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Dungy: Be careful what you wish for....


ColtsHappy

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i haven't seen this posted here anywhere, but if it is, forgive me and feel free to pull it down....

 

Tony Dungy criticized John Harbaugh, who he believes rested his players to get the Colts over the Bengals...

 

It's here in the Baltimore paper:  http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-12-31/sports/bal-tony-dungy-disagrees-with-john-harbaughs-decision-to-pull-starters-20121231_1_indianapolis-colts-coach-john-harbaugh-tony-dungy

 

From the Article:

 

 

“I’m a little surprised that John Harbaugh is saying that they were not playing for more,” Dungy said during Sunday night’s broadcast just prior to the Dallas Cowboys-Washington Redskins tilt. “They had a chance to get to the No. 3 seed. He was very comfortable at No. 4 and that tells me that they want to play in Indianapolis. I would have played my guys to go ahead and get a chance to get to the No. 3 spot.”

 

Fellow analyst Rodney Harrison disagreed with Dungy. “I believe it was the right move,” the former New England Patriots safety said. “What is the difference between Cincinnati and Indianapolis? It’s not like the difference between Cincinnati and the Patriots.”

 

Dungy’s last comment on the topic: “He wanted Indianapolis and he’s got them now.”

 

ColtsHappy

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This tells me two things. First, Dungy respects this team and thinks that we are being underestimated. I would agree with him. It also tells me that if this was indeed the case and reflects John Harbaugh's actual views on the matter that the Ravens may be overlooking us this Sunday. Both work to our favor IMO.

 

It would not surprise me if Harbaugh preferred us to Cinci because of the mounting success CInci has had late in the season. It is along the same lines as all of the talking heads raining on our parade. Toomer was saying on NFL Radio how Andrew Luck turns the ball over way too much for us to beat Houston (this was Saturday morning prior to our last game). Heads up fellas-- Luck has not turned the ball over in 3 consecutive games now. No respect across the board. SO to hear Dungy say these words, I think he sees this disrespect or at least naivete.

 

Bring on the Ravens.

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This tells me two things. First, Dungy respects this team and thinks that we are being underestimated. I would agree with him. It also tells me that if this was indeed the case and reflects John Harbaugh's actual views on the matter that the Ravens may be overlooking us this Sunday. Both work to our favor IMO.

 

It would not surprise me if Harbaugh preferred us to Cinci because of the mounting success CInci has had late in the season. It is along the same lines as all of the talking heads raining on our parade. Toomer was saying on NFL Radio how Andrew Luck turns the ball over way too much for us to beat Houston (this was Saturday morning prior to our last game). Heads up fellas-- Luck has not turned the ball over in 3 consecutive games now. No respect across the board. SO to hear Dungy say these words, I think he sees this disrespect or at least naivete.

 

Bring on the Ravens.

I agree and also want to add that it's hard to face a team a third time. we all know those divison games are tough. But the Ravens still almost won the game.

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I'm ready to talk about this game. It's a heck of a lot more interesting than RG3 v Luck v Peyton, or who got fired today. I get the sense that many of us don't even believe that this is happening!

I think this is a winnable match up for the Colts, but Ray Rice can't go nuts. That's really it. The Colts contain Rice, they'll win. The Ravens are not right currently and they're not going to flip a switch to make it so. With that said, this is going to be a game where the comeback mentality must be strong from the get go. This Ravens team is better than Detroit or Kansas City. This Colts squad is going to get pushed around a little.

Luck > Flacco

We win by 3 late.

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Love you Tony, but that's ridiculous. The only way the Ravens were getting the third seed was if the Patriots lost to Miami with a bye on the line. The odds of that happening were absurdly low. For that small chance the struggling and injured Ravens would have had to throw everything but the kitchen sink at a very hot Bengals team - with the "reward" if all this worked out in there favor being that they would have had to play the Bengals against the very next week - which is brutally difficult for any team. And the reward for beating them twice in a row would be to head up to NE. What are he odds of beating Bill Bellichick twice in one year?

 

There is no great option for the Ravens at the moment, but giving your beat up team a "bye" week, while being able to prepare for your first playoff opponent well ahead of time (without said opponent having the same luxury) sounds pretty shrewd to me. It's not an insult to the Colts, it's just common sense.

