DALLAS – For Caldwell’s veteran football coach Mike DeVol, this one was a no-brainer.

“You know I’ve got to take the Packers,” he laughed. “Somewhere, I’ve got 16 milimeter film of Dom (Capers) playing quarterback for Meadowbrook High.”

That footage might be labeled vintage, considering Capers was calling signals for the Colts back in the late 60s amidst that historic era of flower children and war protesters.

Some 42 seasons later, Capers remains one of Guernsey County’s favorite sons. And his many area friends, not to mention Capers’ fraternity brotherhood of coaches spanning the years, will celebrate with him Sunday afternoon.

Capers has paid some serious dues. His resume and body of work is staggering. And now, finally, Capers has reached the pinnacle of his profession – the Super Bowl.

If Green Bay and Pittsburgh wasn’t already must-see TV, match two of the game’s greatest defensive coaches and there is off-the-chart potential.

“You’ll never meet a nicer guy,” DeVol says of the 60-year-old Capers. “He makes a habit coming back home every summer (for an annual golf outing).”

It’s not out of the question Capers could be accompanied by a championship ring during this year’s visit. The Packers are slight favorites to prevail Sunday.

This much is certain: Capers’ presence has resulted in an outpouring of love among his players.

Said linebacker Clay Matthews: “Coach Capers is truly the MVP of our defense. We’ve got some great players all across the board, but what (Dom) has been able to do, especially with all the injuries throughout the year, it’s pretty remarkable. We’ve ended up number two overall in defense and Coach has got us in position to play for a world championship.”

Packers’ nose tackle B.J. Raji concurs: “Coach Capers – this is his 25th year and this is his first Super Bowl. Nothing’s ever promised to you. He’s one of the best coaches to ever coach and he had to wait (this) long. It makes me appreciate everything even more.”

Raji and his teammates spent hours in film rooms, learning Capers’ many schemes.

“We all bought into it (3-4 defense),” Raji reported. “Sometimes, if everyone’s not on the same page, it could be kind of a hectic situation. But when you’re on the same page and you have the players, it can be something special.”

At Tuesday’s media day session, Capers discussed coaching formations. “Everything runs in cycles in this business if you stay in it long enough,” he disclosed. “When I first came into the league, it (defense) was all 4-3 and then we had a great advantage running the 3-4 because we were looking for different types of talent.

“Then it went to 3-4, then back to 4-3, and now you’re seeing a lot more 3-4 teams. People study each other. We spend all of our time in the offseason trying to look for things to add to our package.

“The more prevalent things become, I think sometimes they become less effective, so you have to stay ahead of the curve.”

Capers has made that his M.O. since accepting his first assistant’s job at Kent State in 1972. Before elevating to NFL status, Capers also served on the following collegiate staffs: Washington, Hawaii, San Jose State, Tennessee and Ohio State (1982-83).

Prior to joining Mike McCarthy’s staff two seasons ago, Capers was an assistant with the Patriots, Dolphins, Saints and Steelers. After coaching in Pittsburgh (1992-94), Capers was named head coach of the Carolina Panthers (1995-98) and was NFL Coach of the Year in 1996.

Following a two-year stay as defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Capers was hired as head coach of the Houston Texans where he worked four seasons.

“I definitely enjoyed my years in Pittsburgh,” Capers commented. “Working with (current defensive coordinator) Dick LeBeau was so beneficial.

“Those were three fun years. I remember our first year there, we were about three quarters of the way through the season and we started running more zone pressures. We did even more the second year. The third year is when the ‘Blitzburgh’ thing came into effect and we led the league in sacks.”

Expect the Pack to put relentless pressure on Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger Sunday.

“It’s tough preparing for his (Capers) defense because it’s always changing and evolving,” said Green Bay linebacker and former Buckeye A.J. Hawk. “Like any good defense, we’re trying to be unpredictable and that’s what I think Coach Capers does best.”

Gibson may be reached at rgibson@timesleaderonline.com