Jim Caldwell, who led the Indianapolis Colts to their last Super Bowl win, and was offensive coordinator to the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens from the 2012 NFL Season, has been hired as the Detroit Lions Head Coach.
With Jim Caldwell and Lovie Smith, this not only means that the NFL has hired two African American coaches in the same hiring season, but also that the Tony Dungy coaching tree is in full force. Jim Caldwell, Lovie Smith, and Mike Tomlin all started their NFL coaching careers with Tony Dungy.
What Jim Caldwell brings with him, much like Lovie Smith, and Mike Tomlin, and Tony Dungy is a calmness under pressure, player respect in the locker room, and a sound knowledge of plays, formations, and strategy.
And while Jim Caldwell is also known for heading the Colts during their terrible 2 and 12 season in 2011, he quickly erased that memory as he became the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens in the middle of the 2012 season, and replacing Cam Cameron. The result was an improved offense and play of Quarterback Joe Flacco, and the best-performing Ravens unit in the team’s history.
And while the Baltimore Ravens didn’t get to the playoffs this year, it was due to many injuries to key players.
Jim Caldwell Is A Developer Of Quarterbacks
What the Detroit Lions get in Jim Caldwell is a developer of quarterbacks. Of Caldwell, then Colts QB Peyton Manning said “I felt like he really took my game to another level. He’s also a tremendous mentor and friend to me. I can speak to him as a person and what kind of a coach he was to me.”
Given his success with Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco, there’s every indication that Caldwell will improve Detroit Lions’ Matt Stafford’s play too, and make the team competitive with the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, and bring a Super Bowl Trophy to the Motor City.
Stay tuned.