“Just let last year be last year,” Clark said. “Every year is a new year. There are new challenges. There are new things that happen, different things that happen. Last year is last year. Just clear the slate.
“That's what I've always tried to do, never think, 'Oh, I have to do that again.' I just have to do my job, get better each day in practice and just keep focused, give it everything I have and keep focused from there.”
A few years back, Colts WR Reggie Wayne took a similar approach. After statistically improving every year from 2001-2007, he followed his first 100-reception season – 105 yards, 1,5010 yards and 10 touchdowns – with an 82-reception, 1,145-yard, six-touchdown season. Wayne said entering that season while he had had a goal of statistically improving throughout his career, he said at some point inprovement becomes possible without a numerical measure.
“That's exactly it,” Clark said. “If I don't reach 100 catches, some people might say, 'Oh, he's down this year. He didn't have a good year.' That might be the case, but I could improve in run blocking. There are so many other things. There are things you can't calculate into statistics.
“There are so many things that are part of the game. Stats are good, and they're a way to compare, but as players it's more than numbers, really.”
When discussing Clark late during OTAs, Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said the same thing: “He does a lot for us – even, sometimes, without the ball in his hand. Sometimes, the most critical things he does are without the ball, in terms of his pass-blocking and his run-blocking. He's an exceptional route-runner, and as a big-play guy, he has just been outstanding for us.”
Caldwell also said something that has been evident to anyone who has watched Clark in the last few seasons, that whatever the statistics this season he is likely to improve and contribute. The Colts in the last decade have been one of the NFL's elite teams for many reasons, chief among them QB Peyton Manning. But they also have excelled because of a group of core veterans who have been notable for their commitment to improving and winning, and because of that, they have become the team's core. Manning is one such player. Wayne is another. C Jeff Saturday, LB Gary Brackett and others are, too, but Clark certainly is such a player.
That's not the only reason it's safe to assume he'll improve. That's safe to assume because he has done so throughout his career, and because he is still very much in his prime. Because of that, barring injury, it's safe to assume that on some level, the Colts will be as strong or stronger at tight end than during the 2009 season.
And that's true whether or not the No. 1 player at the spot catches more passes than he did last season.
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