Tony Dungy

[conklincolt]

I was listening to Dungy talk yesterday, and I was just wondering why he seems so bitter towards the Colts and Jim Irsay. He was ask about the firing/new coach search. He seemed very smug and sarcastic when he said the Colts were going to have to search long and hard to find a coach the caliber of Caldwell. (really)I have and will always respect Tony for what he did here, but to me this seemed to be a slight on an organization that gave him a shot to validate his coaching career after being fired for what some feel was under achieving in Tampa. Maybe I took his comments wrong, but I just felt a simple , They are a great organization and I wish them nothing but luck would have been more appropriate in this situation. Again he is smart enough to realize that Lombardi or Noll quality coaches were not fired here. GO COLTS!

who cares, dungy and caldwell both were about as exciting as clipping toenails,boring and two of biggest kittys (censured) in football.Let get a coach with guts for gods sake. Smashmouth football please.

[JColts72]

Tony, enough, get over your BF is out, just focus on keeping those prisoners locked up for good when you do your ministry.

[Balzer40]

I will always be thankful to Dungy for our great superbowl win in 2006/07 but Im so sick of him injecting his opinions in on the Colts I could puke. Shut the H up Tony and quit trying to make your incompetent * of a buddy sound like he's a great coach. He was a baffoon with very little skill as a head coach, an embarrassment to the franchise, so just keep your mouth shut Tony. I, for one am glad we have severed all ties from the Tony Dungy era.

[seeblu]

Well, keep in mind Dungy wasn't able to inherit a Warren Sapp, or a Derrick Brooks or John Lynch here like he was able to in Tampa.

Sapp was drafted. Some teams passed on him because he was caught smoking ganja in college. Tony took him and he turned out to be a great pick. When did Tony lose his magic on drafting DT's? He also drafted McFarland in Tampa and the Colts picked him up later. The reason Tampa had a great D was Monte Kiffin, not Tony.

[FireJimCaldwell]

Sapp was drafted. Some teams passed on him because he was caught smoking ganja in college. Tony took him and he turned out to be a great pick. When did Tony lose his magic on drafting DT's? He also drafted McFarland in Tampa and the Colts picked him up later. The reason Tampa had a great D was Monte Kiffin, not Tony.

Sapp/Lynch/Brooks all preceded Dungy in Tampa, Rich Mckay Drafted each of those guys. Lynch in 93, Sapp & Brooks in 95. Dungy arrived in 96 and he & Kiffin did improve that defense but 3 key members were already in place.

[SilentHill]

Dungy was good at first but he tapered off. He wasn't willing to change when the league demanded it, numerous teams exposed huge holes in our defense over the last decade and exploited it perfectly and Dungy wasn't willing to change. I think it's a miracle that we won a SB under him. Whie I do commend him for his good game management skills (somehting Caldwell doesn't have) I still think he was no more than an average NFL coach. This team had the potential to wear rings on 5 different fingers over the last 10 years and we fell short.

[Bama_Colt]

That and Dungy has been a little loose lipped since he left the Colts.

I think that's called doing his job. You do realize he's an NFL analyst now, right?

[John Dee]

Love ya, Tony....but shut the #$%* up.

It's called cronyism.

Because Tony participated in cronyism, we got stuck with JC.

Cronyism;

Partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications.

Caldwell, Mike Davis, Guthridge,, ..... Chris Polian... the list is long of those who got handed a great gig and were totally unqualified for the job.

[MAC]

Tony, enough, get over your BF is out, just focus on keeping those prisoners locked up for good when you do your ministry.

I will always be thankful to Dungy for our great superbowl win in 2006/07 but Im so sick of him injecting his opinions in on the Colts I could puke. Shut the H up Tony and quit trying to make your incompetent * of a buddy sound like he's a great coach. He was a baffoon with very little skill as a head coach, an embarrassment to the franchise, so just keep your mouth shut Tony. I, for one am glad we have severed all ties from the Tony Dungy era.

Wow, that's just so classy, witty, thoughtful and insightful - the both of you. Considering that anyone reading this board already knows what Caldwell and Dungy are made of, nonsense like this ends up saying a lot more about you than it does about them.

[FireJimCaldwell]

Caldwell, Mike Davis, Guthridge,, ..... Chris Polian... the list is long of those who got handed a great gig and were totally unqualified for the job.

Guthridge? If that is Bill Guthridge from North Carolina I would have to disagree with him being lumped in with those other jokes.

