JIM PETERS: Valpo football changes won't be too dramatic

The most successful leaders aren't the ones who show the most authority.

They're the ones who share the most authority.

Trusting in your colleagues, knowing that they have your back, is one of the many lessons Dave Coyle learned as part of Mark Hoffman's coaching staff at Valparaiso the last 20 years.

It's also one he'll apply as he takes control of the wheel on the Vikings' ship.

"It really opens your eyes to things like managerial skills, organization, availability," Coyle said. "When you're a coordinator, you've got your spot over here. When you become head coach, there are more avenues you're dealing with. The buck stops with you."

As defensive coordinator, Coyle had one job, and he did it well. He'll continue in that capacity but understands that, too, will change. When the offense takes the field, he's used to heading away from the sidelines to talk strategy. Coyle's identity was with that side of the ball. Now he'll have to pay attention to both, find a balance between the two that the guy in charge absolutely must have in order to forge a cohesive team.

"There'll be a learning curve," Coyle admits. "It's a continuous learning process."

After 35 years of things being done one way at Valpo, change is in the offing, and that's not a bad thing. Success on the football field comes with coaching philosophies and personalities as distinctive as the region itself. But the transition will be more subtle than drastic. If the school corporation wanted to go a different direction, it wouldn't have stayed inside. With Coyle's hiring, it's basically saying, "We like it the way it is."

Coyle's not about to blow it up and start all over. There's no need for that. The foundation is there. The staff, arguably the best in the area, is in place. But Coyle will brand the program in his own way. He has to, as his athletic director affirms.

"He can't be Mark Hoffman," Hoffman said. "He's got to be Dave Coyle."

If nothing else, the demeanor will be different. Coyle exudes intensity, as his defensive background would suggest. Hoffman's fire burned a little below the surface, tempered by the perspective that experience provides.

"We're both perfectionists," Coyle said. "You put both of us in a room together, things get a little crazy."

Coyle knows he's going to have to pace himself if his longevity is going to match his wait for the opportunity.

"Hopefully it'll go until I retire," he said.

There are expectations, but this isn't quite Penn. Save for a couple big years, Valpo has hovered around .500 for the better part of a decade. Can Coyle raise the bar? He's certainly not afraid of the challenge.

"That's the excitement of the whole thing," Coyle said. "I'm no stranger to understanding the playoffs. It takes a lot of hard work and a little luck. I can tell you this. We're going to do everything we can to put the best product out on the field on Friday nights."

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at jim.peters@nwi.com.