Ravens' Caldwell still longs to be head coach

In the meantime, Caldwell is preparing for the Super Bowl while dozens of other coaches are at home looking forward to next year. So, despite not getting an interview, he has no regrets.

"None whatsoever. I'd certainly rather be right where I am right now, with you asking me this question," he said. "It just doesn't happen that often in your career to be fortunate enough to have this opportunity. I'm thankful. The other things, they'll take care of themselves somewhere down the road."

Caldwell deserves plenty of credit for Baltimore's surprising run to the Super Bowl. In the six games since he's taken over, the Ravens have averaged 26.2 points and 406.2 yards of offense. During the playoffs, Baltimore has scored touchdowns on eight of 10 trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

"What coach Caldwell has done has kept the offense simple and basic," running back Ray Rice said. "He put the game into Joe Flacco's hands, and Joe has done a great job — phenomenal job — of leading us to where we needed to be. We are right here where we want to be right now."

And maybe, so is Caldwell. For now, anyway. He expressed genuine appreciation and thanks Friday when talking about being asked to return in 2013.

"I'm excited about it. Certainly very honored and humbled as well," he said. "It's a great opportunity for me, in particular working within this organization. I'm looking forward to it, but right now I'm looking forward to this next ball game we've got coming up. That's the most important thing."