Gut put in 30 years at UNC on Dean Smith's staff before Smith walked away. It is true Smith walked away at a time that might have made it harder for the school to run a full search from a timing perspective but Guthridge was qualified for the job, far more qualified than I would say any of the other three guys were.

If you are talking about another Guthridge then I have no clue who you're talking about.

[John Dee]

Guthridge? If that is Bill Guthridge from North Carolina I would have to disagree with him being lumped in with those other jokes.

Gut put in 30 years at UNC on Dean Smith's staff before Smith walked away. It is true Smith walked away at a time that might have made it harder for the school to run a full search from a timing perspective but Guthridge was qualified for the job, far more qualified than I would say any of the other three guys were.

If you are talking about another Guthridge then I have no clue who you're talking about.

yep BG... I don't think he was qualified at all to take over the top program in the nation. Plus he was in his 60's... and the fact they soon booted him IMO proves so. He was a nice man and "Dean's pal" thus the "gift" ...

And business or sports organization that does what UNC or Indy did need to be slapped around. One always must look for the best possible fit. Regardless of relationships. Loyalty gets you L's.

[FireJimCaldwell]

yep BG... I don't think he was qualified at all to take over the top program in the nation. Plus he was in his 60's... and the fact they soon booted him IMO proves so. He was a nice man and "Dean's pal" thus the "gift" ...

And business or sports organization that does what UNC or Indy did need to be slapped around. One always must look for the best possible fit. Regardless of relationships. Loyalty gets you L's.

The timing might of been a gift, but 30 years coaching and keeping the same system makes him qualified far more than Davis/Caldwell/CP.

They didn't boot him, he retired. He was free to come back to finish his contract. He did far better than the guy that followed him and his winning%'s aren't far from Smith or Williams.

He does not deserve to be mentioned with those other names.

[John Dee]

The timing might of been a gift, but 30 years coaching and keeping the same system makes him qualified far more than Davis/Caldwell/CP.

They didn't boot him, he retired. He was free to come back to finish his contract. He did far better than the guy that followed him and his winning%'s aren't far from Smith or Williams.

He does not deserve to be mentioned with those other names.

UNC wanted Doughrty (sp) .bad... Bill was given the opportunity... to retire. UNC was bringing in MD regardless. And yes it was a horrible hire.

[LightninMax]

The further Dungy is away from this franchise the better off we are.

Boy are you ever right! Just look at how bad he was for the Colts and Indianapolis all the time he was here!

He never disrespected anyone publicly or privately as far as I know. He was a man of character. He inspired not only players but anyone that knew him. He never made a fool of himself in a press conference or a bar. He suffered personal tragedy(more than once) with dignity and showed people how to be strong and keep your focus on life when you are at your lowest point and most would give up. He readily gave of his time and money to others. He accomplished things with the Colts that haven't been seen since Weeb Ewbank or Don Shula. Simply put he was an example of a man that was a winner in his life, his career, and his relationships.

...and you know what, Jim Caldwell was just as "bad" for this franchise and city.

People of this city should hope and pray that they'll get a new coach that is just as "bad" as Mr. Dungy or Mr. Caldwell.

I must say I'm shocked that more people don't see the logic in this statement by FJC.

[FireJimCaldwell]

UNC wanted Doughrty (sp) .bad... Bill was given the opportunity... to retire. UNC was bringing in MD regardless. And yes it was a horrible hire.

Nowhere near as bad as the others... Matt almost stayed at ND....

[FireJimCaldwell]

Boy are you ever right! Just look at how bad he was for the Colts and Indianapolis all the time he was here!

He never disrespected anyone publicly or privately as far as I know. He was a man of character. He inspired not only players but anyone that knew him. He never made a fool of himself in a press conference or a bar. He suffered personal tragedy(more than once) with dignity and showed people how to be strong and keep your focus on life when you are at your lowest point and most would give up. He readily gave of his time and money to others. He accomplished things with the Colts that haven't been seen since Weeb Ewbank or Don Shula. Simply put he was an example of a man that was a winner in his life, his career, and his relationships.

...and you know what, Jim Caldwell was just as "bad" for this franchise and city.

People of this city should hope and pray that they'll get a new coach that is just as "bad" as Mr. Dungy or Mr. Caldwell.

I must say I'm shocked that more people don't see the logic in this statement by FJC.

Some might view Dungy's time here as a success.

Some feel we underachieved in that time period. I feel we vastly underachieved.