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We're playing with house money as far as I'm concerned.  I'm hoping Ray plays, I think he's more of a liability to them now.

 

This is the best team we've faced since NE, it's going to be a tough one.

actually texans are better than ravens atleast they were

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I have a feeling that the Ravens are gonna lay a big fat dud.  There defense isn't what it used to be and Flacco has not come up big in close games.  

 

If this becomes a blowout then Flacco will play well, but if we keep it tight, we may be able to force Flacco to turn the ball over.  But the KEY is to contain the running game and put the ball in Flacco hands.  If we allow the running game to run us over, this game will be over quick.

 

I have confidence in our offense.  The Ravens aren't that good when it comes to defending the pass and Luck is going to have a slightly better time with the weak pass rush of the Ravens.

 

But man, I can't wait to see Pags face his former team.

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Love you Tony, but that's ridiculous. The only way the Ravens were getting the third seed was if the Patriots lost to Miami with a bye on the line. The odds of that happening were absurdly low. For that small chance the struggling and injured Ravens would have had to throw everything but the kitchen sink at a very hot Bengals team - with the "reward" if all this worked out in there favor being that they would have had to play the Bengals against the very next week - which is brutally difficult for any team. And the reward for beating them twice in a row would be to head up to NE. What are he odds of beating Bill Bellichick twice in one year?

 

There is no great option for the Ravens at the moment, but giving your beat up team a "bye" week, while being able to prepare for your first playoff opponent well ahead of time (without said opponent having the same luxury) sounds pretty shrewd to me. It's not an insult to the Colts, it's just common sense.

 

 

 

I think maybe the logic was that both Houston and Balt played at 1 pm. If Houston won then the Pats may have thought about dumpimg their game to face Indy rather than Cinn. The odds of KC winning at Denver were about zero . So figuring this all in , Balt had nothing to gain but playing a tougher team , in their opinion , by winning. So they rested the starters and assured themselves that NE couldn't dump their game at 4 to get the Colts rather than Cinn.

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First of all yes careful what you wish for and I heard Reggie Wayne already say that the Colts players are well aware of the fact that the Ravens wanted to play them.

 

However, this cuts both ways for weeks we have been saying we wanted to play the Ravens too.  Someone has to lose Sunday and will end up with a little Egg on their fact hopefully it's the Ravens!

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First of all yes careful what you wish for and I heard Reggie Wayne already say that the Colts players are well aware of the fact that the Ravens wanted to play them.

However, this cuts both ways for weeks we have been saying we wanted to play the Ravens too. Someone has to lose Sunday and will end up with a little Egg on their fact hopefully it's the Ravens!

How would the colts have egg on their face should they lose?

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I have a feeling that the Ravens are gonna lay a big fat dud. There defense isn't what it used to be and Flacco has not come up big in close games.

If this becomes a blowout then Flacco will play well, but if we keep it tight, we may be able to force Flacco to turn the ball over. But the KEY is to contain the running game and put the ball in Flacco hands. If we allow the running game to run us over, this game will be over quick.

I have confidence in our offense. The Ravens aren't that good when it comes to defending the pass and Luck is going to have a slightly better time with the weak pass rush of the Ravens.

But man, I can't wait to see Pags face his former team.

It also helps that Pags knows that defense inside out. I think he's going to do some things we haven't seen all year to possibly exploit some weakness in that D, hopefully.

Pretty much have to play mistake free on O. Little to no turnovers, preferably no turnovers lol. On the D side they need to stop Rice which is a big task, but yet one that can be achieved and also stop Torrey Smith.

I think we have some advantage strategically with Corey Redding and Pags who I'm sure know everything about the Ravens in terms of D.

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i haven't seen this posted here anywhere, but if it is, forgive me and feel free to pull it down....

 

Tony Dungy criticized John Harbaugh, who he believes rested his players to get the Colts over the Bengals...

