Dwayne Allen Comments on Matt Hasselbeck, Colts Offense vs. Jaguars

Dwayne Allen believes he’s one of the most dominant tight ends in football, and he wants an increased role in the Indianapolis Colts’ struggling offense.  

"When I'm on the field, I am a dominant tight end both blocking and receiving," he told the Indianapolis Star's Stephen Holder on Monday.   

Allen, who's been sidelined the last two weeks with a sprained ankle, had just three catches in the first two games and pinned his lack of production on a lack of distribution from quarterback Andrew Luck.

Colts backup QB Matt Hasselbeck, playing in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars while Luck recovers from a shoulder injury, targeted tight end Coby Fleener 12 times, which translated to nine catches for 83 yards and the Colts’ only touchdown.    

Allen told Holder he liked what he saw from the veteran backup: “That’s what we need, the ball finding all of our playmakers’ hands. I think having Matt out there this Sunday and seeing the way he distributed the ball, it was a step in the right direction.”

	Passing	Running	Scoring	Record
2012	7th	22nd	18th	11-5
2013	17th	21st	15th	11-5
2014	1st	22nd	6th	11-5
2015	12th	26th	26th	2-2

The Colts have reached the playoffs in all three years under Luck and were among preseason Super Bowl favorites because of their dynamic offense. Indianapolis was first in passing offense and third overall in 2014 but hasn't found its groove yet this year. The Colts rank 18th in overall offense, and Luck is tied with Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie QB Jameis Winston for the league lead in interceptions with seven. 

Allen said the early woes stem from a misguided offensive identity.

“We have all these pieces,” Allen told Holder. “It's like, what are we? Are we a running team? Are we a passing team? Who are the (primary) options? We're starting to figure out who those guys are and the ball is starting to find those guys."

Allen, 25, is in the final season of his rookie contract, and recent injuries, a lack of production and a reliable tight end option in Fleener all point to an uncertain future in Indy—as does a finger-pointing presence in the locker room.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted in regard to Allen's claim of dominance: “Saying that isn’t going to get him paid like a dominant tight end. Saying anything that undermines the team’s effort to win games no matter the stats won’t do that, either.”

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

The Colts have a short week to right the ship, as they head to Houston for an AFC South showdown with the Texans on Thursday night. Luck, who missed his first career game on Sunday, and Allen, who practiced all of last week but was eventually ruled out, are both expected to play.