Dwayne Allen was conditioned to think of the Patriots as the enemy during his time in Indy, but he couldn't help but be impressed by the way they went about their business.
"Coming from the Colts, you're taught to hate the Patriots," the tight end told Patriots.com. "But I always admired them for their professionalism, for the way they worked, and of course the winning culture that they have here. There's no wonder why the Patriots have been so successful."
The Patriots traded for Allen just before the new league year began, sending a fourth-round pick to the Colts and new general manager Chris Ballard -- who replaced Ryan Grigson in January -- in exchange for the 6-foot-3, 265-pounder and a sixth-round pick.
Allen acknowledged that when he heard about the news of the trade, he was humbled. And after he spoke to Patriots staff members, he got a little better feel of what it meant to be a part of the organization.
"I understand," Allen said, "what this franchise stands for -- the importance of winning, the importance of class -- and was excited to be a part of it . . . I do believe that I can fit in here. The coaches were very straight forward in that, 'Hey look, we have a no-nonsense approach to things, and it's all about winning and working hard.' "
Over the course of his carer, Allen has proven to be a legitimate dual-threat tight end who can both block and make plays as a receiver. He hopes that in New England he'll have a shot to highlight all aspects of his game as he continues to improve.
"I believe that this culture gets the best out of every player that comes through here," he said. "I want to continue to develop as a better player, and I know it's going to happen with a team-first mentality."