Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski has a proven pedigree as it relates to utilizing his tight ends and maximizing their production, which bodes well for Dwayne Allen.
The former Miami Hurricanes tight end has professionally coached the likes of Antonio Gates, Kellen Winslow Jr., Greg Olsen, and Jordan Cameron during career seasons and is looking to re-create his magic with the Colts tight ends–citing the group’s versatility:
"Oct 5, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh watches his team warm up with Colts coach Rob Chudzinski before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports“I think the versatility of him (Dwayne Allen) and Jack (Doyle), and you look at a young guy like Erik Swoope and some of the other young guys we have there,” said Chudzinski Tuesday at mini-camp of this year’s tight ends."
Specifically, the positional guru praised his talented tight end, Dwayne Allen, who could be in-line for a career season under Chudzinski’s renowned tight end tutelage with his exceptional ability to both block and catch:
"“I see Dwayne (Allen) as a guy that could be or is a definite weapon for us,” added Chudzinski. “Again, his versatility is probably the thing that makes him unique in that he can do so many things well. It really allows us to be diverse on offense as well.”"
So what exactly is the “Chud-Effect”?
You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination, production, and tight ends. Next stop, the “Chud-Zone”!
Up until last season, Chudzinski had a track record with his tight end protégés that simply couldn’t be disputed:
However, much like the rest of their teammates, the Colts tight end tandem struggled last season and fell victim of the train wreck that became the team’s offense.
Whether it was because of the loss of Andrew Luck, an overall de-emphasis of the position in favor of multiple wide receiver sets, or poor pass protection–likely a combination of all three, Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener became an afterthought within the Colts offense this past season:
- Dwayne Allen: 16 receptions for 109 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
- Coby Fleener: 54 receptions for 491 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
Is the “Chud-Effect” dead?
No–not yet anyways, it’s hard to say how much of an impact Chudzinski had on the Colts offense up until Week 9 of last season, when he was named as offensive coordinator in the wake of Pep Hamilton‘s firing.
However, if we’re going to credit Chudzinski for the success of the Colts tight end tandem in 2014, then we’re also going to have to criticize him to the same degree for their failures just a season later for fairness sake.
That being said, Chudzinski only had a healthy Luck for one game as offensive coordinator before he was lost to a season-ending lacerated kidney.
He also now gets a full offseason and training camp to implement his offensive schemes, plays, and philosophies–ones that may heavily emphasize Allen and the team’s tight end position once again.
It’s something that Chudzinski simply didn’t have the luxury of when he was abruptly appointed as offensive coordinator near midseason last year, as he was forced to simplify the offense on-the-fly.
With his partner-in-crime now departed–as Fleener fled to the New Orleans Saints in free agency, Allen could be in-line for a major offensive workload come next season.
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To Chudzinski’s credit; however, he wasn’t willing to put lofty expectations on Allen or any of the Colts other tight ends for that matter:
"“I never put numbers on those things for guys because the season evolves and different things happen and ultimately we’re going to do what we need to do to give us the best chance to win,” concluded Chudzinski."
Nevertheless, his tight end track record speaks for itself, and it’ll be interesting to see if his tutelage translates to Allen and his tight end teammates on the field for this upcoming season.