[LightninMax]

I will always be thankful to Dungy for our great superbowl win in 2006/07 but Im so sick of him injecting his opinions in on the Colts I could puke. Shut the H up Tony and quit trying to make your incompetent * of a buddy sound like he's a great coach. He was a baffoon with very little skill as a head coach, an embarrassment to the franchise, so just keep your mouth shut Tony. I, for one am glad we have severed all ties from the Tony Dungy era.

I certainly respect your opinion, but there is nothing in what you say that couldn't be further from the truth. You've missed the mark on this one.

There have been times your input and thoughtfullness has given me pause to consider my own perspective. This is not one of those. In fact it really makes one question the judgement with which it was written.

But, to each his own...

[GoColts8818]

Dungy was good at first but he tapered off. He wasn't willing to change when the league demanded it, numerous teams exposed huge holes in our defense over the last decade and exploited it perfectly and Dungy wasn't willing to change. I think it's a miracle that we won a SB under him. Whie I do commend him for his good game management skills (somehting Caldwell doesn't have) I still think he was no more than an average NFL coach. This team had the potential to wear rings on 5 different fingers over the last 10 years and we fell short.

How did he taper off? His last season here he was 12-4 which was better than any record he had during his run in Tampa Bay? In fact other than his first season here when he was 10-6 he never won fewer than 12 games in a season. Most people would say when you go 3 out of 4 every year that's a pretty darn good job in the NFL. Even BB doesn't have that kind of track record in New England.

I know people wish we had won more Super Bowls than we did under him but let's not go over the top with it. Tony Dungy wasn't the only reason we lost those playoff games. Remember it's the players who play and frankly in most of the playoff games we lost it was our players who didn't show up and play like they had the rest of the season.

[HGRekks]

who cares, dungy and caldwell both were about as exciting as clipping toenails,boring and two of biggest kittys (censured) in football.Let get a coach with a sack for gods sake. Smashmouth football please.

Just a heads up, you're not even supposed to post censored insults/obscenities.

[SilentHill]

How did he taper off? His last season here he was 12-4 which was better than any record he had during his run in Tampa Bay? In fact other than his first season here when he was 10-6 he never won fewer than 12 games in a season. Most people would say when you go 3 out of 4 every year that's a pretty darn good job in the NFL. Even BB doesn't have that kind of track record in New England.

I know people wish we had won more Super Bowls than we did under him but let's not go over the top with it. Tony Dungy wasn't the only reason we lost those playoff games. Remember it's the players who play and frankly in most of the playoff games we lost it was our players who didn't show up and play like they had the rest of the season.

I know he had a great record, and we can't put all the blame on him, but I also felt that he was too soft. I think the best team we fielded was the year we met New Orleans in the SB, and I'd have to admit I think if Dungy were there we'd have two rings, however When teams started to expose our weaknesses we did nothing to solve it and that is Dungy's fault. San Diego just did the same thing year after year to stop us in our tracks with no adjustment from us.

[Balzer40]

I certainly respect your opinion, but there is nothing in what you say that couldn't be further from the truth. You've missed the mark on this one.

There have been times your input and thoughtfullness has given me pause to consider my own perspective. This is not one of those. In fact it really makes one question the judgement with which it was written.

But, to each his own...

I understand the admiration some have for Dungy and he is a good man, but sometimes I think he is still trying to persuade Irsay to do what HE(Dungy) thinks is best for the team even though he's no longer a part of the team. He chose to walk away and thats fine if thats what he wanted to do. The worst part was him guilting Irsay into hiring Caldwell as the HC because if it wasn't for Dungy, there is no way Irsay would have hired Caldwell.

[BlueShoe]

I think that's called doing his job. You do realize he's an NFL analyst now, right?

Really? Since when? It's probably NBC, right? That would make sense.

Thanks for keeping me updating on the latest and greatest news.

Congrats to Dungy, 3 years later. Yeehaw!

I am sure you realize that we are fans on a message board right? It's not our job, just for the record.

[LightninMax]

I understand the admiration some have for Dungy and he is a good man, but sometimes I think he is still trying to persuade Irsay to do what HE(Dungy) thinks is best for the team even though he's no longer a part of the team. He chose to walk away and thats fine if thats what he wanted to do. The worst part was him guilting Irsay into hiring Caldwell as the HC because if it wasn't for Dungy, there is no way Irsay would have hired Caldwell.

One reason people admire Tony Dungy is because he was very good at his profession.

