INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -The Indianapolis Colts are looking a lot like their old selves.

Peyton Manning is completing passes at a record rate, the offense is scoring points by the dozens, the defense is harassing quarterbacks and the Colts are heading into another bye week with yet another perfect record.

Just the way they always seem to do.

Though some of the faces have changed this year - Jim Caldwell is the new coach, Larry Coyer is the new defensive coordinator, Ray Rychleski is the new special teams coach - the results have stayed the same.

``We sort of planned it this way,'' team president Bill Polian said. ``Jim had a year to learn the job, be part of all the decision-making processes, so that part of it was sort of a dress rehearsal. But you never expect to go 5-0.''

Few NFL teams have made the transition from one head coach to another so seamlessly. Indy has now started 5-0 four times in the last five years and has won a franchise record 14 straight regular-season games, the last nine in 2008 under Tony Dungy and the first five this season under Caldwell.

Even fewer have tried doing it the way Indy did.

In January 2008, the Colts essentially took Caldwell off the head coaching market by announcing he would replace Dungy when Dungy retired. The decision gave Caldwell time to consult with Dungy, contemplate draft strategies, figure out what worked and what changes were needed before Dungy decided to walk away nine months ago.

By then, Caldwell knew what he wanted to do.

He hired the pipe-smoking Coyer, brought in the excitable Rychleski and decided to beef up the undersized defensive line - changes that have worked perfectly.

``This is as well as I've seen them play when you take everything into account,'' Dungy said. ``The offense has been great, the defense is playing exceptionally well, the special teams is making plays. They've been in control of every game, I think, except Jacksonville when they were a little bit off.''

That was Week 1.

Since then, Indy has won four more times to take control of the AFC South, which it now leads by three games. The average victory margin over the last four weeks is 15.8 points and the Colts are almost halfway to a seventh straight 12-win season despite not being at full strength yet.

How have the Colts done all this?

Caldwell stayed with what worked and discarded what didn't.

He embraced Coyer's new defensive philosophy, using the Colts' speed in more blitz packages and their versatility to help get pass-rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis get more one-on-one blocks. Adding size in the middle of the line has helped Indy hold up better against the run. The combination has the usually maligned defense ranked No. 7 in the NFL, No. 14 against the run.

But it's not just the scheme that changed.

``We had meetings with (Caldwell) last year and this year, and he'd say 'What do we need to do to keep you guys fresh?''' defensive captain Gary Brackett said. ``He's done things like taking the pads off early in the week and getting guys some extra rest. So I don't think it's a surprise that the third and fourth quarters have been our quarters.''

Caldwell hasn't changed much on offense.

Manning, the three-time league MVP, is on pace to top 5,000 yards and break the NFL record for completion percentage. Cincinnati's Ken Anderson still holds the mark, completing 70.55 percent in 1982. Manning is at 73.5 percent with 11 games remaining.

His numbers are even more impressive considering he doesn't have Marvin Harrison, released in a cost-cutting move in February, or Harrison's projected replacement Anthony Gonzalez, who sprained ligaments in his right knee in Week 1.

So Manning has relied on standbys such as Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark and new contributors such as Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. And Manning has excelled in what looks like a succession plan between senior offensive coordinator Tom Moore and assistant head coach Clyde Christensen.

``Clyde's really been in charge of the third downs during the week, coming up with packages,'' Manning said. ``It's good with the young guys because those are the plays Clyde would call on third-and-5 or something. It gets the guys' minds into it and they learn from it, and Tom has given Clyde the freedom to do it.''

If they keep this up, Caldwell's first season as an NFL head coach could be one for the books.

To Dungy, it's no surprise.

``All the key components are still in place,'' Dungy said. ``They have a good core of players, good coaches, and I think everyone (in the organization) thought it would be like this.''