Stephen Holder

Former Colts coach Tony Dungy has always had a sharp eye for spotting up-and-coming talent in the coaching ranks.

He once employed coaching upstarts Lovie Smith, Leslie Frazier and Mike Tomlin. They learned at his feet while watching him work, and he helped each blossom into an NFL head coach.

But when, Dungy, the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in the early 1990s, told young linebacker Greg Manusky that he might have a future in coaching, the player didn't exactly embrace the advice.

"He said, 'Hey, you ever think about coaching?' " recalled Manusky, now the Colts' defensive coordinator more than two decades later.

"I said, 'Man, I ain't coaching. No way.' "

But after letting Dungy's recommendation marinate a few years, Manusky revisited the notion at the end of his playing days. And when he finally decided to dive in, Dungy was there to give him the chance.

"He gave me an internship in my first year out of the league down in Tampa, and it was great," Manusky said. "I thank him for that. I was a guy who knew the game but (also) knew he was limited athletically. But I understood the route combinations and all that important stuff. It just took it from there.

"The rest is history."

But this story's not over. Manusky is writing the most recent and, perhaps, most unlikely chapter right now in Indianapolis. He's helped shape the clay that has been molded into what looks like the Colts' most formidable defense in recent memory. It's a unit that is performing at a level no one expected after the loss of linebacker Robert Mathis to a season-ending Achilles tear. The Colts are coming off their first shutout since 2008 and are tied for third in the NFL with 21 sacks. Indianapolis also ranks first in the NFL in third-down defense, with opponents converting at a rate of just 26 percent.

Just as Manusky was deserving of a critical eye when the defense was disappointing in stretches last season, he has earned praise for its revival in 2014.

"We trust him to put us in the best position to make plays and win," cornerback Greg Toler said. "And right now it's just clicking from top to bottom."

When you watch the Colts play defense, you see in it a whole lot of Manusky – whether you realize it or not.

Just as Manusky was not a household name during his NFL career, the Colts have a number of faceless defenders playing key roles. Some might be considered overachievers; others are seen as surprise successes.

That's Manusky's story.

It reaches back to the late 1980s at Colgate University, which was not and is not considered a fertile breeding ground for NFL talent. But Manusky maximized his time there, earning Colonial League defensive player of the year honors in 1987.

And that did pretty much nothing for his pro prospects – Manusky went undrafted in 1988. He might not have even gotten a legitimate shot at an NFL roster spot if it wasn't for the relationship between Colgate athletic director Mark Murphy and Washington Redskins general manager Bobby Beathard.

Murphy, now the Green Bay Packers' president and CEO, called in a favor, and the Redskins granted Manusky a tryout.

"And I stuck around," said Manusky, still surprised all these years later. "They had just won the Super Bowl and I went there and was with the likes of Wilber Marshall and Doug Williams and I was like, 'What the hell am I doing here?'

"But I stuck with it and made the team. ... I knew my role was special teams and as a backup after about that third year or so, and I excelled at it. I went through my 12 years just really understanding defenses and going at it from a coach's perspective."

To appreciate the feat, you must appreciate how rare it is for even the highest of draft picks to remain in the NFL for 12 seasons. Basically, it almost never happens in a league where careers average just a few years.

After hanging up his cleats and embarking on his coaching career, Manusky quickly climbed the ranks. He developed a close bond with John Pagano – Chuck's brother – on the San Diego Chargers' staff. Through that relationship, Manusky and Chuck struck up a friendship.

So, when Chuck Pagano was named the Colts' coach in 2012 and began his search for a defensive coordinator, he called the like-minded Manusky. Having just interviewed for a spot on Dennis Allen's Oakland Raiders' staff, with whom Manusky's philosophies weren't totally compatible, Manusky felt at ease when interviewing with the Colts.

"It was an awesome feeling because we could communicate," said Manusky, who worked under Mike Nolan in San Francisco, running the same scheme Pagano ran with the Baltimore Ravens.

"It's like two guys talking in two different languages if it's not the same defense. With us, it was an instant bond. So, it was great to sit down and just start talking ball with Chuck."

Manusky took the job. They put their heads together and came up with a scheme. The defense they developed isn't Pagano's nor Manusky's.

"The defense was a collaborative effort," Pagano said.

That collaboration has proven productive. The Colts were 26th in total defense in 2012, 20th in 2013 but currently are third, allowing 311.1 yards per game.

"I'm happy for the players more than anything else," Manusky said. "They've put so much time and energy into it. To get it where it is now is the cream of the crop. But we have a long way to go still. We have to do, for instance, a lot better job in the red zone. We have to do a better job in two-minute (defense) and on first and second down."

Funny, isn't it? For a guy who never wanted to be a coach, Manusky sure sounds like one.

Follow Star reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.