INDIANAPOLIS – Before Cam Newton was dabbing his way to an MVP season and an NFC Championship, there was Rob Chudzinski as his first offensive coordinator.
Chud's role as offensive coordinator in Indianapolis marks his third such post in the NFL.
In Carolina, with a rookie in Newton having to adapt to a professional system, the Panthers' offense went from the basement of the league to a top 10-unit.
Highlighted by the NFL's top rushing offense in 2011, that allowed the Panthers to stretch the field with Newton and involve tight end Greg Olsen in the passing game.
After two seasons with the Panthers, Chud moved on to Cleveland to be the Browns' head coach for a season.
With Chud now back in the coordinator role, the inquiries are there of what the Colts' offense is going to look like after a full offseason of installment.
"Chud is a very bright game planner," Carolina head coach Ron Rivera said at the League's Annual Meetings.
"He's going to attack vertically (in Indy). He's got the quarterback with the type of physical characteristics to throw the ball, stand tall in the pocket. They've got playmakers and he's going to find ways to utilize them. I know he likes the tight end position and that will be a position that will be exploited. I think he will fit in Indy very well for what Indianapolis wants to do."
The tight end aspect of Chud's past stops should be music to the ears of one Dwayne Allen.
Carolina tight end Greg Olsen caught 114 balls in two seasons with Chud.
That doesn't even compare to the 2007 season Kellen Winslow Jr. had with Chud as his offensive coordinator.
In 2007, with Chud as the OC, the Browns offense skyrocketed to a top-10 offense with Winslow snagging 82 passes for 1,106 yards. Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson was a Pro Bowler in 2007.
From a run game standpoint, the Colts are expected to install some zone blocking along with their gap schemes for Frank Gore and the other backs.
Last year, we were exposed to a very restrictive version of Chud's offense for seven games.
Now, with a healthy Andrew Luck, the steadiness of Frank Gore and plenty of young weapons on the outside, Chud has quite the foundation.
"Chud is a creative guy, a smart guy," Chuck Pagano says. "He will do a great job of utilizing the talent that we have.
"He will play to our strengths and he will do a good job of trying to exploit our opponents weaknesses and get those (favorable) matchups."
