TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- It's the way he speaks that allows them to tell the difference. He's louder than his predecessor; not much, but he is. The words also come out faster, and sometimes a little more biting than what most Indianapolis Colts players have been used to hearing for the past seven years.
Tony Dungy is gone and Jim Caldwell is in as the Colts' new coach. It signals the start of a new era in Colts football, and it has many wondering where this team is headed.
Dungy was as soft-spoken as any coach in history, yet was able to win with that style, including a Super Bowl victory after the 2006 season. Dungy's emotions were rarely on his sleeve for all to see.
• Roster | Depth Chart | Camp tourCaldwell isn't a jump-in-your face coach in the stereotypical way, but he's certainly louder than Dungy (What coach isn't?). They say Dungy's faces are what told his players they weren't doing it the right way.
"Coach Caldwell talks loud and fast," Colts receiver Reggie Wayne said. "When coach Dungy held his meetings, he was more of a humble, quiet tone. You could write your notes and still have time to talk. Coach Caldwell talks so fast, it's tougher to take notes. And on the field he's louder. You'll hear him telling you to run the route better. Or do something else faster. He's not yelling, but it's louder than what we were used to under coach Dungy."
Dungy and Caldwell are cut from the same cloth, Christian men who believe in many of the same things, both on and off the field.
Dungy retired from the game following the 2008 season, leaving Caldwell, the coach in waiting, there to fill those boat-sized shoes.
There are many eyes on Caldwell as he takes over, including the pairs of each and every one of his players. They know him some since he's been around as an assistant for Dungy's entire tenure, but it's different now.
He's not a substitute teacher anymore. It's his classroom now. That changes things, as anybody who's dealt with a sub in school knows all too well. So when the Colts took the field at camp here for the first time Monday, there was a strange feeling for a lot of players. Their leader, the one who helped put those gaudy rings on their fingers, wasn't there. The steely face, that often meant things weren't going to his liking, wasn't around anymore.
Some even caught themselves looking for Dungy.
"When you're out there playing, you almost forget for a second until you hear coach Caldwell say something," Wayne said. "We all know coach Dungy is gone and coach Caldwell is the man, but you do catch yourself sometimes thinking it's the same as it has been."
At 54, Caldwell takes over a team that has won 12 games for six consecutive seasons. It's his first NFL head-coaching job, and only his second ever. The first was Wake Forest, where he didn't exactly light it up with a 26-63 record. He did take Wake to a bowl game, which was tough to do. Caldwell has never even been a coordinator on the NFL level.
That's why some wonder if the Colts can be the same without Dungy. The answer? One-hundred-percent yes.
Listen up: The Colts will be better than they were last season when they lost in an AFC wild-card game to San Diego, and should push the 12-win plateau again.
Caldwell can coach, even if his resume isn't filled with glamour type. That's what those inside the Colts say privately.
The good thing is he's not going to change a lot of things. The Colts do have a new defensive coordinator in Larry Coyer. They will blitz some, which is a change since Dungy's teams rarely blitzed, but don't expect radical changes on that side of the ball.
There's also a new special-teams coach, but that could be a good thing since the Colts have struggled at times.
The offense won't change at all. Why would it? Peyton Manning runs it with plays called by offensive wizard Tom Moore, who is one of the best in football. And the thing is usually a point machine when everybody is healthy.
What's Caldwell going to do? Install the Wildcat?
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Sleeper ... Austin Collie: Reggie Wayne remains the No. 1 target and Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez will get their share of throws, but there's still plenty of passes to go around. And Collie, a rookie from BYU, could benefit as the team's No. 3 wide receiver. He's expected to play in the slot, where Peyton Manning has made plenty of guys successful, most notably Brandon Stokley in 2004. Collie has a good pedigree after catching 215 passes for 3,255 yards and 30 touchdowns in his college career. He's the type of player you can target with a late-round pick in seasonal formats, and he could be a standout in leagues where receptions count. Breakout ... Anthony Gonzalez: Gonzalez should get a significant boost in production with Marvin Harrison gone. And since this is his third season in the NFL, there's no better time for it to happen since this is typically the year wide receivers tend to develop and have breakout performances. Peyton Manning has developed a rapport with Gonzalez, who had 37 catches as a rookie and 57 catches last season. He only has seven touchdowns in his career, but he could be a candidate for double digits in this offense. He's worth drafting as a No. 3 Fantasy option with a middle-round selection. It wouldn't be a surprise if he finished as a Fantasy starter by the end of the year. Bust ... Joseph Addai: The Colts showed no faith in Addai by taking Donald Brown in the first round of the NFL Draft. Last year, Addai's value tanked with Dominic Rhodes playing better. With Rhodes now in Buffalo, Brown will get his turn to take carries away from Addai. We still feel Addai will be better than the guy we saw last season, when he was limited to 750 total yards and seven touchdowns in only 12 games, but his days of being a dominant Fantasy option are gone. If you can get him after Round 4 then consider it good value. -- Jamey Eisenberg Current Draft Averages QB: Peyton Manning (16th overall) RB: Joseph Addai (52nd) WR: Reggie Wayne (22nd) TE: Dallas Clark (50th) |
| Colts Fantasy outlook | '09 Draft Prep |
"We didn't change things as an organization much at all," Caldwell said. "We're practicing the same, except for a few tweaks here and there. Being from the same regime makes the transition smoother. People know what to expect. That's the reason we didn't change, not just doing some unimaginative replication of everything. I've been indoctrinated. I believe in what we do."
Caldwell has spent much of his time with the Colts working closely with Manning as the team's quarterbacks coach and associate head coach. So Manning can speak about him with as much authority as any player on the roster.
"He doesn't come to my quarterback meetings every day like he did," Manning said. "So I'm getting to know him as the head coach. I will have a better answer by week five as to what's different and what's the same with him and Tony."
Meetings in front of the team as the boss can help define a coach. Do the players listen? Do they follow? Do they believe?
Caldwell has had about five meetings so far in front of his team, including one the first day of camp. Manning was impressed.
"When he had his meeting in front of the team the first night of camp, there was not a minute wasted," Manning said. "He had a PowerPoint presentation and some of it was similar to Tony's stuff, but some of it was his own, quotes and things we hadn't seen before. The biggest key will be getting players to play hard for him the way they did for Tony. I'm buying into it. I hope all the players are."
Caldwell still talks to Dungy on a regular basis, and said he always will. The two are friends, and who wouldn't lean on a sounding board like that?
He mentions a verse from the Bible to show why he will always lean on people like Dungy. It's Proverb 11:14 and it reads:
"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety"
Some would be awed by the job, following a coaching giant like Dungy. But Caldwell seems to relish it. I get the feeling he knows deep down he will succeed, a motion I second.
"I'm comfortable," Caldwell said. "I've been around a little bit. I'm not a spring chicken. Come on, who wouldn't be excited about this opportunity like I am?"
Maybe that's why the voice raises. It shows the emotion of a man who is doing just what wants to do.
He is not Tony Dungy. But he's close -- only with a little more emotion.
"You'll know where you stand and you'll know where he stands," Manning said. "He'll get on you a little bit. It's a little different, but, really, they're a lot alike."
That is why this Colts team will be like the last six: Damn good.
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