 

It's here in the Baltimore paper:  http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-12-31/sports/bal-tony-dungy-disagrees-with-john-harbaughs-decision-to-pull-starters-20121231_1_indianapolis-colts-coach-john-harbaugh-tony-dungy

 

From the Article:

 

 

“I’m a little surprised that John Harbaugh is saying that they were not playing for more,” Dungy said during Sunday night’s broadcast just prior to the Dallas Cowboys-Washington Redskins tilt. “They had a chance to get to the No. 3 seed. He was very comfortable at No. 4 and that tells me that they want to play in Indianapolis. I would have played my guys to go ahead and get a chance to get to the No. 3 spot.”

 

Fellow analyst Rodney Harrison disagreed with Dungy. “I believe it was the right move,” the former New England Patriots safety said. “What is the difference between Cincinnati and Indianapolis? It’s not like the difference between Cincinnati and the Patriots.”

 

Dungy’s last comment on the topic: “He wanted Indianapolis and he’s got them now.”

 

ColtsHappy

Am I the only one who considers Tony Dungy's comments hypocritical considering he loved to rest players for the Colts at the worst possible times prior to a Playoff game & completely deflate our confidence and MOJO. Ah Tony, you weren't exactly smart in your decision making when the post season started okay. No disrespect, but let's get real alright. Tony was a fine, upstanding father, husband, & community leader. As a HC however, Dungy left a lot to be desired. Yes, he was the 1st black HC to win a SB, but he never possessed the killer NFL instinct to neutral your opponent & maintain team chemistry IMO. 

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Tony Dungy criticized John Harbaugh, who he believes rested his players to get the Colts over the Bengals...

 

Thats exactly what they did!  Heard it from more than a few in Baltimore prior to the game last week - they were hoping for a loss because they "WANTED" the Colts vs having to play a division team for a 3rd time.

 

I hope we bring them a bit more than they bargained for!

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Am I the only one who considers Tony Dungy's comments hypocritical considering he loved to rest players for the Colts at the worst possible times prior to a Playoff game & completely deflate our confidence and MOJO. Ah Tony, you weren't exactly smart in your decision making when the post season started okay. No disrespect, but let's get real alright. Tony was a fine, upstanding father, husband, & community leader. As a HC however, Dungy left a lot to be desired. Yes, he was the 1st black HC to win a SB, but he never possessed the killer NFL instinct to neutral your opponent & maintain team chemistry IMO. 

 

Dungy never shut it down when there was still room to improve the seeding. Prime example was 2006, we played through the last game because the three seed was on the line, and that decision meant that we wound up hosting the Patriots for the AFCCG. That's essentially the same situation the Ravens were in, where they still had a chance (though it was an outside chance) of securing the three seed.

 

So, no, I don't find his comments hypocritical at all. Like you, I think Dungy is a bit overrated as a coach, and in some ways I think he held the team back. But also like you, I think he was and is a fine man. Not above reproach, of course, so I'm not being defensive or sentimental at all. I just think you missed a big part of the equation here.

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Am I the only one who considers Tony Dungy's comments hypocritical considering he loved to rest players for the Colts at the worst possible times prior to a Playoff game & completely deflate our confidence and MOJO. Ah Tony, you weren't exactly smart in your decision making when the post season started okay. No disrespect, but let's get real alright. Tony was a fine, upstanding father, husband, & community leader. As a HC however, Dungy left a lot to be desired. Yes, he was the 1st black HC to win a SB, but he never possessed the killer NFL instinct to neutral your opponent & maintain team chemistry IMO. 

If you listen to everything Dungy said no they aren't.  He said because they had a shot at the three seed he would play them.  Dungy faced the same choice in 2006 when had we lost to Miami the last week of the season we could have fallen to the four seed.  Dungy wanted the three because he knew that should the three and a lower seed get to the title game they would host the title game and that's exactly what happened.  Dungy only rested players if he knew that a loss or win couldn't change their playoff seating at all. 

 

Dungy turned one of the biggest jokes in NFL history in the Bucs into a NFL power house and then came to Indianapolis and had one of the highest regular season winning records in NFL history.  He was a darn good coach.  Is he one of the five greatest coaches of all time?  Probably not.  Is he probably the second best of his generation behind only BB there is a very strong case to be made for that.  Also if you look at our playoff losses most of them were because the players didn't play well not because the game plan was bad.  The players have to take at least some blame there but people don't like to say that because the means having to give some blame to Peyton. 

 

Also if being the head coach of a NFL team that set the record for most straight years of winning 12 games or more isn't maintaining team chemistry I don't know what is. 

