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Colts GM Chris
Ballard has regularly stated that his philosophy is that you build teams
through the draft. That makes this time of year critical to the Colts’ long
term success. So in the lead up to this year’s draft, I wanted to do something
to honor some of the meaningful draft picks that the Colts have made in their
time in Indianapolis. These players have helped to tell the story of the Colts
franchise we love. Every day leading up to the draft, we’ll drop a story about
a different player from Indianapolis Colts draft history.
Today we’re talking about the Colts’ most prolific all
around tight end, Dallas Clark. Drafted 24th overall in the 2003 NFL
Draft, Clark was the unsung hero of a star-studded offense. His nine seasons in
Indianapolis saw him rack up 46 receiving touchdowns, the most of any Colts
tight end.
What’s more, Clark really turned it on in the postseason.
He ranks 2nd behind only Reggie Wayne in both postseason receiving
yards and touchdowns for the Colts with 847 yards and 4 touchdowns. In the most
important games of the year, Clark was a major factor.
Despite making just
one Pro Bowl and one First-Team All-Pro, Clark was a legitimate
threat and a well-rounded player who added a dynamic to the offense that was
needed to both take pressure off of Manning and help eliminate the need for
Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison to carry the passing game.
While we think of
the tight end position now as being a clear part of the passing game, Clark was among an age of
evolution at the position and helped to redefine how it could be used. In his
best season, he had 1,106 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, but even
when his time in Indy ended, he remained a productive player for two more
seasons.
His short stints in
Tampa Bay and Baltimore yielded similar production, and he retired ahead of the
2014 season, signing a one-day contract with the Colts so that he could retire
wearing the horseshoe.
Clark helped the Colts to a Super Bowl win, and
became a fan favorite along the way.
What’s your favorite
Dallas Clark memory?