Colts' Dwayne Allen "can't stand the draft"

Every player eligible for the NFL Draft just wants to hear his name called and be given a chance to compete at the highest level of their sport. While some will consider it a dream no matter where they're drafted, some will come in with a chip on their shoulder due to where they were drafted at.

Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen falls into the latter category. Allen was an All American tight end at Clemson and was the winner of the John Mackey Award which is given to college football's top tight end. The draft advisory panel gave him a first round grade, but when the draft rolled around he ended being picked in the third round. Allen wasn't too pleased with his draft experience.


“I want to say congratulations to all those guys whose dreams are going to come true,” Allen said of the 254 players who will be drafted. “But I won’t be watching.



“I can’t stand the draft.”

The Colts passed on Allen early in the second round when they selected quarterback Andrew Luck's college teammate Coby Fleener. He thought the Carolina Panthers would take him with their second round pick and the Panthers chose Midwestern State guard Amini Silatolu.

“A guy I had never heard of,” Allen said of the selection.

As the second round came and went Allen grew more upset.


Allen’s phone came to life. His eyes widened.

“Hold on for Mr. Irsay,’’ the voice at the other end said. “I was like, ‘(expletive) it’s the Colts,’ ” he said. “(Owner Jim Irsay) gets on and said, ‘Hey, Dwayne, we’re going to take you with the next pick. We’re excited to have you. Hold on for coach Pagano.’

“Coach starts talking to me and the entire time I’m emotionless. I was more pissed than anything else.”

Allen knew that he lost a few million dollars on his rookie contract so that explained why he was so upset. Not how most prospects watching the draft are thinking.

“You’re just watching as that money goes away,” Allen said. “You’ve never had it, but that doesn’t stop you from thinking, ‘Man, I’m losing money.’

Allen did admit to being kind of a jerk to Colts coaches and after thinking about it he realized that he was more fortunate than others and gave a call to tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts to apologize.

 “I apologized for my rudeness,” Allen said. “I told him I was ready to get to work and this was going to be the best pick you’ve ever made.

“It took me time to calm down and realize how much of a blessing it was just to get that phone call. How many guys are sitting at home and their phones didn’t ring?” 


    
Good thing that Allen did turn out to be the better than Fleener, but Allen is also lucky that the Colts didn't take his bad attitude personally when they called. If he can outperform his contract he'll end up making that money back and more.

Broncos will pursue Freeney if Dumervil doesn't take a pay cut

The Indianapolis Colts decided to part ways with defensive end Dwight Freeney. He's now a free agent and will be exploring his options when free agency kicks in next Tuesday.

One team to keep an eye on for Freeney's services are the Denver Broncos. A source told Mike Klis of the Denver Post that the Broncos might be a player for Freeney. But that's all contingent if current Broncos defensive end, Elvis Dumervil, doesn't take a pay cut. Throw in the fact that Peyton Manning has been recruiting Freeney and it's almost a lock that he becomes a Bronco.

Freeney (33) is four years older than Dumervil (29) and isn't the force he once was but if Dumervil doesn't want to take a pay cut, the Broncos could sign Freeney and parlay the extra money into a few players to fill needs at different roster spots. They are similar players so the dropoff shouldn't be too significant.

The Broncos would love for Dumervil to return but I don't see him being too pleased to to a loss in pay. If that's the case Elvis will indeed leave the building.

Luck's tutor says the Colts would be making a mistake by taking Griffin

Even with owner Jim Irsay saying that it's "up in the air" about whether the Indianapolis Colts select Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck, I'd bet good money that the Colts select Luck with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft on April 26.

It almost seems like a foregone conclusion, but there are some that think the Colts should select Griffin over Luck. ESPN's Merill Hoge and NFL Films' Greg Cosell are amongst those in support of Griffin.

Andrew Luck's private quarterback coach, George Whitfield thinks if the Colts don't select Luck they'll be making a mistake. Remember that Whitfield also worked with Carolina's Cam Newton before the draft and he ended up being the top pick in last year's draft. So he might know what he's talking about.

"If they over-think this, they're going to make a mistake they'll regret for years,'' said George Whitfield Jr., Luck's private quarterbacks coach.

