While we wait, and wait, and wait for the Tom Moore situation to clear itself up, for the time being Clyde Christensen is the offensive coordinator. Yes, I know he is not the coordinator officially (i.e., he doesn't have the flashy title, nor is he likely getting paid what an offensive coordinator is normally paid), but when one is doing the most of the duties of the offensive coordinator, one IS the offensive coordinator. If my job title is Senior Vice President but my duties consist of cleaning toilets, fixing sinks, and mopping floors it means I'm a friggin' janitor, not a Senior VP. And likely, I'm getting paid as a janitor, not as a Senior VP. The tasks define the job, not the title. This is especially true in the eyes of fans.
And right now, Clyde Christensen is the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator.
That said, how does Peyton Manning feel about Clyde Christensen? When "P" voiced his frustration last week about the lack of communication from the Colts front office on the Tom Moore situation, it seems that his comments were not a shot at the two men filling in for Tom Moore and Howard Mudd (Christensen and Pete Metzelaars, respectively). In fact, when regarding Christensen, Peyton seems to think very highly of him:
But Clyde and I spent a lot of time together talking during the week. He gives me great insight on what the receivers like: ‘Hey, Reggie thinks he can get deep on an out-and-up. Marvin knows he can get beat on a post-corner. Gonzalez feels better about this route.’ And Clyde also for the most part for the last three years has basically been implementing our third-down package and our red-zone package and last year we were No. 1 in both categories. Tom has given him great flexibility and input.
On third down situations and in goal line situations, the Colts are a dominant football team. Not simply good or even great. DOMINANT. Even with a horrid running game last season, the Colts converted 50% of their third downs. That is an amazing level of efficiency. Also, when the Colts got in the red zone in 2008, even without a reliable running game, they scored TDs. They didn't settle for FGs or commit dumb turnovers. And since Christensen has implemented the Colts third down and red zone offensive packages, he deserves much credit for the Colts success in those departments.
So, regardless of what role Tom Moore plays in the 2009 team, it seems that Clyde Christensen could have a more involved role in how the offense is executed. And that is not necessarily a bad thing.
For more on Christensen, check out shake n bake's article from a few weeks ago on Christensen's one year tenure as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator back in 2001.