ESPN NFL

Former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' "retirement" lasted eight days. And Arians has landed in an unlikely destination.

Arians has agreed to become the Indianapolis Colts' new offensive coordinator, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Why is that so unlikely?

Well, this move means last year's Steelers offensive coordinator will join last year's Ravens defensive coordinator. Chuck Pagano was named the Colts' head coach two days ago. Guess there is more respect than hate in the Steelers-Ravens rivalry, at least on the coaching end.

Arians' five-year run as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator was disappointing considering the talent he had at the skill positions. But he will be a good fit for the Colts' in terms of scheme.

He was responsible for the Steelers going from a run-first to a pass-heavy offense. Whether the Colts are sticking with Peyton Manning or drafting Andrew Luck, Indianapolis will rely heavily on the passing game. The hiring of Arians certainly points in that direction.

At this point, it's assumed that the Colts and Manning are headed for a split. But, as one of our blog readers (SteelBlitz27) pointed out, this is a reunion for Arians and Manning. Arians was Manning's first quarterbacks coach, serving that role from 1998 to 2000.

Arians' return to coaching was a quick one. On Jan. 20, the Steelers sent out an official statement saying Arians had informed coach Mike Tomlin that he was retiring. A few days later, Arians revealed that he was pushed out after team president Art Rooney II informed him that his contract was not being renewed.

The Steelers and Colts don't play each other in the regular season in 2012.

Reading the coverage …

Houston Texans

Writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle: “[T]he thing that both excites and frustrates them about [Jacoby] Jones is that he can and should be so much better than he has been the last two weeks. He has the size and speed to be an impact player. The Texans know this because they've seen flashes of it in practice and at times in games during his first four seasons.”

Trindon Holliday will take over as the returner, to allow Danieal Manning and Jacoby Jones to focus on their primary jobs, writes McClain. I like the concept of a player taking the jobs away from key guys on offense and defense, but I’m scared of Holliday.

Indianapolis Colts

Injuries have left the Colts nearly devoid of quality defensive backs, says Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star. Cincinnati’s rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and his receivers will have opportunities against this group.

Austin Collie’s workload is down, like a lot of skill players without Peyton Manning, says Mike Chappell.

Nate Dunlevy of 18to88 says Jacob Lacey was not as bad as people think against Dwayne Bowe.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars seek a new direction with their new punter Nick Harris, says Vito Stellino of the Times-Union.

Mike Tomlin didn’t care for questions about the Jaguars-Steelers playoff game that did wonders for the careers of Jack Del Rio and David Garrard, writes Tania Ganguli of the Times-Union.

Tennessee Titans

Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer was ticked off at Damian Williams for going on cruise control during the loss to the Steelers, writes John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Is Jim Caldwell a top-10 coach?

Before you jump to say he is not, consider there are only 24 coaches in the league who’ve got real résumés to judge -- there are eight new coaches heading into their first seasons.

Here are the power ranking results and Tim Graham’s piece on how things sorted out.

Bill Belichick is our unanimous No. 1 and Caldwell finished 13th. I rated him eighth and gave Graham this rationale:

“I voted for Caldwell late, frankly, because I was running out of good candidates.

“I do not think he’s a particularly good game-day coach. The rationale he had for the late timeouts that helped the Colts lose at Jacksonville and to the Jets in the playoffs was flawed.

“But in terms of delivering a consistent message, setting expectations and holding a team together through an injury-riddled season, he did excellent work. And those are very important elements to the job.”

I did not consider Jack Del Rio or Gary Kubiak at all, and Mike Munchak is one of those eight new coaches.

Here is my ballot, not to be confused with the overall results, which you’ll find in the link above.

1. Bill Belichick
2. Mike Tomlin
3. Andy Reid
4. Mike McCarthy
5. Tom Coughlin
6. Sean Payton
7. Rex Ryan
8. Jim Caldwell
9. Mike Smith
10. Ken Whisenhunt

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

NASHVILLE. Tenn. -- We won’t know until 90 minutes before kickoff Thursday night whether the Titans and Nate Washington were spinning positive this week or whether he can really return from his hamstring injury to help his new team take on his old.

Here's my news story on Tuesday’s developments.

Washington owns a Super Bowl ring from being part of the Steelers last year, but doesn’t wear it, referring to it as more of a trophy because it’s so big. While the context is important to him, it certainly won’t influence the team’s decision about whether, or how much, he plays.

After he answered a lot of post-practice questions, a beat reporter asked him about a note taped up in his locker. It’s a small card bearing Mike Tomlin’s name printed across the top and dated June 30, 2007.

"Nate,

Where’s your head at?

What’s your expectation for you?

What are you willing to do?

Experience it!

See you soon.

Mike T."