"He's constantly being categorized as being safe, the sure thing, almost to the point where it's a negative like there's a ceiling, no apparent way for him to get better,'' Whitfield said. "It's like they're describing a girl you've never seen as smart, witty, funny, consistent, without saying anything about her physically. It almost feels like they're looking at him as the guy with the least amount of negatives.

"Let me tell you: He's far from a finished product. He's very far along, but there are still things he's working on mechanically and there are lots of things he'll get better at by being in the NFL. People are now seeing him throw those intermediate and perimeter passes, and those are throws he's been dying to make. You don't think David Shaw (Luck's coach at Stanford) didn't want to make more of those perimeter throws or go downtown more during the season? But look at Stanford's skill position guys. You can only spend within the budget you have.

"But he's athletic. He's cat quick. He's strong. People are saying he's a prototypical pocket passer, like they're putting him in this category. But there's a lot more he can do.''

In my opinion, I think the Colts will select Luck and although I think both will contribute to their teams, Griffin is set up more for immediate success if he lands in Washington as expected. It's just unfair that Luck is going to be looked upon as the savior since I don't think he's cut out for that role. He'll be good, I just don't think Colts fans should expect the best out of him just yet.

    

Fake Luck jerseys for sale

Andrew Luck hasn't even been drafted, but it hasn't stopped a website for putting up images of an Indianapolis Colts jersey bearing Luck's name and college number 12.

NFLteamedgestore.com has the jersey, but you have to figure it's a fake since Luck hasn't even been assigned a team or number.


 “I can tell you it’s not authorized by the Colts,” said Chuck O’Hara, the club’s senior director of marketing. 


Said league spokesman Brian McCarthy: “Our legal department is aware and looking into it.”


I'm pretty sure someone has gotten paid from the sales of the "fake" Luck jersey, but there will be some trouble on the horizon when the league decides it wants to investigate a little deeper into the matter.

Couple charged in million dollar scheme against Dwight Freeney

It's nothing new to hear a professional athlete being taken for millions of dollars. Either a shady financial adviser or bad investments.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney should consider himself lucky that his victimizers were caught before his situation was made worse than it was.

A financial adviser for Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney and the adviser's lover have been arrested on federal wire fraud charges that allege they swindled about $2.2 million from the lineman.


Eva Weinberg, 48, of Los Angeles, and Michael Stern, 51, of Miami, were arrested last week by FBI agents who believe the couple were trying to flee the United States.

From what was in the article, Freeney wasn't named directly in the case but Stern's attorney, Henry Bell confirmed the victim was indeed Freeney.

Athletes and entertainers make tons of money but squander lots of it and make bad financial decisions. It's made worse when the people that you trust with your money are stealing it from you. More players need to be aware of who they are trusting.

Theismann thinks the Redskins signing Manning is"horrific"

While the Indianapolis Colts decide whether or not to keep quarterback Peyton Manning, there are plenty of rumors as to where Manning will be playing next season.

The Washington Redskins are in that conversation and I'm pretty sure the idea of having Manning in a Redskins uniform excites the fan base. Count ex-Redskin quarterback as the one who's not excited. Theismann thinks it would be a "horrific idea" to sign Manning. 

“It’s not a good idea, it’s not a bad idea — It’s a horrific idea,” he told 106.7 last week via DC SportsBog. ”It would be one of the poorest things that we could do as a franchise. Are we gonna go find another guy for just a couple of years again? Haven’t we done this before? Haven’t we seen this act before? And by the way, if you get Peyton Manning, don’t you have a concern about protecting him? Don’t you have a concern about who he throws the football to?”


“We’re tired of looking for stop gaps,” Theismann said. “It’s time to draft one of your own, or make a deal for a young one of your own, and nurture him, and then put the players around him. If we’re gonna be 5-11, if we’re gonna be 6-10, let’s do it with somebody who’s [learning as he goes], instead of guys that have been here, making mistakes.”


I understand where Theismann is coming from. Since Dan Snyder has taken over the Redskins, he's acted as if he's playing strat-o-matic baseball rather than amking smart decisions to improve his football team. So that's where Theismann's frustration kicks in. He actually makes sense instead of being the normal blowhard that he is.

