Football season is finally here. Those words are exciting to fans across the country. In the past, it has always been a slight concern for fans that rookies may not sign their contracts before the start of training camp. After the new collective bargaining agreement, this is no longer an issue. supposed to be an issue. For the Indianapolis Colts, they took it right down to the deadline, but all rookies are now signed and under contract before the start of training camp.
The final two to sign were tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. Both missed the first day of rookie practices but won't miss a snap of actual training camp. Indianapolis players report on Saturday July 28, and several rookies will play major roles for the 2012 Colts.
This has been an offseason with a lot of change in Indianapolis. Many of the players on the roster are new this year and the team will likely be one of the youngest in the NFL. If the team is going to have any success in 2012, they will need big seasons from Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen, TY Hilton, and many others. Getting these players signed before the start of training camp is a minor detail, but is very important to the development of each and every player. Missing a single workout can prove to be costly when there is so much for young players to learn. As a fan of the team, I have high hopes for these players and am relieved that they are all signed and will be in training camp with the rest of the roster in Anderson, Indiana.
From this point, fans now can sit back and watch the development of all these young players. Luck and Fleener will need to have a quick impact on the team, but many more of these players will determine the future of the franchise. Getting them under contract was the first step, now the players need to prove their worth of the field. I'm excited for the future and can't wait to see these young players develop.
Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He also runs the blog www.coltsfansonline.com that covers the team. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.
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