It's crystal clear what this offseason has meant for the Indianapolis Colts, according to tight end Dwayne Allen.
"They want to win, and they want to win now -- there is no hiding from that point," Allen told Lindsay H. Jones of USA TODAY Sports. "From the owner down to the GM, down to the head coach, we know that our time is now."
While lesser clubs seem to eternally "build for tomorrow," Indianapolis attacked free agency to add running back Frank Gore and wideout Andre Johnson to an offensive roster already flush with talent. Beyond the veteran influx, the drafting of first-round wideout Phillip Dorsett only fuels one of the nastiest pass-catching groups league-wide. Will it be enough?
"We understand you've got to address the elephant in the room," said Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. "They're the team to beat. Year in and year out, if you're in the AFC, you have go through Denver and you have to go through New England. Everyone in this building is well aware of that."
The Colts got halfway there last season, toppling the Broncos in the playoffs before suffering a 45-7 smackdown against New England in the AFC title game. The Patriots have given Indy fits in recent years, pumping out a 4-0 record vs. Andrew Luck while outscoring the Colts in those games 189-73.
Adding Gore and Johnson might be enough to tip the scales, but concerns linger off the field. Come 2016, the Colts must work out a monster extension for Luck while thinking about new deals for wideout T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Coby Fleener and Allen.
"It's a lot of mouths to feed, and if you worry about that, you're not going to play well," Allen said. "The best thing you can do for yourself is know that off-field stuff will take care of itself."
Jackson, who saw just one winning season in seven years with the Browns, fully supports Indy going for broke, saying: "Trust me, I'm all on board for it because of my history in Cleveland where ... we didn't make moves to win right now."
Set to play the Patriots in Week 6, it won't take long to find out if all the offseason machinations were enough to help Indy finally slay the so-called "elephant in the room."
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