On the other hand, it's Peyton Manning. And anyone who can make Blair White and Pierre Garcon a threat might be able to work wonders with Santana Moss. While Manning might only be around for a few years, you take your quarterback of the future and let him sit behind Manning and learn the game. That way you don't have a young "savior" setting the franchise back another five years if he screws it up. Also, Mike Shanahan might feel compelled to hand the offense to Manning.


If the Redskins sign Manning, it might be the smartest signing Snyder has ever made.      

The World Of Jim Irsay

Only a casual football fan would insult an Indianapolis Colts fan for the horrible season they endured this year. It has resulted in the Polians (Bill and Chris) being fired. There also have been rumblings that they will take quarterback Andrew Luck with the number one pick in this spring's NFL draft. Things will be changing in Indy. Just don't insult the fans and let Jim Irsay hear about it.

Here's what Irsay tweeted about other teams fans and their Colts jokes.

Yea,Colts fans...don't take any crap off of any other fans..when their team wins 115 games in a decade,tell em then they can kiss your ring!


You tell em Jim. Right out of the keep your head up files.
   

Jeff George Wants One More Shot

Apparently Jeff George feels he still has some unfinished business in the NFL. George was the former number one pick in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.

George, who resides in Indianapolis, is still politicking for a job in the NFL. George last played in the NFL in 2001 with the Washington Redskins told Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times that "he could pick up the Colts offense in a matter of days".

Ok Jeff, just like you picked up the Raiders offense back in '97. George probably still has a cannon for an arm and probably could still play today. But he was such a headcase and malcontent he was seemingly blackballed. Ok let me rephrase that. No team in their right mind would give him a shot.

Especially when it looks like the Colts have a legitimate shot at winning the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Reggie Wayne Is Skeptical About Kerry Collins

Peyton Manning's status for the season opener is in question right now due to his neck problem. He could possibly miss even more games if the Indianapolis Colts decide to be extra careful with him. The Colts signed the recently retired Kerry Collins off the scrap heap to have an experienced backup on hand just in case Manning's condition gets worse.

I thought it was a pretty good signing, considering the state of quarterbacking in the NFL.Face it, some of it is flat out brutal. I know Collins isn't the end all be all of quarterbacking, but if the Colts are to remain among the elite, Collins' signing was a must.

Now if you ask Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, he would differ with me. He's not exactly in Collins' corner, but he didn't exactly call him a piece of crap either.

"We don't even know him, we ain't vanilla, man, we ain't no simple offense. [...] So for him to come in here and be the starter, I don't see it. I think that's a step back.



"Who says Kerry's going to be the starter? Just because we bring him in doesn't mean he's the starter. He's got to learn too, right? Unless they gave him a playbook months ago, he's got to learn too. […] He's going to have some studying to do. I'm not sure how he is with the books, not sure about Penn State's education, but he'll have to do some studying. [...]


"I don't care who you are, I mean I'm not going to let anyone just come in here and just push someone aside like you're that dog now, you know what I mean?"

"I don't want to make it seem like I'm not welcoming or having open arms to anybody that comes to our organization," Wayne said to the local media. "If they open the doors for Kerry Collins to come, then that's fine. I can't do (anything) about that anyways. But I'll be damned if we're going to open the doors for someone else, and just drop our heads on who we already have. The Colts are big on protecting their own, so I'm (going to) help protect our own."


Not exactly a vote of confidence for Collins. And I guess some encouraging words for Curtis Painter. Everyone knows Collins is no Manning, but to rip on his education, damn. I guess Reggie forgot where he went to. The U. I'm not knocking their alumni, but their football players aren't exactly known for their academic achievements.  

Jim Irsay And Jeff Saturday Can End The Lockout

In the world according to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, he and Colts center and NFL Players Association executive member, Jeff Saturday could bang out a labor agreement by themselves.

Based on what Irsay said on Twitter, he's obviously frustrated by all the shenanigans going on with all the labor talk going on. It's all meaningless until they come to an agreement.

