INDIANAPOLIS — For his maiden voyage in charge in the National Football League, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell wasn’t shy about making play calls that could have turned him from a first-time NFL winner to loser and drawn immediate heat to himself.
As it was, Caldwell was all smiles after the Colts defeated Jacksonville 14-12 on Sunday. But the football gods made Caldwell work for it.
In the first half, Caldwell decided to let Adam Vinatieri try a 52-yard field goal on a call where a punt would have been an equally wise choice. Vinatieri missed it wide left.
Caldwell elected to go for it on 4th-and-1 before the end of the first half. The Colts couldn’t convert.
Most crucially, Caldwell elected to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Jacksonville 35 with 2:06 left and the Colts ahead by two. Once again, the Colts didn’t convert.
Every single one of Caldwell’s big calls failed for the Colts. Long past the time you read this, Caldwell’s decisions will be fodder for criticism on the radio talk shows and message boards of the world.
It’s true that any one of Caldwell’s calls could have turned the game the Jacksonville’s way. On the 4th-and-1 before halftime, rocket-legged Jaguars’ kicker Josh Scobee tried a 63-yard field goal that didn’t fall short by much.
The failed fourth-quarter 4th-and-1 put the Jaguars in two-minute drill mode; if not for an impressive stand by the Colts defense, fans could have been filing out of Lucas Oil Stadium in frustration. Jacksonville only needed to gain about 30 yards to get into Scobee’s range.
Some might question Caldwell’s calls, but I like the fact that Caldwell put the Colts’ fate in their own hands. I like it when a coach puts the responsibility on his players. I like it when a coach imparts confidence in them by making a call that essentially says, “It’s 4th-and-1, a play you can and should convert. Do it.”
Sometimes playing safe is interpreted by players as not having faith in them. When a coach demonstrates that he trusts his players, to the point of making a call that might be deemed questionable, they usually repay him with their loyalty in the long run.
The Colts’ players liked Caldwell’s thinking too, which made them all the more disappointed they didn’t cash in on any of the calls he made.
“Offensively, we always want to go for it. The series before we didn’t go for it [the Colts had 4th-and-2 on the Jaguars 44 with 7:08 left], we were mad, but [punter Pat] McAfee punted to the goal line, so it was a great decision,” Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said.
“Whatever the head coach decides to do, it’s my job to support him. I don’t second-guess. But it’s disappointing [to not convert] when he gives you that green light, ‘we’re going to go for it.’ What he says is that he’s counting on you and come through for him. You don’t want to let him down, you don’t want to disappoint him. We felt like offensively, we kind of let him down.”
If Caldwell’s choice to go for it on 4th-and-1 ostensibly shows faith in the Colts’ offense, it also demonstrated belief in the Colts’ defense.
“He was just as calm on that 4th-and-1 at the end as he was at the beginning of the game. It’s good to see your leader calm and collected in the crucial moments,” said Manning, who compared Caldwell’s calmness to former coach Tony Dungy.
Caldwell’s been with the Colts for seven years, so it’s not as if he had to win a new team over. But it was his first game in charge. And while his decisions didn’t work out, his lack of hesitation to make them will mean a lot to the Colts as they move forward into the Caldwell era.
“He’s a humble guy who wants all the little details done the right way,” said Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who had 10 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. “We want to show him we believe in the system and want to get the job done.”
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (812) 231-4272 or todd.golden@tribstar.com.
From the Press Box
From The Press Box: Caldwell’s calls put onus on players
- From the Press Box
-
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Peyton’s place belongs to Eli
The good people of Indianapolis justifiably puffed out their chests throughout Super Bowl week as the city received deserved rave reviews for the job it did as hosts of Super Bowl XLVI.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Teammates, colleagues express their loyalty to Weatherford
Sometimes you worry whether someone is stopping to smell the roses when they smell rosiest.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Does melted ice reveal Belichick's heart of gold?
If you’re into Youtube — and who isn’t these days? — there’s a vintage television profile of then-Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick posted on the popular site.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State men caught between expectation, reality
The Missouri Valley Conference is hush-hush on how it puts together its matchups for the annual conference schedule.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Accentuating the positive with ISU's Odum
There’s something to be said for being your own worst critic, especially when it comes to sports.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Loss hurts, but national exposure is ... priceless
Trying to advance the philosophy that any publicity is good publicity is probably an effort wasted on a losing team less than 10 minutes removed from a disappointing defeat where victory had been oh so close to fruition.
-
TODD GOLDEN: The great playoff race is on for Indiana State football
The great race is on.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Fans owe ISU seniors 10,000
I have covered Indiana State football since the 2004 season.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Indiana State has used up its playoff mulligan
It’s been a glass half-full kind of season for the Indiana State football team, so it was easy — and exciting — to get caught up in looking ahead to scenarios that placed ISU in the FCS playoffs, even if ISU didn’t win out.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Not a coulda, shoulda for Sycamores
Indiana State's football team is getting tired of being graded on the curve of its own past futility.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Supernatural Shakir was a sight to behold
I’ve often heard it said when a player has a big statistical day that he’s racking up “video game numbers.”
