Manning Enticed By Potential Of Tight Ends

ANDERSON, Ind. (Aug. 3, 1998) -- Peyton Manning will no longer be off limits this week.

Hitting Manning in training camp and in last week's practice and scrimmage with the St. Louis Rams was a no-no. The ban will be off on Saturday when the Colts open their exhibition season at Seattle.

"It's got to happen sometime. That's the only way you're going to get better," Manning said Monday.

Seattle has an advantage of having already played its first game, defeating Dallas 20-19 on Friday. The Colts will be playing their first exhibition game.

"It will be a challenge on both sides of the ball. No matter what happens, I think we'll get a lot of benefit out of it," Manning said.

Manning expects to lean heavily on tight ends Ken Dilger and Marcus Pollard. The 6-foot-5, 259-pound Dilger and the 6-4, 257-pound Pollard will provide Manning with the big targets he didn't have at Tennessee.

"I had a lot of good receivers in college, but never really had a tight end like those two guys. They've got good hands. They're so big, its easy to spot them in a pattern," Manning said. "And they're both excellent blockers.

"I look for them to be a very big part of our offense."

Dilger and Pollard are equally excited about catching balls from Manning. With an inexperienced line and a revolving door at quarterback last season, Colts tight ends combined for only 50 of the team's 317 receptions and 609 of the 3,560 passing yards.

"Marcus and I are pretty good tight ends as far as running and blocking. The more talented people we have out there on the field, the better it is for the team," said Dilger, a former Indiana high school star as a quarterback, who spent much of the off-season preparing himself mentally and physically for an added workload.

"We've had a pretty good tempo in camp. It's been a carryover from off-season work both on and off the field," said Dilger. "Obviously, I'm excited about catching more balls and gaining more yardage than last year. But, the important thing is to win more games."

Dilger had only 27 receptions for 380 yards last year, compared to 42 catches in his first two NFL seasons. A versatile athlete who earned all-conference laurels in football, basketball and baseball at Heritage Hills High School, his receiving yardage fell to 380 yards after averaging 569 his first two years.

"Everyone here is very enthused about improving over last year, individually and collectively. Our record (3-13) was an embarrassment," he said. "With the new offense, the arrival of Peyton and a new coaching staff, we have to improve."

The new coaching staff assembled by Jim Mora, who was hired after Lindy Infante's firing one day after last season concluded, has been boosting the revived spirit.

"The coaches are more vocal than last year and we've all got a lot to learn," Dilger said.

Dilger worked at reducing his body fat and weight before he reported to training camp on July 23.