Sapp Wants Out If Dungy Doesn’t Make Hall
January 28th, 2014Saturday looms for three Bucs icons
Joe enjoyed sitting next to Warren Sapp during Super Bowl Media Day lunchtime inside the frigid confines of the Prudential Center in ugly downtown Newark, New Jersey.
No. 99 was in great form, sporting a brown suit and tie, and bitching loudly about the sub-freezing temperatures. Sapp playfully berated Joe for leaving cozy Tampa to come to Newark, and then it took Joe about five minutes to piss off Sapp and get the cold shoulder the way only Sapp can deliver it. But for Sapp, that was a lot of rope to a reporter asking him questions that don’t give him a chance to tell many stories. So Joe is not insulted.
Joe will have much more from Sapp tomorrow, but No. 99 was emotional talking about Father Dungy, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, who are up for earning eternal glory in the Hall of Fame. The panel of Hall of Fame writers will vote on Saturday.
“That’s the four pillars that we built that place off, me Brooks, Lynch and Tony. The triplets on defense and Tony just making us go every day just teaching us the game,” Sapp said. “You know you talk about a coach that 11 of 13 years took his teams to the playoffs. His only losing season was his first with us in Tampa, after 12 straight losing seasons and 11 of those was double-digit-loss season. I mean if he’s not a Hall of Famer, then I want out.”
But Sapp isn’t confident all his iconic Bucs brothers will get in the Hall this week.
“I see four first-ballot guys,” Sapp said of Marvin Harrison, Brooks, Dungy and Walter Jones.
He called Jones a monster, and credited Harrison for changing the game with his wide receiver skills and leading to the “illegal chuck” rules for defensive backs because teams couldn’t stop him and Peyton Manning.
“Brooks is the best outside linebacker that never rushed,” Sapp said. “I never wanted him rushing. ‘Cover the tight end, Brooks.’ That’s his option.”
Sapp is in awe of this years Hall of Fame finalists, a group that makes Sapp glad he retired when he did. “It’s gettin’ full. I’m glad I’m out of the way.”
January 28th, 2014 at 8:17 pm
It is oft-forgotten that Wyche drafted Sapp, Brooks & Lynch. Dungy only became a great coach when he got to Indy & had Manning.
January 28th, 2014 at 8:34 pm
and then Mike J takes another hit off the crack pipe.
January 28th, 2014 at 8:34 pm
STFU…..99
January 28th, 2014 at 8:42 pm
Here we go with the sam wyche bull shit lol
January 28th, 2014 at 9:03 pm
Mike J has a great point, but still Tony was a great coach. A Hall Of Fame Coach may be a bit of a reach.
Especially since he had Peyton Manning in Indy.
LOL, even a has been like John Fox, can win with Peyton.
January 28th, 2014 at 9:13 pm
Yup sure great point eh. He’s basically saying Dungy did nothing for Tampa. I get it though, Wyche did the drafting but it takes a lot more than that. Just ask that last dude that was our coach. I think Dungy is a future HOF just not this time around.
He will always be great in my mind. Actually all of us witnessed just how great he was on numerous occasions.
Long live the GREAT Tony Dungy.
January 28th, 2014 at 9:14 pm
Buc1987 , not to be argumentative you understand, but, sir, exactly what in my brief statement did you find so appalling??
January 28th, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Buc1976, I might add.
January 28th, 2014 at 9:23 pm
are you crazy Dunvy was only good when he got Payton. Read what Sapp says about him. Tony Dungy was a great coach before he came to Tampa weather or not be gets in he will be one if the most respected man in the Nfl ever. Coach Dungy deserves In but please coach Dungy is chuck moll second coming and a HOF coach
January 28th, 2014 at 9:29 pm
Dungy will make it because he is a figurehead for todays NFL. I can’t really say that I think he’s a HOF coach. But he was a really good coach and has spread his moral standards and professionalism to other good coaches around the league. The NFL loves Tony Dungy… He’ll get in.
January 28th, 2014 at 9:35 pm
Buc1987- spot on sir. Tony Dungy worked Magic here. The Franchise was a laughing stock. Always lost. Always expected to lose. The players here were ingrained with disappointment, failures of ownership, and endless bad Coaching. There were some great players sprinkled in amongst the decades of mediocrity. It was sad to watch them toil in obscurity and futility.
Dungy changed the entire climate and attitude. He made players feel proud to be be Buccaneers- and made them believe they were supposed to win.
It was great to watch them transform overnight. They practiced different, entered the stadium different- everything about their bearing was different.
They were winners- and they knew it.
And I – who had been watching them since inception- could hardly believe it. It was good times.
Of course- not so good when we were in the playoffs, and Dungy would strangle down our offense!
But nobody’s perfect. He made me excited to go watch the team. I’ll always respect the man for that!!
Yeah- he deserves to be in the hall!
January 28th, 2014 at 9:49 pm
First black coach to win a Super Bowl = first ballot hall of famer.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:00 pm
Great post Captain, exactly the way I feel.