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The other thing I remember about Tony is that he came from Tampa Bay as a defensive mastermind & he won a SB in 2006 in INDY under the guidance of Peyton Manning & the return of Bob Sanders.

 

Although, I have always respected Dungy's calmness in the eye of a hurricane, his management style was never crack the whip/fire & brimstone, which is fine, but I have always favored coaches like Bill Cowher & Jon Gruden who will get in your face & hold everyone accountable.

 

There is a time for reassurance and a time for tough love. Tony Dungy had the patience, reassurance, and ability to build you back up...Laying down the law with considerable force when necessary not so much. 

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The other thing I remember about Tony is that he came from Tampa Bay as a defensive mastermind & he won a SB in 2006 in INDY under the guidance of Peyton Manning & the return of Bob Sanders.

 

Although, I have always respected Dungy's calmness in the eye of a hurricane, his management style was never crack the whip/fire & brimstone, which is fine, but I have always favored coaches like Bill Cowher & Jon Gruden who will get in your face & hold everyone accountable.

 

There is a time for reassurance and a time for tough love. Tony Dungy had the patience, reassurance, and ability to build you back up...Laying down the law with considerable force when necessary not so much. 

How many Super Bowls did Peyton Manning and Bob Sanders win without Tony Dungy?  Make no mistake Dungy had a role in that too.  I am tired of this dismissing everyone else who had a role in us going to the Super Bowl to give ALL the credit to Peyton.  The ironic thing is that Peyton had to carry far less the year we won the Super Bowl than he did any other year we were in the playoffs under him.  That's probably why we won the Super Bowl.  Peyton didn't have to be the greatest QB in history for us to win he just needed to be good. 

 

If you remember during the 2006 season after the loss to the Jags people were screaming for major changes and all but demanding that Meeks be fired and it was Dungy who sayed we need to stay the course and it worked out rather well.  Also listen to Jeff Saturday tell the story about the AFC Title game and Dungy.  That team was on the verge of panicing when they were down 21-3 and it was Dungy was saying it's still our time and staying calm.  People mistake the fact that Dungy kept calm for weakness when in reality being able to stay calm in difficult situations is a plus.  Look at BB that man makes Tony Dungy look exciting and yet he might go down as the greatest coach to ever coach the game. 

 

If you ever listen to a player talk about Dungy it's clear they respected the heck out of him there are different ways to reach players without having to scream and yell.  Heck while Pagano might be a little more emotional on the sidelines in terms of pumping his fists and what not how often do you see him in players faces screaming and yelling at them?  If you do that too often players just stop listening to you.  These guys are grown men and grown men generally don't respond too well if you are in there face screaming and yelling at them all the time.  Just yesterday Reggie Wayne was talking about when he knew Jim Mora was going to be fired and he said after the 49ers game (which was the playoffs rant game) and he saw Mora come into the lockerroom and get right in Peyton's face and just start unloading and screaming at yelling at everyone else.  He said he knew right then he was going to be fired because the lockerroom lost respect for him.

 

Also I don't recall too many times under Dungy that the law needed to be layed down.  He did a great job building expectations and it was known what was acceptable and what wasn't and generally speaking our players didn't cross the line because as they would often say if you let him down you felt like you let your father down. 

 

Also Bill Cowher's teams under performed about as much as Dungy's did in the playoffs.  They lost like five AFCCG games at home under him and only went to two Super Bowls the whole time he was there.  He was a total of 12-9 in the playoffs compared to Dungy who was 9-10.  That's not big of a difference.  Gruden took over Dungy's team and after they won the Super Bowl didn't win another playoff game as it feel apart.  Not unlike how Caldwell got Dungy's team to the Super Bowl in his first year before things feel apart. 

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If you listen to everything Dungy said no they aren't.  He said because they had a shot at the three seed he would play them.  Dungy faced the same choice in 2006 when had we lost to Miami the last week of the season we could have fallen to the four seed.  Dungy wanted the three because he knew that should the three and a lower seed get to the title game they would host the title game and that's exactly what happened.  Dungy only rested players if he knew that a loss or win couldn't change their playoff seating at all. 

