league's better receiving tight ends, the popular, professional Marcus Pollard.
As has been the case with Wayne, the selection of Clark has proven to be more than a solid pick.
Rather, it's one of those selections without which it's hard to imagine the Colts' consistent success over the last half decade.
Clark made immediate impact, and along with Pollard, for two seasons gave the Colts perhaps the NFL's best tight-end combination. For those two seasons, the Colts continued an offensive approach they had used for several years before, a two-tight end set with two capable receivers.
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