"Jim Caldwell's ascension raises the question: who's Jim Caldwell?

We now know that Jim Caldwell will at some point replace Tony Dungy as the chief Colt. The question, then, is not what title he'll hold but who he is. A name that wouldn't have been on the radar for casual fans outside of Indianapolis before the Dungy retirement rumors is now in direct line for a head coaching job. If nothing else, it means this team will have constancy, not to mention the benefit of the experience the coach in waiting brings as a result of the sundry jobs he's held in the sport.At 53, actually almost nine months 4 Brett Favre White jersey
older than Dungy, Caldwell currently serves as the team's quarterbacks coach. Some might consider him to be Phil Jackson's football equivalent: Fantastic talent can make any leader look like a genius. Still, regardless of how significant his contribution has been to the success of the somewhat prominent Colt who usually mans that spot, the fact is that the passing game has been exceptionally proficient with Caldwell as coach. That means, if nothing else, he's not hurting things.A truer measure of his skill might be the 2001 season that he spent holding the same rank with the Buccaneers. There, he got a decent performance out of Brad Johnson, as the quarterback threw for 3,406 yards and completed over 60 percent of his passes; it was a fair season for a fair quarterback.Before he came with Dungy from Tampa to Indiana, Caldwell spent his years teaching in the college game. He began as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Iowa in 1977, the year after he graduated following a university football career spent, surprisingly, as a member of the defensive secondary.Caldwell bounced around schools before landing at Penn State in 1986, where he performed several tasks over the seasons on the offensive side of the ball. The high point was undoubtedly the work he did as positional coach for Kerry Collins. A quarterback who's had a remarkably checkered pro career looked to be a sure thing leaving Happy Valley; the coach's impressive work with his most renowned student at PSU is further evidence that Caldwell is not merely along for the ride in his present station.The most noteworthy line on Caldwell's résumé points out that he was Wake Forest's head coach from 1993 to 2000. The red flag for those in blue in white would be his 26-63 record there, but it wasn't as if he led an ACC powerhouse to ruin: Despite their recent improvement, the fact that the Demon Deacons have appeared in eight total bowls lets everyone know that he was at a basketball school that also happened to field a football team.He even got them to one of those postseason contests, namely the Aloha Bowl, in his penultimate season, a game in which they prevailed 23-3 over Arizona State to finish with a 7-5 record; while that's not exactly the same as Steve Spurrier getting Duke to win, it's still fair to say that Caldwell managed to attain at least a marginal amount of progress.Most importantly, this seems like a natural move where the Colts will be left in the hands of a trusted assistant. It's entirely unlike another recent case where an NFL subordinate was given a swimming pool filled with money in anticipation of his eventual assumption to the head slot, namely Jason Garrett's elevation to assistant head coach in Dallas.Aside from the fact that Caldwell was technically just promoted from assistant to associate head coach is the fact his franchise made a move that, instead of creating chaos and tension, enhances stability. Wade Phillips might be selling his Cowboys apparel on eBay at this time next year with a hotshot coordinator ready to take his place, while Indianapolis' case seems like one where continuity has just been ensured after the current leader leaves at the time of Dallas Cowboys jersey
his choosing.A smooth transition seems exactly on par for a squad that not only manages to retain its superstars but is also helmed by an unassuming, tranquil gentleman. Having a line of succession in place for when Dungy exits built around a specialized coach who will be entering his seventh season with the Colts and who clearly works well with Peyton Manning is a situation that must be considered advantageous to not only Caldwell but also the organization.