INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Clyde Christensen spent eight seasons learning everything about the Colts offense.
He got insight into the brilliant football mind of Peyton Manning and saw how Manning and Marvin Harrison became a record-breaking tandem. He took notes on the nuances of the system and figured out how best to use all those talented receivers and backs to complement Manning’s masterful skills.
The most important lesson he got from former offensive coordinator Tom Moore may also be the simplest: It’s all about the players.
“It’s not about me or the staff, it’s about the team,” said Christensen, who succeeds Moore this season. “There’s a lot of different ways to do things, and we do things a little different here.”
Do they ever.
Manning’s ability to run the no-huddle offense has kept defenses guessing and the Colts winning.
cords for longest regular-season winning streak (23), most wins in a decade (115) and most consecutive 12-win seasons (seven). The Colts made the playoffs nine times, won six division titles, two AFC crowns and one Super Bowl thanks, of course, to Manning, the only four-time MVP in league history.
The consistency, Manning often acknowledges, is largely a byproduct of the Colts’ incredible continuity. Instead of adjusting to new coaching styles every few years, as most NFL players do, Manning had the advantage of working with the same coaches – offensive coordinator, line coach and running backs coach – for 12 seasons.
This year, that trio has finally been broken up.
Line coach Howard Mudd retired, turning the reins over to Pete Metzelaars. And Moore has scaled back his duties, accepting the title of senior offensive assistant, while Christensen, Indy’s former receivers coach, fulfills the succession plan by taking over the play-calling – a job he hasn’t held in nearly a decade.
“I don’t look at being a coordinator as any different than being the receivers coach,” Christensen said. “I did the best I could coaching the receivers, and I’ll do the best I can being the coordinator. But, you know, I don’t want to measure myself by Tom Moore’s success, that’s for sure.”
Everybody else will.
quarterbacks and the last one running an offense that was criticized for not being creative enough to win the Super Bowl. The image was reinforced when the Bucs won it all one year later, after Tony Dungy took Christensen, Jim Caldwell and others to Indy.
But this is a long way from the days of Brad Johnson, Shaun King and Keyshawn Johnson.
Like Dungy, Christensen encourages his players to have fun first, and like Caldwell, Christensen doesn’t worry about that old reputation.
In Indy, Christensen has directed co-stars Reggie Wayne and Harrison, the top two receivers in Colts history, and supporting actors such as Austin College, Pierre Garcon, Anthony Gonzalez and Brandon Stokley.
Their success helped Christensen develop a close relationship with Moore and a better rapport with Manning.
And few realize Christensen has actually been calling most of Indy’s third-down plays the last two seasons. The Colts were No. 1 both years, giving Manning more reason to support Christensen’s promotion.
“Clyde really, for the past couple of years, has been an integral part of our offense,” Manning said after the transition took place in the spring. “Tom has allowed Clyde to have a lot of input, and Clyde really had a lot of responsibilities when it came to the passing game. I’ve worked really closely with Clyde the past few years, and I’m excited to see that relationship grow.”
is whether a smooth transition will keep the Colts’ offensive machine humming?
Consider this:
-Indy’s offense finished among the NFL’s top three in scoring and the top five in total yards every year from 2003-07.
-Five starters – Manning, Wayne, center Jeff Saturday, tight end Dallas Clark and running back Joseph Addai – have been Pro Bowlers.
-Ten starters return from last season’s AFC championship team, and Manning comes into this season with arguably the deepest talent pool of his career. He has four proven wide receivers and two former first-round draft picks in the backfield to go with tight ends Clark, Jacob Tamme and Brody Eldridge, who have played well in the preseason.
Manning has produced 24 points in 37 plays, which isn’t a bad start for the new coordinator.
“He’s a wonderful coach, a lot of our receivers have a very positive relationship with him,” Austin Collie said. “I think he’ll take a lot of things from Coach Moore and use a lot of what Coach Moore did.”
The good news is that Moore, the architect of the Colts offense, won’t be far away.
He attended training camp at Anderson University, intends to be on the sideline with Christensen on Sunday afternoons and will be available throughout the week for whatever advice Christensen needs.
Even if it’s a gentle reminder about that most important lesson.
“Every single year we tweak some things, but it’s not like we’re putting in a whole new offense,” Christensen said. “I enjoy what I do. I love coaching, I love teaching, I love being around these guys.”
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