Washington said he’s kept the note handy since he got it and refers to it often because he felt like he’s come up short on work ethic at practice and of plays he could make in games.

“It’s not about coach Tomlin,” he said. “It’s written by him, but it’s about what it says, what it means to me.”

And what if he’s able to use some of the wisdom he pulls from it to help beat Tomlin and the Steelers Thursday night?

“I’m going to repeat it back to him,” Washington said, smiling.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

The Colts had Jim Caldwell in place ahead of time and expect a seamless transition into the post-Tony Dungy era.

It looks like a sound plan.

	AP Photo/Michael Conroy
	Jim Caldwell has big shoes to fill in Indianapolis, but many in his position have been successful before.

But popular wisdom says you don't want to be the guy to replace the guy. It's the replacement's replacement, the theory follows, who gains the distance necessary from a legendary name to be able to succeed.

For many, the thought of replacing a popular and successful coach brings back memories of some infamous NFL names.

Former Minnesota coach Les Steckel is still remembered for a 3-13 year in 1984 that wound up being a sabbatical season for Bud Grant. Ray Handley replaced Bill Parcells for the Giants in 1991 and went 14-18 in two seasons. Richie Petitbon replaced Joe Gibbs in 1993 and flamed out with a 4-12 season.

Are you familiar with Phil Bengtson or Paul Wiggin? Me neither.

Bengtson followed up Vince Lombardi in Green Bay and managed three third-place finishes. Wiggin was 11-24 in two-and-a-half seasons following Hank Stram in Kansas City.

But none of that is reason for Colts devotees to fear the dawn of the Caldwell era as he replaces a potential Hall of Famer who takes a .668 winning percentage with him into retirement.

Thanks to some help from Keith Hawkins of ESPN Stats & Information, we can take a detailed look at how the successors to the winningest coaches have fared.

While there were some strikeouts, the history is hardly a horror story. Two successors won multiple Super Bowls, two more were playoff regulars and another is leading his team into the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

So here's a run through how things have panned out after big-time winning coaches stepped away or were removed. These are the top 10 coaches with the best winning percentages in the Super Bowl era (minimum 100 games coached since the 1966 season):

	Andy Hayt/Getty Images
	Tom Flores did very well as John Madden's successor, winning two Super Bowls for the Silver-and-Black.

1) John Madden, .759 (Raiders)

Tom Flores replaced Madden in 1979 and Flores went 91-56 in nine seasons, leading the Raiders to wins in Super Bowl XV and XVII.

2) George Allen, .712 (Rams and Redskins)

Jack Pardee replaced Allen in Washington, and Pardee was 24-24 in three seasons (1978-80). Joe Gibbs replaced Pardee and won 140 games from 1981-92 and three Super Bowls.

3) Tom Landry, .674 (Cowboys)

Jimmy Johnson replaced Landry in 1989 and Johnson won back to back Super Bowls in the 1992 and 1993 seasons. Johnson was 51-37 from 1989-93. [Corrected from earlier when I gave him credit for the one Barry Switzer won in 1994.]

4) Don Shula, .672 (Colts and Dolphins)

Like Landry, Shula was replaced by Johnson. In four seasons (1996-99), Johnson was 38-31 and 2-3 in the postseason. Since Shula, Miami has had six different head coaches.

5) Tony Dungy, .668 (Buccaneers and Colts)

Replaced by Caldwell this week.

6) George Seifert, .648 (49ers and Panthers)

Seifert did some replacing himself, following Bil Walsh. Steve Mariucci replaced Seifert in San Francisco in 1997, and Mariucci got the Niners to the NFC Championship in his first season. In six seasons, Mariucci made the playoffs four times. Since Mariucci left, the 49ers have had three different head coaches.

7) Bill Cowher, .623 (Steelers)

Mike Tomlin replaced Cowher in 2007. In his second season, Tomlin is preparing the Steelers to host Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game.

8-T) Joe Gibbs, .621 (Redskins)

Petitbon was a dud.

8-T) Bud Grant, .621 (Vikings)

Returned for another season after Steckel bombed, then saw Jerry Burns go 55-46 from 1986-91.

10) Bill Belichick .616 (Browns and Patriots)

When he finishes his term in New England, he'll leave a tough headset to fill.

And here's one from outside the top 10: a succession scenario the Colts would be thrilled to mimic.

Bill Walsh, .609 (49ers) -- Replaced by Seifert in 1989, Seifert went on to win two Super Bowls in his first six seasons. He won at least 10 games in all eight of his seasons and only missed the playoffs once. Like Caldwell, Seifert inherited a pretty good quarterback situation, getting two years of Joe Montana and six with Steve Young.

	David Boss/US Presswire
	Blanton Collier replaced the legendary Paul Brown, and never had a losing season.