 

Dungy turned one of the biggest jokes in NFL history in the Bucs into a NFL power house and then came to Indianapolis and had one of the highest regular season winning records in NFL history.  He was a darn good coach.  Is he one of the five greatest coaches of all time?  Probably not.  Is he probably the second best of his generation behind only BB there is a very strong case to be made for that.  Also if you look at our playoff losses most of them were because the players didn't play well not because the game plan was bad.  The players have to take at least some blame there but people don't like to say that because the means having to give some blame to Peyton. 

 

Also if being the head coach of a NFL team that set the record for most straight years of winning 12 games or more isn't maintaining team chemistry I don't know what is. 

GoColts8818, you make a very good point. When Gruden won the SB in 2002 against the Raiders the 1st thing he did in post game interviews was thank Tony Dungy for building that great defense pretty much from scratch. Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lnych, Simeon Rice, Ronde Barber, etc. etc.

 

I will always respect Gruden for giving credit to what Tony Dungy built in Tampa. Unlike Barry Switzer in 1995 for failing to give HC Jimmy Johnson credit for what he built in Dallas. 

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It also helps that Pags knows that defense inside out. I think he's going to do some things we haven't seen all year to possibly exploit some weakness in that D, hopefully.

Pretty much have to play mistake free on O. Little to no turnovers, preferably no turnovers lol. On the D side they need to stop Rice which is a big task, but yet one that can be achieved and also stop Torrey Smith.

I think we have some advantage strategically with Corey Redding and Pags who I'm sure know everything about the Ravens in terms of D.

 

We HAVE to stop Rice.  Bottom line.  Nothing else will happen if we can't stop Rice.

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GoColts8818, you make a very good point. When Gruden won the SB in 2002 against the Raiders the 1st thing he did in post game interviews was thank Tony Dungy for building that great defense pretty much from scratch. Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lnych, Simeon Rice, Ronde Barber, etc. etc.

 

I will always respect Gruden for giving credit to what Tony Dungy built in Tampa. Unlike Barry Switzer in 1995 for failing to give HC Jimmy Johnson credit for what he built in Dallas. 

Yeah and I think people sorta forget what Dungy did with the Bucs and what a job just turning them around was.  I mean you can make a case that they were the worst franchise in all of Sports when Dungy got that job.  It would be like if someone got the Bills job today and turned them into a Super Bowl contending team year in and year out.  What makes it even more remarkable is that he did it without ever really having a franchise QB there.  He always had journey men QBs.  It's not like he walked in there and was handed a Peyton Manning to start the rebuilding process with.  The fact that he built a a defensive monster and then came to Indianapolis and lead a team that leaned on offense says a lot about the kind of coach he was to me.  There is an old saying that a really good coach not only could beat you with his team but could beat you with your team too and I think Dungy was one of those kinds of coaches IMO.  Again, no he's not one of the top five greatest coaches of all-time but he's in the discussion to be the second best of his generation behind BB.  It would be between him, Cowher, and Holmgren IMO and I would go with Dungy over those two.  They were all close to .500 playoff coaches and Dungy's teams were much better in the regular season and Dungy turned around the Bucs of all teams on top of that. 

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If I were the Ravens I would want to play the Colts as well. They are going to run that ball down our throat and show no mercy. We have shown zero signs of being able to stop the run and Luck will be getting hit left and right when we do have the rock. Until we fix the O line and D line (which can't be done in a week) it isnt going to be that fairy tale ending that everyone keeps posting.

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If I were the Ravens I would want to play the Colts as well. They are going to run that ball down our throat and show no mercy. We have shown zero signs of being able to stop the run and Luck will be getting hit left and right when we do have the rock. Until we fix the O line and D line (which can't be done in a week) it isnt going to be that fairy tale ending that everyone keeps posting.

We have played the last two weeks without anyone in starting three.  We will get two of those guys back for Sunday.  When Redding and Johnson have been in there while not the best in the league at it the Colts have been much better at stopping the run than they have been in years past. 

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How many Super Bowls did Peyton Manning and Bob Sanders win without Tony Dungy?  Make no mistake Dungy had a role in that too.  I am tired of this dismissing everyone else who had a role in us going to the Super Bowl to give ALL the credit to Peyton.  The ironic thing is that Peyton had to carry far less the year we won the Super Bowl than he did any other year we were in the playoffs under him.  That's probably why we won the Super Bowl.  Peyton didn't have to be the greatest QB in history for us to win he just needed to be good. 

