Patriots gridiron news: Finally, Dwayne Allen has returned to football

Dwayne Allen’s first catch and touchdown of the season was the icing on the cake in the New England Patriots 41-16 thrashing of the Denver Broncos.

The New England Patriots may finally have that three-headed tight end monster they once had back in 2010.  That’s when the team added veteran Algie Crumpler to go along with the young duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

With the return of Martellus Bennett and Gronkowski still doing Gronkowski things, Dwayne Allen has finally shown up and could play the kind of role Crumpler did during that 2010 season. Of course, that depends on whether Allen’s contribution Sunday night has finically got him back on track.

It took 10 weeks, but Allen’s first catch, which resulted in an 11-yard TD score with 25 seconds left in the first half showed the team still has plans for him in the offense.  Despite his struggles throughout the season, Allen said following the game that the touchdown felt like a reward for putting the team ahead of himself.

"“I hope it’s a lesson for a lot of young guys, honestly,” Allen said, via the Providence Journal.  “I came into this league wide-eyed and bushy tailed and thought everything was going to be given to me.  You come here to a winning football club and you learn that it takes self-sacrifice.  You have to give up yourself for the benefit of the team.  That’s what it’s all about.  Sometimes, you’re awarded a touchdown.”"

An amazing feeling

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Allen, who was acquired prior to the season in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, is a capable pass-catching tight end who admitted he has struggled adapting to the Patriots’ offense.

As a result, his snaps have decreased and he served more as a blocker.  Sunday night’s catch could be the play Dwanye Allen needed to earn him some confidence and trust from Tom Brady.

In his words, it was an “amazing” feeling to finally get that monkey off his back.  Hopefully the result going forward is more catches, especially in the red zone.

Tom Brady on Colin Kaepernick 

With Colin Kaepernick gracing the cover of GQ and named the magazine’s “Citizen of the Year,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was asked during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan about the free agent quarterback.

"“I competed against him,” Brady said on Kaepernick’s talent, via Boston.com.  “He was a damn good quarterback.  He’s played at a high level and brought his teams to Super Bowls.  That’s how I feel about him.”"

Next: New England Patriots: Week 10 shows why Belichick loves special teams

Brady lost the only head-to-head matchup the two quarterbacks had while Colin Kaepernick was playing for the San Francisco 49ers.