INDIANAPOLIS — Jim Caldwell waited patiently for seven years to lead the Indianapolis Colts.

On Tuesday, he calmly walked to the podium as Tony Dungy’s successor and began describing potential changes for 2009. A new quarterbacks coach is already in place. He’s still meeting with Dungy’s old staff members to determine how many will return.

And there may be a slightly louder volume at practice.

“I am my own person and I suspect that I may be a bit more emotional, at times, than him,” Caldwell said, one day after Dungy retired. “I worked for him for eight years, and I never heard him raise his voice one time, so I might break that record.”

Otherwise, it may be hard to tell the difference between the close friends.

Both are 53 years old, had long careers as assistants and only one head coaching job before joining the Colts. Both openly discuss their religious beliefs and prefer actions to words. Both embrace the importance of working in the community as much as they do winning championships.

Yet Caldwell’s first, and perhaps greatest challenge, is demonstrating he’s not Dungy’s identical twin.

One man who needs no proof is Dungy, who watched the news conference from the back of the room and worked with Caldwell for eight years — the first in Tampa Bay.

“We have a saying around here, next man up, and Jim is the next man up,” Dungy said Monday at his retirement announcement. “He’s not going to try and do it like I did it. He’s worked for some great people, and he’s going to put his stamp on this team and they’re going to win.”

Winning is what Dungy did best.

The question is whether Caldwell can fill that role now that Dungy is gone.

Caldwell takes over a team that has been to the playoffs seven straight seasons, won at least 12 games in six consecutive seasons and has won five of the last six AFC South titles. He has a solid foundation with three-time MVP Peyton Manning, 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders, and bookend Pro Bowlers at receiver and defensive end.

Of course, the combination also dramatically increases the stakes for a first-time NFL head coach, like Caldwell.

Owner Jim Irsay and team president Bill Polian expect Caldwell to continue the trend.

And after watching Caldwell over the past 12 months as Dungy’s hand-picked apprentice, they’re hoping the transition from Dungy to Caldwell is as smooth as the one San Francisco made in the late 1980s when Bill Walsh stepped down and George Seifert stepped in.

The result: Seifert followed Walsh’s three Super Bowl titles with two of his own.

“I really think it is kind of like that,” Irsay said. “It’s really about saying ’We’ve been great, but we need to be better, push it harder, do the things we need to do to make us better.’ That’s what I’m excited about.”

Caldwell begins with a four-year contract and although Irsay did not provide the financial details, he did acknowledge that Caldwell will be paid in the range of other first-time NFL head coaches.

The Wisconsin native, who turns 54 on Friday, has extensive college credentials.

He coached at seven schools and under some of the game’s biggest names: Joe Paterno at Penn State, Howard Schnellenberger at Louisville, Bill McCartney at Colorado.

At Wake Forest, his only other head coaching job, Caldwell went 26-63 in eight seasons. He believes that experience made him a better coach, and those who have followed his career contend Caldwell is the right man for the Colts.

“Jim was one of the best assistant coaches I’ve ever had at Penn State,” Paterno said. “I thought he did a great job as the head coach at Wake Forest, and Jim will do a great job as the head coach of the Colts.”

Caldwell joined Dungy’s staff in 2001 as Tampa Bay’s quarterbacks coach, then moved with Dungy to Indianapolis in 2002. Since then, he’s been in charge of Manning and backup Jim Sorgi although his duties expanded last season when he was made the successor-in-waiting.

He scripted the offseason practice schedule and participated in the draft prep work and draft day meetings.

Dungy said Monday that Caldwell already has proposed making a few changes already, though the new coach declined to elaborate on those thoughts Tuesday.

He did say former Buffalo Bills quarterback Frank Reich, who spent last season as an offensive team assistant, will be elevated to quarterbacks coach. Caldwell is still meeting with other staff members before debating whether to make additional moves.

Clearly, though, Caldwell is intent on putting his imprint on this team.

“He’s very tough to follow,” Caldwell said Tuesday, referring again to Dungy. “But I’m not competing with Tony. I want to build on the success we have had and move forward.”