As I couldn't stop asking, here are the succession stories of some other Hall of Fame coaches:

• Paul Brown -- Blanton Collier was in Cleveland from 1963-70, and didn't have a losing season, going 76-34-2.
• Weeb Eubank -- Charley Winner took over the Jets in 1974 and went 9-14 and didn't last two seasons. He was let go after nine games in 1975.
• George Halas -- Following the 1967 season in Chicago when Halas left the Bears' post for the final time, he was replaced by Jim Dooley, who was 16 games under .500 (20-36) from 1968-71.
• Marv Levy -- Was replaced by Wade Phillips in 1998, and Phillips went 29-19 in three seasons, losing two playoff games.
• Chuck Noll -- Bill Cowher took over in 1992 and went 149-90-1 in 15 seasons, reaching two Super Bowls and winning one.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

PITTSBURGH -- In the midst of the biggest game of his coaching career, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had no problem taking time out to pay his respects to recently retired Colts head coach Tony Dungy.

	Michael Fabus/Getty Images
	Steelers coach Mike Tomlin described his mentor, Tony Dungy, as "the ultimate coach, the ultimate motivator."

"He's a special, special person," Tomlin said during his weekly news conference Tuesday.

Dungy is a role model to many in the coaching community, including Tomlin, who is preparing Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship Game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Tomlin spent one year as an assistant under Dungy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But even after Dungy joined the Indianapolis Colts, he remained a mentor to Tomlin.

While everyone has been praising Dungy's character in the past day or so, Tomlin also wanted to make sure Dungy is celebrated as a great football coach as well.

"He's the ultimate coach, the ultimate motivator," Tomlin said. "Oftentimes he's expressionless in the midst of battle. But those that work with him understand what a great motivator and how he inspires men."

	Lecka/Getty Images
	Tennessee running back Chris Johnson was part of two agressive fourth-down plays by the Titans en route to a 31-14 win over Pittsburgh.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For 30 minutes, Jeff Fisher played territorial football, worrying about field position above all else. It was traditional Titans.

But at the half, a coach known for relying on his defense and his willingness to settle for field goals or punt the ball away, saw the need to shape the game differently. It sparked a stunningly complete 31-14 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that determined AFC playoff seeding supremacy.

Steelers-Titans featured big hits, sacks and tackles for losses, but it opened up with more scoring opportunities than Fisher anticipated. And when it did, he didn't fight it, he allowed for it.

So twice on fourth downs with his team well in the range of kicker Rob Bironas, Fisher elected to keep his offense on the field. A week after a failed fourth-down play cost the Titans a chance to win in Houston, he gave the green light twice more -- with spectacular results.

The two plays:

With 5:12 on the clock in the third quarter, down four points and facing a fourth-and-1 from the Pittsburgh 21-yard line, Kerry Collins faked an inside handoff to fullback Ahmard Hall, then pitched the ball behind him to the left to Chris Johnson. As the Titans anticipated, a cornerback -- Ike Taylor -- was all that was between the rookie running back and the first down, and Johnson easily juked Taylor. He then chomped up the remaining yards too, scoring a touchdown that put the Titans ahead for good, 17-14.

Next series, with the ball back thanks to the first of two Michael Griffin interceptions with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Fisher gave the nod again. On fourth-and-3 at Pittsburgh's 30, Collins fired a pass up the right side perfectly fitted between defenders to Justin Gage for 17 yards. The Titans scored another touchdown to complete the drive.

What did Fisher have to say about the aggressiveness?

"I didn't feel like field goals were going to win this ball game," Fisher said. "Because of the way their defense was playing and the way their offense has the potential to play. We get down to the plus territory, we take a shot at it and we got it, it worked for us.

"A lot of it is just a gut reaction. To me, you evaluate the flow of the game, you assess what you anticipate happening. Keep this in mind, before that, they missed a field goal, they fumbled it on the 5-yard line, they were moving the ball. You like to assume that your defense is going to make the stops, and we did. But, still, in a game like this you have to be aggressive. You have to play it to win it. We played our field position game in the first half. The second half was time to go win in."

Some Titans diehards will read and reread those two paragraphs blinking hard and wondering if they are misattributed. Because that's the sort of talk they've wished to hear on so many tense Sundays when they were left to watch Bironas or Joe Nedney or Gary Anderson or Al Del Greco wind up the hero or goat after close, conservative games.

All the bedrocks of Fisher's stability -- the balanced temperament, the ability to endure a bad stretch, the unwavering faith in the organization's philosophy and scheme, the patience -- come intertwined with a default to conservatism.

The field goal has almost always been his friend.

Now, in three huge moments over the course of three weeks, he hasn't pointed to Bironas. The net against the Steelers was eight additional points -- two touchdowns instead of two field goals. The bounce-back win over the Steelers and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs make it feel like significantly more than that.

(Read full post)