In his first game as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, the teacher will be squaring off against his former pupil.
Former Colts coach Jim Caldwell is now responsible for the Baltimore offense, just in time for former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning to ride into town with his Broncos.
Though not nearly as compelling as a Dungy-versus-Manning clash would be, given that they won a Super Bowl together and Dungy’s specialty was defense, Caldwell going against Manning is the closest approximation to it.
Indeed, Caldwell was Manning’s position coach from 2002 through 2007, and then his head coach for four years after that. Though Caldwell surely would have had a role in helping defensive coordinator Dean Pees make sure the defense doesn’t crap their pants against Peyton (especially since the Ravens typically don’t match up well with Manning), the ascension of Caldwell adds another layer of intrigue to an inherently exciting game.
And the stakes are fairly high. The Broncos are 10-3, and the Ravens are 9-4. The winner will have the edge against the other in the inevitable game of AFC playoff pecking order.