*Jim Caldwell is in his third season as head coach of the Colts. He joined Indianapolis in 2002 as quarterbacks coach before gaining the title of assistant head coach in 2005 and associate head coach in 2008. In his first two seasons at the helm, Caldwell has directed the Colts to 14-2 and 10-6 regular-season records, winning consecutive AFC South titles, an AFC Championship and a berth in Super Bowl XLIV. Caldwell is one of approximately 30 NFL head coaches ever to produce 24 regular-season victories and a Super Bowl berth in any two-year career span, while being one of four field leaders to do it in opening a career. Caldwell spent a few moments recently visiting with Colts.com.
* PART FOUR What is your greatest NFL football moment?"It would have to be the Super Bowl. That's what we work for. That's what we desire to achieve, in terms of winning it all. The great thing about it and probably the most satisfying was number one, having an opportunity to see Tony win it after going through a number of years of being criticized for not being tough enough or whatever, all the tags they had placed on him throughout the years. To finally see him get it done was great. Secondly, to have an opportunity to see the guys on the team, Peyton (Manning), Jeff Saturday, Dwight (Freeney), Robert (Mathis), Gary (Brackett), Tarik (Glenn) that whole group of guys who had been working together for such a long period of time, Ryan Diem and Reggie Wayne and Marvin (Harrison) and that whole group of guys. They just did a tremendous job of hanging in there together. Having an opportunity to see the joy and excitement in the eyes of your family was memorable, and to share that moment with them sticks out in my mind as well."
What is it about football that drives you the most?"I probably like the toil, I like the journey. I like the difficulty of it. I like the challenge that it presents on a daily basis. That it requires all you have and just a little bit more. I think I gravitate towards that environment. I don't complain very much. I very rarely complain. I always sort of look at different situations and tried to find ways despite the difficulties to succeed. Sometimes the harder the better suits me just fine. Football certainly does provide you with a number of obstacles and sometimes there are things you can't control, but, for the most part, I think the challenge is what drives me."
How much of coaching is coaching the sport and how much of it is teaching young men?"I do believe that it is probably 50/50 because of the fact that it is not just a game. If they apply the exact same type of dedication, exact same type of focus, exact same type of commitment to other phases of their life, they are going to find themselves successful in that venture as well. I think that's probably the most important thing. Playing in the NFL is a fleeting experience. It doesn't last very long. These guys are very young when this is over with. They are in their mid-20s and if they are really blessed, they are in their middle-to-late-30s, but that is still a very, very young man. He's going to be challenged when raising a family. He's going to be challenged in terms of future employment. He is going to be challenged in an environment in this world that is globally changing day-after-day. I think the same principles and same core values that we try to teach in this sport can translate."
Do you have any rituals or superstitions?"I am not superstitious, but I love a routine. So, I really don't. I schedule everything that I do, and I try to stick to it pretty much like clockwork in regard to my daily activities. I am more a creature of habit and structure than superstition."
If you weren't coaching, what would you do?"I'd probably be an educator of some sort, or a real estate investor. What I'm doing now is similar to educating. It's teaching, it's instructing, it's demonstrating and it requires discipline and great communication skills but it is also rewarding. That part of it I love and really enjoy. Real estate investing is challenging, it's intriguing, it has complexities to it and it also takes a bit of knowhow, and it satisfies the riverboat gambler in me."
Excluding Colts players, who is the most memorable player you have coached?"It would probably be Kerry Collins when I had him at Penn State. Kerry was a very, very talented guy. He worked extremely hard and was a very fine leader."
If you have one thing to say to Colts fans, what would it be?"There is no greater place to play than Lucas Oil Stadium in front of our fans, primarily because of the fact they are extremely knowledgeable, they are enthusiastic and love our team. The interaction they have with our players and the amount of energy and enthusiasm that is brought into the stadium, our players do indeed feed off that. We appreciate that. We really appreciate their support."