 

If you remember during the 2006 season after the loss to the Jags people were screaming for major changes and all but demanding that Meeks be fired and it was Dungy who sayed we need to stay the course and it worked out rather well.  Also listen to Jeff Saturday tell the story about the AFC Title game and Dungy.  That team was on the verge of panicing when they were down 21-3 and it was Dungy was saying it's still our time and staying calm.  People mistake the fact that Dungy kept calm for weakness when in reality being able to stay calm in difficult situations is a plus.  Look at BB that man makes Tony Dungy look exciting and yet he might go down as the greatest coach to ever coach the game. 

 

If you ever listen to a player talk about Dungy it's clear they respected the heck out of him there are different ways to reach players without having to scream and yell.  Heck while Pagano might be a little more emotional on the sidelines in terms of pumping his fists and what not how often do you see him in players faces screaming and yelling at them?  If you do that too often players just stop listening to you.  These guys are grown men and grown men generally don't respond too well if you are in there face screaming and yelling at them all the time.  Just yesterday Reggie Wayne was talking about when he knew Jim Mora was going to be fired and he said after the 49ers game (which was the playoffs rant game) and he saw Mora come into the lockerroom and get right in Peyton's face and just start unloading and screaming at yelling at everyone else.  He said he knew right then he was going to be fired because the lockerroom lost respect for him.

 

Also I don't recall too many times under Dungy that the law needed to be layed down.  He did a great job building expectations and it was known what was acceptable and what wasn't and generally speaking our players didn't cross the line because as they would often say if you let him down you felt like you let your father down. 

 

Also Bill Cowher's teams under performed about as much as Dungy's did in the playoffs.  They lost like five AFCCG games at home under him and only went to two Super Bowls the whole time he was there.  He was a total of 12-9 in the playoffs compared to Dungy who was 9-10.  That's not big of a difference.  Gruden took over Dungy's team and after they won the Super Bowl didn't win another playoff game as it feel apart.  Not unlike how Caldwell got Dungy's team to the Super Bowl in his first year before things feel apart. 

 

To the bolded, I'm not sure why you feel it has to be all or nothing. Dungy had his faults, Manning his, and both men needed each other. Being critical of one doesn't have to be because you're trying to prop the other one up.

 

Also, a side note on Meeks, it was bitter sweet that the defense turned itself around in the playoffs in 2006, because that likely saved his job. He was dead weight on our coaching staff, and our units constantly underperformed on his watch. To his credit, we had a good year in 2007, defensively, but that was also Bob Sanders best year, and when Freeney and Mathis got hurt, the defense went down the drain. Not that that's Meeks' fault, but he wasn't a good coach. 

 

And that actually highlights what I think was Dungy's biggest drawback, is that he was loyal to a fault. I mentioned in another thread how he dragged Christensen along with him at every turn, despite underwhelming results. Meeks and Russ Purnell should have been dismissed years before Caldwell took over, and it's telling that those are the very first moves Caldwell made once he became the head man. Dungy also played his cards to get Caldwell the head job, essentially holding Irsay and Polian hostage during the offseason after 2007, until they agreed to promise the job to Caldwell. Irsay and Polian should have had the sense NOT to agree to this, as it wound up being one of the most ill-advised decisions of their partnership, and likely cost Polian his job. That's just not the way you hire a head coach. But this was Dungy's doing.

 

I am not questioning Dungy's motives or his character; as I said, I think he is a very good person, and I respect him for everything he did. But he had his faults as a coach and as the main decision maker for a football team, probably because the win/loss record of the football team wasn't as important to him as his relationships with his people. And maybe that's not a fault, depending on how you look at it, but it's one of the reasons I say  he held the team back.

 

He also helped key players on this team develop into better players and people, including Manning. He was instrumental in helping us become one of the most disciplined teams in the league, on and off the field. Some might have found his cool demeanor lacking, but he took great pride in showing that you can win at the highest level without being a drill sergeant, and he said as much on the podium after the Super Bowl win. He deserves many, many accolades.

