Adams: Colts' Moore, Manning stand behind each other

"It's an NFL alumni ring," he said Wednesday, four days before Sunday's Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears. "I guess they thought I would quit when I was 65.

"But I kept the ring and kept on going."

He has been going long enough to have worked with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. He has been going long enough to have recruited his head coach, Tony Dungy, to play quarterback at the University of Minnesota, where Moore was an offensive coordinator in the mid-1970s.

And he has been going long enough to bridge the gap between the Steelers' dynasty of the 1970s and the current NFL free-for-all in which teams go from near the bottom to the playoffs and vice versa from one year to the next.

The Colts' run of success -- five consecutive seasons with 10 or more victories -- contradicts the league trend in a parity-driven sport. And Moore deserves some of the credit, but don't say that to his face. He deflects compliments as quickly as you can deliver them.

"It's all about the players," he says repeatedly.

That's not false modesty. He really believes it and coaches accordingly.

He coached that way when I covered the Steelers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1984. He coaches that way today.

He's the ideal offensive coordinator for Manning, who had David Cutcliffe for an offensive mentor at the University of Tennessee. Moore and Cutcliffe are no-nonsense, straight-forward coaches who work diligently at their craft and whose body of work stacks up nicely with some of the so-called offensive gurus in both college and the NFL.

You could argue that the most pedestrian offensive coordinator would look downright brilliant if he had Manning for his quarterback. And you can't laud Moore too much for Bradshaw's accomplishments. Steelers coach Chuck Noll did most of the quarterback coaching back then while Moore worked more with the wide receivers.

But you don't have to be an All-Pro quarterback to succeed under Moore. In 1995, with Moore as his offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell passed for 4,338 yards. What year do you expect to see him in the NFL Hall of Fame?

Moore also did OK at Minnesota with Dungy as his quarterback in the split-back veer. Moore doesn't have a system per se. Again, it gets back to the players. Whatever fits his personnel becomes his system.

The current system is flourishing with Pro Bowlers Manning at quarterback, Marvin Harrison at wide receiver and Tarik Glenn at left offensive tackle. All three have been together with Moore since the start of the 1998 season.

"When you have everybody like that growing together, you don't have to pull back the reins," Moore said.

Moore and Manning pull together.

Manning said that 45 minutes before each game, Moore reminds him, "If you see something out there, go for it. I've got your back."

Moore calls the plays, and Manning either executes or changes them. Both emphasize their offensive partnership is based on trust.

"He's behind me and I'm behind him," Moore said.