Another reason people admire Tony Dungy is because he speaks the truth and often what's on his heart. This attribute is rare among analysts and sportscasters. Most only say what they think others want to hear. Most are afraid to tell their true beliefs. It's what makes Tony so good in the booth. He'll tell if he knows for sure, or his experience, or if it's speculation. That gives perspective to what he says.

He's not trying to persuede anyone. He never tried to take any credit for any of Caldwell's success. In fact Tony attibuted the Colts being in the playoffs season before last to "Caldwell's management of personnel".

From what you've seen, do you really think anyone "persuedes" or "guilts" Jim Irsay into hiring or firing whom he wishes? The lack of past persuasion or guilt management would suggest that is a very myopic view. I would more speculate that when Tony told Mr. Irsay he was leaving and his mind was made up, that Mr. Irsay was thankful that Jim Caldwell was available to step into the head coaching position.

It's my speculation that losing Caldwell in favor of a new team of coaches has more to do with giving a new GM a clean start than because Jim Caldwell was stoic, conservative, etc. The new GM was more a result of the old one wanting to semi-retire than probably anything else.

Words like "incompetant", "*"(short for ^fool^ I assume), and "buffoon" do not in any way shape or form descibe the men to which we speak.

That's the way I see it.

[Balzer40]

One reason people admire Tony Dungy is because he was very good at his profession.

Another reason people admire Tony Dungy is because he speaks the truth and often what's on his heart. This attribute is rare among analysts and sportscasters. Most only say what they think others want to hear. Most are afraid to tell their true beliefs. It's what makes Tony so good in the booth. He'll tell if he knows for sure, or his experience, or if it's speculation. That gives perspective to what he says.

He's not trying to persuede anyone. He never tried to take any credit for any of Caldwell's success. In fact Tony attibuted the Colts being in the playoffs season before last to "Caldwell's management of personnel".

From what you've seen, do you really think anyone "persuedes" or "guilts" Jim Irsay into hiring or firing whom he wishes? The lack of past persuasion or guilt management would suggest that is a very myopic view. I would more speculate that when Tony told Mr. Irsay he was leaving and his mind was made up, that Mr. Irsay was thankful that Jim Caldwell was available to step into the head coaching position.

It's my speculation that losing Caldwell in favor of a new team of coaches has more to do with giving a new GM a clean start than because Jim Caldwell was stoic, conservative, etc. The new GM was more a result of the old one wanting to semi-retire than probably anything else.

Words like "incompetant", "*"(short for ^fool^ I assume), and "buffoon" do not in any way shape or form descibe the men to which we speak.

That's the way I see it.

I respect your opinion on Dungy, but it just so happens that I have a different view point on him. I don't think it makes either of us wrong. I just never had the admiration for Dungy that others do. I appreciate some of his accomplishments, but IMO he underacheived while here with the Colts and also in Tampa. Concerning Caldwell, well, lets just say that IMO he should have never been handed a posistion that he was clearly not qualified for. He didn't pay his dues and yet, he was handed the keys to a ferrari. He made comically bad decisions that cost us more opportunities to have further success.

[Knuckles79]

I respect your opinion on Dungy, but it just so happens that I have a different view point on him. I don't think it makes either of us wrong. I just never had the admiration for Dungy that others do. I appreciate some of his accomplishments, but IMO he underacheived while here with the Colts and also in Tampa. Concerning Caldwell, well, lets just say that IMO he should have never been handed a posistion that he was clearly notify qualified for. He didn't pay his dues and yet, he was handed the keys to a ferrari. He made comically bad decisions that cost us more opportunities to have further success.

Well said i completely agree

[Bond Shane]

Well, keep in mind Dungy wasn't able to inherit a Warren Sapp, or a Derrick Brooks or John Lynch here like he was able to in Tampa.

Dungy is better than one coach and that is Jim Caldwell. Other than that, it was all Peyton.

[ConBro]

Love ya, Tony....but shut the #$%* up.

It's called cronyism.

Because Tony participated in cronyism, we got stuck with JC.

Cronyism;

Partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications.

I love Tony Dungy as well; he is a very pious man. However, sometimes I wish he was like Strahan. The Giants could be facing God himself, and Strahan would pick the Giants. TOny, on the other hand, often picks against us. I've felt a sort of resentment from him for some time now.

[GrayMare42]

Tony needs to shut up. He wants to be the "Colts inside source" and he isn't.