Shift in Colts offensive staff bigger than it seems
ORLANDO -- It's a coaching move that has received very little attention, but one that maybe should be studied a little closer.
Last Friday night, the Indianapolis Colts released a statement that there would be a new offensive coordinator in 2010. Longtime coordinator Tom Moore -- arguably one of the best of all time -- would be replaced by assistant head coach and receivers coach Clyde Christensen. The timing of the announcement, late Friday when most NFL business had closed, seemed to have the feel of a team not wanting the news to garner much attention.
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| Moore isn't pleased with his new role, some around the league are saying. (Getty Images) |
It doesn't add up.
"Tom was getting to a point where he wanted to transition for a reduced amount of work that he had to do," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "Our system has been one that has been pretty effective. The guy who knows it, and knows it well, is Clyde Christensen. He's next in line to become the coordinator. He's a very capable guy. He's smart. He's been doing a lot of things -- the passing game, the Red Zone stuff -- the past couple of years. For us, it's been a transition heading in that direction. Tom wanted to transition down."
Those who know Moore find that hard to believe. The word making its way around the league is he wasn't thrilled about the move. Moore is getting up in years at age 70, and he actually retired last year because of issues over his pension only to get talked back out of retirement as highly paid consultant. It was really just semantics. Moore ran the offense.
Now the plan is for Moore to move to the press box, with Christensen on the sidelines in Peyton Manning's ears.
The word is he's been in Manning's ear since he arrived. They have formed a close relationship, and there is some thinking that might have helped to influence this decision. So I asked Caldwell if politicking helped Christensen get the job.
"That's unfair, that's untrue," Caldwell said. "You just brought that to light. That's absolutely not true."
The Colts won the AFC title last season, but lost in the Super Bowl to the New Orleans Saints. The Colts offense finished seventh in the league with 26 points per game, were ninth in total offense, second in passing, but 32nd in rushing.
Our lasting image of the offense is of Tracy Porter picking off Manning and returning it for touchdown to ice the Super Bowl victory for the Saints.
It led to a Manning becoming a carcass and the vultures ripping him to shreds, but also talk that the Colts offense had become stale.
One thing is for certain: The running game was non-existent. That will change. After general manager Bill Polian ripped the offensive line after the Saints loss, the Colts are trying to get bigger up front. They've added Adam Terry and Andy Alleman, a bigger tackle and a bigger guard.
"Every year you tweak it," Caldwell said. "We're always looking for new wrinkles. Clyde's a forward thinker. He has a lot of good ideas."
When Christensen ran the Bucs offense, he sure didn't look like a forward thinker. Working for Tony Dungy, Christensen's offense finished 26th in total offense and 15th in scoring. To be fair, he had Brad Johnson, not Manning.
Dungy and the entire staff were fired after that season. When Dungy came to Indianapolis, Christensen came with him. Moore and Manning were there waiting.
Moore has been the one sending in the plays to Manning through the years. He was the one also putting together the game plan. Now those are Christensen's duties.
How will he respond to Manning is a big key. Manning had a coach to keep him in check in Moore. As great as Manning is as a player, it's good to have a coach who can challenge him. Moore would do that. Will Christensen?
Or, since they have such a tight relationship, will Manning now run the show? Most people assume Manning runs the offense anyway. But the reality is that Moore would send in concepts, ideas and play suggestions when Manning called the plays at the line of scrimmage.
It was a system that worked. They had two football geniuses -- Moore has to be considered one for also making Scott Mitchell a 4,000-yard passer with the Lions -- who clicked, even if they didn't always agree.
"I can tell you this: Our offense is run from the line of scrimmage a great deal of the time," Caldwell said. "We give options, we give parameters on the way in which the plays are called. He (Manning) knows it well enough. He'll make an adjustment on a play call and nine times out of 10 he is right."
But great actors need directors. Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep aren't stars without direction. They can't just run amok acting.
As great as Manning is, he needs to be directed too. Can Christensen do what Moore did in that role?
With those questions hanging over the move, I asked Caldwell if this should be considered a major move this spring.
"It depends on your vantage point," Caldwell said. "It's probably much like my taking over for Tony (Dungy) last year. You consider that to be a big move, right? Clyde's the same way. He knows the system. He's had experience with the position and he's a very knowledgeable guy who is really in tune to what we do. It depends on how you view it."
I view it as a biggie. A year from now, we'll know for sure.
