Super Bowl coach heeds JoePa’s advice

From The Associated Press
MIAMI — Jim Caldwell has a staff of 16 assistant coaches, plus a deep supply of friends and confidants who helped him steer the Indianapolis Colts into the Super Bowl.
Count JoePa among those who got Caldwell off to a great start.
Longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno — major college football’s all-time win leader — hired Caldwell as a wide receivers coach in 1986, and the words he spoke then still resonate deeply with the Colts’ rookie boss now.
One quote in particular stuck with Caldwell.
“Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves,” Caldwell recalled Wednesday.
In many ways, Penn State was Caldwell’s big coaching break. During his time with the Nittany Lions, he worked with Kerry Collins when he was considered college football’s top quarterback, and worked his way up the ranks to passing game coordinator, plus was part of a national championship.
By the time Caldwell left Penn State, he was ready for a head coaching gig, which Wake Forest gave him in 1993. Caldwell worked for some other top-notch college coaches as well – Howard Schnellenberger and Bill McCartney among them — but Paterno’s words echo loudest to this day.
“I worked for him for seven years, and I think he’s one of the finest teachers in the game,” Caldwell said.