HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DT-Fili Moala's improvement this season) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"It's one of those things, playing inside often it takes you a little while to get accustomed to the speed at which things are done that you're facing; how to read blocks, how to control your gap, how to use your assets in accordance with what you're seeing. He has really made strides, to the point where he is getting better every single game. I think you're seeing a little bit more of his natural movement in there. I think early on he was feeling his way, no pun attended, but trying to find a way in which to use his power and speed. He's got length. He's got all the things you look for. At this point, we are starting to see those things become a powerful tool for him because he gets in seams, he can rush the passer, and he can make plays down the line. He is really making good progress."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on DT-Fili Moala making plays) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"He's becoming more disruptive. When they are disruptive you begin to take note because they start having tackles for loss, they start pressuring the quarterback, all of the things you look for. Oftentimes, you find defensive linemen are somewhat obscure. They are like offensive linemen. They do their job and the linebackers make the tackles. But when you start to notice them being a factor is when you know they are getting their job done plus a little bit more. I think that is where he is right now."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he had to encourage DT-Fili Moala to keep his head up last year) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"We always try to encourage them. (Defensive Line Coach) John Teerlinck does a great job with those guys. He does a great job of developing those guys. He does a great job of getting them to grow up and grow up fast. He gives them a lot of tough love and they respond to it. He is a very good teacher, a very detailed instructor. He is demanding. I think you do see guys start to blossom rather quickly under his tutelage."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if DE-Jerry Hughes is kind of like how DT-Fili Moala was last season) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"I think that would be a correct assessment. He is coming along and making progress. He is getting better day after day, as well, simply because of the fact that he is getting a sense of how we do things, how we'd like him to function within the context of our defensive structure. Also, I think he is starting to play without thinking. Every week that goes by he gets a lot more comfortable. I think you are starting to see his activity level increase, as well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the Colts' offense having more 10 -play drives than any team in the NFL) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"There have been teams, in some cases, they decide to play more coverage, keep everything in front of you, make them go the long haul type of a deal, as opposed to mixing it up with stunts and blitzes, which gives us an opportunity for one-on-ones and take advantage of those. So, we do get a little bit more of a defensive structure that requires us to be patient, requires us to execute play-after-play-after-play, thus you get some fairly long drives."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what enables the offense to put 10 -play drives together) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"I think it always boils down to players. Certainly there is some structure and form that may contribute to it, but for the most part, I think, we have guys that are number one, very consistent. Their practice habits are consistent. They minimize mistakes. When you have few mistakes, you can put drives together like that because you don't find very many things that set you back. We aren't penalized heavily, which is another reason that you don't get setbacks very often. All of those things, I think, oftentimes the things you take for granted are the things that allow you to keep drives going. Those are things we try to not take for granted; missed assignments, penalties, things of that nature. It keeps us moving down the field and puts us in position to score. We have veteran guys that have been around, that understand, that are steady. There are not a whole lot of peaks and valleys. Also, the fact of the matter is, they've improved at their craft and they are good at what they do. They are able to do it not only in practice, but are also able to carry it over to ballgames, as well."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on coaches being a big part of helping the offense be efficient, as well ) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"I think the coaches do a tremendous job, particularly with some of the young guys we have. WR-Blair White being able to step in, that just doesn't happen by accident. It's a lot of hard work and veteran players, but also the coaches getting with them and working with them and trying to keep them on pace and those kinds of things. There's no question about that. The assistant coaches we have do a tremendous job. They don't blink, they don't flinch in situations where oftentimes you can find people are hanging their head a little bit because they have such a tough time getting a young guy ready, but they don't flinch. They do not hesitate whatsoever. They get right in there and get to work. I think you see improvement all across the board because of that."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on coaching up the younger players) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"I think you certainly have to attribute that to the guys that work directly with them. I think they do a tremendous job in making certain they can utilize their assets. Oftentimes, you'll find people that'll coach them and coach them into a mold trying to get them to play like a TE-Dallas Clark, and they are totally different than Dallas. So, you have to be able to find what his skill level is, what his skill set is and utilize that to the best of his ability. I think (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen) does a good job of adapting our offense. Obviously, (Defensive Coordinator) Larry (Coyer) does it on defense. The assistant coaches that work with them also do a tremendous job."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Linebackers Coach Mike Murphy) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"Murph is a tremendous teacher. Murph has an immense amount of experience, which I think allows him to grind things down to the lowest common denominator when he talks to them. They understand him clearly. He is very thorough. He has a way to say the same thing a thousand different ways, which I think is a sign of a good coach. That's what he does. He can tell it to them in so many different ways, but yet, saying the same thing. At some point in time, they get it because everybody learns differently. He's shown the ability to adapt and adjust. He's very knowledgeable. Murph has been in a number of different systems. He's coached a long time. I think when you have guys that have been around, that have that kind of experience and wisdom, I think there is a trickle-down effect. When he has very young players that have not had much experience, he has found a way to get those guys to be productive."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what he means when he says he can say the same thing a thousand different ways) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"In a nutshell, some individuals are auditory learners, some of them are visual learners. In coaching, you have to be able to cross all those boundaries and find out how they learn best. Oftentimes, you might be talking about a particular defensive alignment and being able to execute a stunt off of it, but you might have to say it two or three different ways. You may be able to verbalize it, but then you have to show it to them, and you'll show it to them on overhead or power point and then you have to show it to them on film. At some point in time it clicks with different people in different ways. That's the thing I think is unique with him. He uses all of those tools, but he also even verbally can tell you a number of different ways. The guys gravitate towards his teaching techniques."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on if he sees Linebackers Coach Mike Murphy coach in these different ways) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"Only because of the fact I sit in his meetings a lot because the position he coaches is like the quarterbacks. If you want to know what is going on with the offense, you sit in the quarterbacks meeting. You'll hear protections, run game, checks, routes, all of those things. You'll get a good glimpse of everything that goes on. The linebacking corps is exactly the same way. You're going to know what is happening in the front, and you're also going to know what is happening behind them, in terms of coverage and stunts. They are involved in all of that. Most often, LB-Gary (Brackett) or LB-Pat (Angerer) is making the calls, they are making all the adjustments. If you want to know what is happening and what is going on, you stop in that room for 10 minutes and you'll get a heavy does of knowledge."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Linebacker Coach Mike Murphy's example of the June Taylor dancers) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"He has a picture of them in the back of the room, pinned on the wall there. Murph has some entertaining ways. Now most of the guys aren't old enough to know who the June Taylor dancers are, but he explains it to them, and they get the point."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on what does LB-Clint Session bring to the linebacking corps) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"Speed. Force. Enthusiasm. Recklessness. He's an explosive guy."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on LB-Clint Session probably has some pent-up energy) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"I would think. That's kind of everyday with him. That's how he lives his life. He loves to play this game. He's extremely passionate about it, and he demonstrates it when he takes the field."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on how impressive it was for LB-Clint Session to finish the Houston game after injuring his arm) Thursday, December 30, 2010
"It demonstrates that he is very, very tough, mentally and physically. I think you find that the guys that play this game, you have to be in order to make it through. He has a pain threshold that is a little bit different than the norm. He was able to hang in there and battle through the game, and he did a great job."
