INDIANAPOLIS — If you think Jim Caldwell believes any less in his Colts than Rex Ryan believes in his Jets just because he doesn’t proclaim their brilliance to anyone who is listening, you would be wrong.
The two rookie head coaches in tomorrow’s AFC Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium couldn’t be more different. Caldwell is the anti-Rex, a coach that doesn’t have to use bravado for shock value. But when he says, “We think we have a pretty good ball club as well,” he means it with all the conviction of a coach who expects greatness.
“What we have to do is humble our men without debasing them, and exalt them without inflating them,” Caldwell said yesterday. “That’s what I think coaching is all about.”
An eight-year assistant under Tony Dungy, Caldwell, 55, was tabbed the heir apparent long before Dungy gave up his whistle after last season. The transition has been seamless. Caldwell has maintained much of the structure put in place by Dungy and GM Bill Polian, while tweaking the offensive and defensive schemes with his own preferences.
Sure, it helps to have Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on his roster. But make no mistake: These are Jim Caldwell’s Colts, a more aggressive group that carries a chip on their shoulders even though they don’t talk about it much.
“We’re just a bunch of blue-collar guys,” Mathis said. “There’s no need to shout or make all this fuss. When 3 o’clock comes Sunday, it’s time to lock the doors and get on the field.”
Part of the reason Ryan bragged openly about the Jets was to change the culture of the losing franchise and elevate his players’ self-esteem. Caldwell didn’t have to do that, and he understands he benefited from knowing he would succeed Dungy well before the transition took place.
“It gave me a little time to prepare,” he said. “It also afforded me an opportunity to maybe get a look at some things that I ordinarily would not have been able to see until it was time for me to actually do the job.”
Ryan also embraces the publicity he generates, always coming to his press conferences prepared with a quip or a prop. That’s not Caldwell’s style. He’s more in the mold of Dungy, operating with an unassuming confidence.
What he couldn’t have planned for was being 14-0 and having the home fans in an uproar when he pulled his starters for much of the final two games, including a Dec. 27 loss to the Jets. Caldwell didn’t waiver despite the criticism.
“That’s the thing about this particular business,” he said. “Not everybody is going to agree with you.”
Caldwell said his pregame speech to his team tomorrow largely will center around three words. He wouldn’t reveal the words, but center Jeff Saturday remembers the three words the coach emphasized at the start of training camp: poise, passion and confidence.
“We have to be confident that we’re the best team on the field,” Saturday said, “and you’ve got to have poise when the storms come because you know the Jets are going to bring some. Then let’s execute, let’s finish this thing and come out with a win.”
Enough said.