Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian: TE Dallas Clark should be a Pro Bowl player

Indianapolis Colts TE Dallas Clark
Tom Gannam/AP Photo

Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser examines what Colts President Bill Polian had to say on his weekly radio show Monday evening following a 42-6 victory over the St. Louis Rams Sunday. (PART TWO OF TWO PARTS/PART ONE HERE) . . .

Dallas Clark in seven NFL seasons has been one of the Indianapolis Colts' top offensive players, and a huge reason for their success. What he never has been is a Pro Bowl player.

Colts President Bill Polian said that needs to change.

Clark, who has caught 38 passes for 485 yards and three touchdowns this season, had a 27-yard touchdown reception in the Colts' 42-6 victory over the St. Louis Rams. It was the sort of play Polian said Clark has made almost routine during his NFL career, and on his weekly radio show Monday, Polian said Clark should make the first Pro Bowl appearance of his seven-year career.

“If he doesn't go to the Pro Bowl, we'll have to have an investigation,” Polian said with a laugh on his radio show on 97.1 Hank FM in Indianapolis. “We'll have to get the Supreme Court involved like Bush v. Gore or something. The bottom line is the balloting I'm told began Monday on NFL.com, so vote early and often for No. 44, Dallas Clark.

“He deserves it among many others, but he's the most deserving because of all of our great players he's the only one who has not gone.”

Polian on Monday also discussed:

*The Colts' offensive line, which has allowed just two sacks this season: “We've given up two sacks and our opponents have given up 15, I believe. That's a ratio that is a hidden statistic but an exceedingly, exceedingly important one. (Hall of Fame Head Coach) Marv Levy used to believe and still does that the most important statistic in football after the turnover ratio – which is the most important – is average yards per pass attempt. Obviously, you subtract sack yardage from average yards per pass attempt. When you have 15 sacks, you're driving your opponent's yards per pass attempt way down. I think our opponents are right around nine yards per pass attempt, which is a pretty impressive statistic. We're doing fine statistically, and the results speak for themselves on the field. We're doing a great job protecting and we're doing a good job rushing.”

*The Colts' defense, which has allowed no touchdowns in the last two games: “We've been very good at that really for the past six or seven years. A lot has been made about rushing yardage and things of that nature, but we've been very good in scoring defense and we continue to be. As Mike Murphy, our linebackers coach, is fond of saying, 'There's only one statistic that counts and that's the number of points you give up.' He's right. We're doing well in that category. As a result, our record is what it is.”

*The Colts' depth: “We try very hard every year to build a 53-man team. That means that we have 53 guys who can step in and contribute at a moment's notice at a high level and win in the National Football League. That's a lofty ambition and you don't often get 53. In the best of years, you might get to 48, 49. If you have an extraordinary year, you might get to 50. The bottom line is we try to do that because we recognize that over the course of a 16-game season hopefully some more in the playoffs you're going to need every one of those players. People get injured in this game – sometimes at a frightening rate. You're going to have to have backup players who can step in and do a good job. The best example I can give you is in the Tennessee game Tony Ugoh had to step in and play left tackle because Charlie Johnson was out. Tony turned his ankle midway through the third quarter and Dan Federkeil – who was our last dressed offensive lineman – had to come in off the bench and play the rest of the way. He did a terrific job. So, don't worry about the fact that we have too many players at a position or too much depth at a position. You can never have too much depth in the National Football League.”

*Where the Colts are deep this season: “We're very deep at the receiver position. No two ways about that. We're quite deep in the defensive backfield, although we didn't think that was the case. The fact that the rookies have come on and played so well has made it a fact. We're pretty deep at running back, I think. We're good in the offensive line. We're OK in the defensive line. We're a little less deep than we'd like at linebacker. So, things change from week to week because of the injury situation. You can sit here today and say, 'This position looks pretty good and a week from today it won't look so good.'I'm very loathe to go ahead and count my chickens because you never know what can happen, but the whole idea is to try to build as deep a team as you can because you know without question that those fellows are going to be needed before it's all over.”

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*** COLTS 42, RAMS 6. INDY FOOTBALL REPORT EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S GAME STORY. HERE

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Magnificent Seven II: On the Colts' defensive tackle position and WR Reggie Wayne

Magnificent Seven III: On the Colts' running backs and offensive line

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Magnificent Seven VII: On WR Reggie Wayne, the OL and blitzing