Clark's Mismatch Creating Opportunities For Colts, Bettors

NFL News - February 4th, 2010 - Written by John Ritter

He's on the small side for players at his position. Maybe a bit slower than ideal.

But Dallas Clark was only 51 yards from becoming the league's top-yardage tight end this season, and it's been difficult to distinguish his importance to the offense apart from Peyton Manning's. They have been practically synonymous. Manning has turned the 30-year old into a superstar almost overnight, and, in turn, Clark has allowed Manning to remain calm through the years despite seeing his receiving corps stripped to it's bare bones.

In 2007, the Colts lost Marvin Harrison, the team's all-time leading receiver, to free agency. In 2009, Anthony Gonzalez finally appeared poised to take over the no. 2 role opposite Reggie Wayne. That was foiled in about 15 minutes when he shredded his knee without contact on a running play.

Those two injuries, although not crippling from a team, would have been enough for any team to see significant drops in passing rankings.

Not Indianapolis. Not Manning. Not with Clark. The Colts were sixth in 2007. Fifth in 2008. And with Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie filling in, the Colts were second this year.

And Clark was the only constant throughout, doing much of the heavy lifting over the middle when Manning needed a check-down. He had 1,106 yards this year with 10 touchdowns -- the longest of which was an 80-yard strike (the longest play by any tight end this year) -- and was gained his first Pro Bowl election ever.

He has six-straight games with four catches or more, and is favored to do so during Sunday's Super Bowl in the prop betting page on Bodog. As one of the rare, productive tight ends in the game, Clark has NFL odds to be one of the most productive receivers in the championship. His over/under line is 6 1/2 catches with an even -115 payout either way. He is also favored to finish with more than 67 1/2 yards. The last time he was in Miami, during Indianapolis' 27-23 win over the Dolphins, Clark went for 183 yards and that aforementioned 80-yard score.

He caught Manning's final touchdown pass against the New York Jets in the AFC Championship, and has become one of his most reliable targets. Having such great hands makes him a difficult target to guard for most defenses, thus creating a mismatch that may be the difference against the Saints.

During his last Super Bowl appearance, he only had four catches for 36 yards, but his increased role in the offense, plus better health, makes him an easy pick for improved relevance in this week's NFL Betting Lines.

He has 12-to-1 odds to be named the game's MVP, which puts him as the fifth horse with New Orleans' Marques Colston.