 

But he's not above reproach. And just because someone mentions some of his shortcomings doesn't mean that they are only interested in shielding Manning from criticism. 

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How many Super Bowls did Peyton Manning and Bob Sanders win without Tony Dungy?  Make no mistake Dungy had a role in that too.  I am tired of this dismissing everyone else who had a role in us going to the Super Bowl to give ALL the credit to Peyton.  The ironic thing is that Peyton had to carry far less the year we won the Super Bowl than he did any other year we were in the playoffs under him.  That's probably why we won the Super Bowl.  Peyton didn't have to be the greatest QB in history for us to win he just needed to be good. 

 

If you remember during the 2006 season after the loss to the Jags people were screaming for major changes and all but demanding that Meeks be fired and it was Dungy who sayed we need to stay the course and it worked out rather well.  Also listen to Jeff Saturday tell the story about the AFC Title game and Dungy.  That team was on the verge of panicing when they were down 21-3 and it was Dungy was saying it's still our time and staying calm.  People mistake the fact that Dungy kept calm for weakness when in reality being able to stay calm in difficult situations is a plus.  Look at BB that man makes Tony Dungy look exciting and yet he might go down as the greatest coach to ever coach the game. 

 

If you ever listen to a player talk about Dungy it's clear they respected the heck out of him there are different ways to reach players without having to scream and yell.  Heck while Pagano might be a little more emotional on the sidelines in terms of pumping his fists and what not how often do you see him in players faces screaming and yelling at them?  If you do that too often players just stop listening to you.  These guys are grown men and grown men generally don't respond too well if you are in there face screaming and yelling at them all the time.  Just yesterday Reggie Wayne was talking about when he knew Jim Mora was going to be fired and he said after the 49ers game (which was the playoffs rant game) and he saw Mora come into the lockerroom and get right in Peyton's face and just start unloading and screaming at yelling at everyone else.  He said he knew right then he was going to be fired because the lockerroom lost respect for him.

 

Also I don't recall too many times under Dungy that the law needed to be layed down.  He did a great job building expectations and it was known what was acceptable and what wasn't and generally speaking our players didn't cross the line because as they would often say if you let him down you felt like you let your father down. 

 

Also Bill Cowher's teams under performed about as much as Dungy's did in the playoffs.  They lost like five AFCCG games at home under him and only went to two Super Bowls the whole time he was there.  He was a total of 12-9 in the playoffs compared to Dungy who was 9-10.  That's not big of a difference.  Gruden took over Dungy's team and after they won the Super Bowl didn't win another playoff game as it feel apart.  Not unlike how Caldwell got Dungy's team to the Super Bowl in his first year before things feel apart. 

Obviously, I struck a nerve here. Sorry. Calmness in the locker room & on sidelines plays a role, but it's a little over the top to claim that Tony Dungy alone stopped the bleeding. I just can't make that grand leap. Your response conveys the impression that coaches like Gruden & Cowher can't exercise patience and restraint either. I more inclined to give Dungy more credit during the AFC Championship Game itself reminding the offense that "this is our time" & to be patient & maintain focus. People give Dungy way too much credit. It boils to player execution on the field pure & simple. Yes, Tony can kept players calm, but they not Tony must get 1st downs and touchdowns. 

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If I were the Ravens I would want to play the Colts as well. They are going to run that ball down our throat and show no mercy. We have shown zero signs of being able to stop the run and Luck will be getting hit left and right when we do have the rock. Until we fix the O line and D line (which can't be done in a week) it isnt going to be that fairy tale ending that everyone keeps posting.

 

 

 

I thought that other the Jet and KC game , we did a pretty decent job vs the run. We've given up a few big runs in other games but to say we've shown zero signs of stoipping the run is a little harsh. 

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We have played the last two weeks without anyone in starting three.  We will get two of those guys back for Sunday.  When Redding and Johnson have been in there while not the best in the league at it the Colts have been much better at stopping the run than they have been in years past. 

 

 

Yea , think a bit about what we had last week.

 

Moala IR

McKinney IR

Nevis     IR

Chapman  IR

 

Redding and Johnson out

 

That would be your 1-3 DT's and NT's on the seasons starting depth chart. Team did pretty darn good shoring things up.

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