Irsay made these comments on his Twitter account:

"Jeff Saturday and I could get this thing done,on cocktail napkins,over a long lunch at Rick's Boatyard," Irsay wrote on his Twitter account today. "it's not that hard! Everyone's so damn serious,suits,briefcases,lawyers! Let's put on jeans n golf clothes,players/owners remembering we're friends,hang a little."

"Every time we argue about who's fault it is and who did that and who said this..spin,spin,spin..who cares! Get something done!"



"I ain't riding no bull like Chad thou,not even 4 new C.B.A.!!!!!!"

"For every week after july 15 that's there's no new CBA,self-imposed players/owners fines 2 fan charities..get out of the courts!"


"Drop all lawsuits,waste of time n $,get 2 collective bargaining,have equally,self-imposed fines on players n owners going 2 fan's charities"


"The mantra is not end lockout,it's get new collect. bargain. agreement.We have no CBA at this point,an obvious fact that gets lost n shuffle"


Maybe if the owners thought a little more like Irsay there wouldn't be a lockout. Send him to the bargaining sessions instead and see if something can get done. 

Dallas Clark Doing Some Acting On The Side

With the NFL lockout now a reality, Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark has a side hustle. He's acting. Clark will be playing a detective on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. The report at indystar.com says the episode will be airing on April 13.

Clark says acting has always been a dream of his and it's not money motivated.

"This has nothing to do with money," he said during a phone interview Wednesday. "This is fulfilling a dream of mine of being an actor."

Clark took some acting classes in college and met one of the show's writers there. The writer thought to put Clark in one of the episodes. Clark will have two lines in the show. He's hoping to do more after this appearance.

"I've got two lines to impress somebody. That's my goal. I've got to impress someone," Clark said. "Maybe I could do an Allstate commercial, you know, like you're in good hands."

That would be a good career choice after his playing days are over. With football you never know when that will be. 

Freeney Is Past Due

According to TMZ reports, Indianapolis Colts defensive end, Dwight Freeney is being sued for $400,000. You might ask by who and for what. The who is Tracey Edmonds, the ex-wife of the well known music producer Babyface. The what is for the unpaid rent of $422,150 for leasing two floors in the Edmonds Tower, which is owned by Tracey.

Freeney has a recording studio and agreed to pay $37,000 a month to rent the two floors. Reports say Freeney paid the first month's rent in July but hasn't paid anything since. Edmonds' says that they were induced into letting Freeney rent since he had financial stability due to being a star NFL player.

Dwight, unless there's something seriously wrong with your finances, pay the rent. If you didn't want to pay it you shouldn't have made the business venture in the first place. But we all know every athlete wants to be in the music business. Maybe the rent is too damn high for Dwight.
 

Colts Have Another Idiot Kicker

I guess Peyton Manning has another "liquored up, drunk, idiot kicker" to be critical of. Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee decided to spend his bye week getting drunk and taking a swim in a nearby canal. He's the fourth Colts player to be arrested on an alcoholic related charge this year. Who do they think they are? The Bengals?

Police arrested McAfee about 5 a.m. in the Broad Ripple neighborhood, known for its nightlife. Officers say the 23-year-old, second-year player from West Virginia had a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Indiana. Police were called after a woman at a red light said a man with no shirt approached her car and tried to get in. Like any smart person, she ran the red light and called 911. I can't say I don't blame her.

When officers arrived and approached McAfee and asked did he go swimming in the canal. McAfee replied "I'm not sure". Shows he needs to lay off the liquor if he can't remember anything.  They then asked him how he got wet and he said it was raining. Nice story if it were actually raining. There wasn't a hint of rain in the forecast. He then told officers his shirt was in the water.

Officers proceeded to ask how much he had to drink. McAfee's answer. "A lot because I am drunk". Hey, at least he was honest about it. Sometimes I don't know how much that helps out when dealing with the police.

   McAfee told police that he was waiting for a friend to get him, but also that he planned to take a taxi home, the report said. He asked if he could walk home, but officers arrested him. They say he smelled of alcohol, his eyes were watery and bloodshot and his speech slurred. Officers said they had to help McAfee stand up after giving him a breath alcohol test.


I know, Colts brass will wait for the facts to come out. In the meantime they need to monitor this guy during the bye. Or go hang with him for a swingin' time. He's a regular party animal.