-
TODD GOLDEN: Sycamore defense absorbs lesson
A win is a win, they say. And for Indiana State, none of the Sycamores are going to take back or put an asterisk next to their 48-34 victory over Butler on Saturday.
-
TODD GOLDEN: And now on to the normal part of the schedule
The Steve Miller Band would’ve appreciated Indiana State’s trip to Penn State.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Sabermetrics has changed love of baseball
I turned 40 this summer. No problem.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: No debate about quality of Vigo baseball
It’s standard practice for losing high school coaches — especially coaches who led teams on a deep postseason run — to heap praise on their seniors one last time. It’s even more so when one of those seniors was the rock of a given team for a four-year period.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Season dies down, but ISU’s plate not empty
With coaching changes having mostly sorted themselves out and with recruiting having just entered its quiet period today, college basketball has settled into its more relaxed offseason mode.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Winning spring more important than winning the spring game
Indiana State football coach Trent Miles has been involved in collegiate coaching since 1987. He knows better than anyone that there’s no one-size-fits-all way to approach the annual spring football game.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Friday wait was worth it for Indiana State
Many have seen the famous Salvador Dali painting, “Persistence of Memory.” The most memorable images in the surreal painting are unquestionably the pocket watches that are drooped over a ledge, a tree branch, etc.
-
Many Sycamores, past and present, to remember
The minute it became apparent Indiana State had punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 60-56 victory over Missouri State on Sunday, I reflected on all of the moments in the previous seven years of covering the Sycamores that led to this.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Sycamore AD Ron Prettyman explains Cal Poly interest
Editor’s note: Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman interviewed and participated in a public open forum for the same position at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo last week.
-
Paradigm shifts for Sycamores after UNI win
In many respects, it’s been an Indiana State men’s basketball season like no other in its recent history.
-
Odum shouldn’t be overlooked as MVC’s Freshman of Year
The cliché would state that Creighton forward Doug McDermott has taken the Missouri Valley Conference by storm from day one. The truth is that McDermott had the attention of MVC observers long before day one.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Late turnover doesn’t define excellence from Jake Odum
You know what’s one of the best tests of how a player has gained respect? Listen to the way the road crowd reacts when that player has the ball in his hands.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Tempo changes for worse on both ends for Sycamores
When Indiana State was on its six-game early January winning streak that saw it rise to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference, team chemistry was seemingly the biggest reason for the success.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ‘Yeah, but’ … maybe ISU is for real
I had an eighth-grade reunion in Milwaukee last summer, the highlight of 2010 for me. Among the memories we re-lived, I had totally forgotten that my seventh-grade teacher nicknamed me “Yeah But.” As in, “Yeah, but …” I always seemed to have an argument for the answer he sought in class, whether my argument was right or not.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU’s place in pecking order hasn’t changed
The nonconference portion of the college basketball season serves several purposes.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Thompson’s latest honor stands apart from the rest
Anthony Thompson has won his share of trophies and awards.
-
From The Press Box: Waltman reception highlights ISU reunion
It seems like every time I’m around Royce Waltman, I have to brace myself.
-
From The Press Box: At its worst moment, Indiana State showed a lot
Everyone knows life is unfair … you just hate it when life proves it.
So it went for Indiana State’s football team on Saturday as it faced perennial power Northern Iowa. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Don’t get too worked up about preseason polls
The Indiana State men were picked where in the MVC Preseason poll? The Sycamores tied for fifth last year and have seven players back from a postseason team. Terre Haute is so excited about this team. They had to be picked in the top half of the league, right?
- More From the Press Box Headlines
-
Nordic Festival Puts North Korea in Spotlight
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Today in History for Tuesday, February 12th
And the Winner for Best Super Bowl Ad Is...
Stocks Fall Sharply As Greek Deal Is Held Up
Arab League Wants U.N. Help in Syria
Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury
'Bachelor' Free Falls into the Ocean
Apple of their eye at $500 a share
Adele's revealing "60 Minutes" interview
Rosenthal: A's sign Cespedes
Bobby Brown on Houston's Death
Turkey's first face transplant
Exclusive Video: Bobbi Kristina Leaving Hospital
Obama Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget
Kelly Ripa's Fashion Faux Pas
Lusetich: AT&T Recap
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
Grammys 2012: Highlights
2.12: Pebble Beach Pro-Am -- Phil Mickelson
2012 Grammys: Rihanna
2012 Grammys: Taylor Swift
Exclusive Video - Whitney's Bodybag
FUEL TV: Punk Payback Gym tips