Ill add that without Tony this franchise would be in Osceola County or Las Vegas. Glazers were poised to go without a stadium deal, which would never have passed without that playoff year in 97.
People forget these things but I sure don’t.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:18 pm
It was Tony Dungy who made the bucs winners of the first Super Bowl we won.Jon gruden came in and inherited a great team with a great defense it was Dungy team then he went to Indy and got a ring.I don’t know how you can be a true bucs can if you can’t see what Tony did
January 28th, 2014 at 10:22 pm
“First black coach to win a Super Bowl = first ballot hall of famer”
Exactly, love it or hate it.
Along with everything else the man brought to the table that accolade sealed his bust in Canton.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:25 pm
Tony deserves it whatever his race.
Awesome guy. Awesome coach.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:26 pm
Sorry, but I feel Mike J has a very valid point. I LOVE Tony. But it took Gruden to get our SB win – and I believe we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him (like we should for a QB in this draft). Tony is a GREAT coach – I love him, as I said. The team Tony got was built not by Wyche, but by Rich McKay. Until Gruden’s ego decided McKay was a pain. If anyone gets left out of this HOF it will unfortunately be Tony.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:28 pm
PRBucsFan has the most valid point for Tony being a first ballot HOF. He is the first black coach to win a SB, and that is deserving… Tony opened a LOT of doors for very deserving, but often overlooked, coaches.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:35 pm
One things that separates Tony is the innovation of the Tampa Two. I think that would be a strong point for him.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:48 pm
He deserved it regardless Eric your right.
But this is reality and that accolade will seal his bust.
Major accomplishment
January 28th, 2014 at 10:53 pm
I think the Tampa 2 is the most significant achievement. Tony legitimized his career with a Superbowl win. Indy had the one thing the Bucs have never had. An elite QB. It was the perfect storm. You have whoever the O Coordinators were. It doesnt matter. Peyton is the real O Coord. Father Dungy brings in the Tampa 2 defense. Now you have good defense and Peyton. Pretty much a guarantee. I dont diminish the accomplishment there but the most impressive feat Tony accomplished was the Tampa 2 defense. Credit to Monte too who just got demoted in the Dallas dysfunctional hierarchy.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:58 pm
Coaching tree –
Mike Tomlin
Lovie Smith
Rod Marinelli
Herm Edwards
All except for Rod were playoff coaches
Incidentally Worked will Leslie Frazier & Jim Caldwell
He changed not only the culture of the Bucs but also the NFL coaching culture
HOF’er
January 28th, 2014 at 11:28 pm
Seems to be a surprisingly sore subject, what?? Actually I don’t think coaches belong in the Hall, & basically don’t care who gets there anyway–sort of Pro Bowl stuff on a grander scale.
January 29th, 2014 at 12:10 am
Tony is the man ( period) he also made the trade for Simeon Rice, Drafted Mike Alstott. He also drafted Ronde Barber who use to get torched early in his career. Signed Brad Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson, and chose Brian Kelly who was was in the same draft class as Charles Woodson. Tony Dungy also drafted Warrick Dunn and was the coach who took us out of those ugly cream cicle orange uniforms. Sam Wyche picked Trent Dilfer over Charlie Ward. ( because the Culverhouses )did not want another black Qb in Tampa after dealing with Doug Williams . ( help me out Joe)
January 29th, 2014 at 12:53 am
Thanks Eric.
As one of the few to follow the team since it started- it’s hard to express the difference made to both Team and Fans
For 20 years, I walked into that stadium, hoping for a miracle- but expecting to lose.
Once Dungy got here, I really believed we would win every Sunday I walked in. No matter who we played.
The span between McKays team and Dungy’s felt like an eternity.
I’ll always be grateful to Coach Dungy for making this franchise respectable.
Hope Lovie can do the same
January 29th, 2014 at 1:46 am
if dungy wouldve stayed with the bucs he wouldve had won with us too . shout out too dungy hope you get to the hof cause you helped brooks and sapp become the greatest at their position
January 29th, 2014 at 2:48 am
And if Joe’s grandmother had a pair, she’s be Joe’s grandfather.
January 29th, 2014 at 2:59 am
Shut up Sapp………jeez your stuff get’s old.
Nothing against Dungy, but how does this not smack of racism?
He should get in because he’s black right?
Come on Sapp.
Sapp never said anything like that. You misread. –Joe
January 29th, 2014 at 3:19 am
It’s a major achievement that happens to be a racial one.
Get over ir, it’s reality.
January 29th, 2014 at 4:10 am
Not to play that race card, but to touch on it since you brought it up. Tony Dungy was the first African American Head Coach to win a Super Bowl. That alone wont get him in the HoF but it is a mark on the history of the NFL.
Dungy was a great coach regardless of what some of you like to say. It doesn’t matter who drafted Sapp, Brooks, and Lynch. Fact of the matter is he got the most out of his team every year he coached out side of 2 sad seasons. Brooks, Sapp, and Lynch had rocky first years. Dungy comes along and turns them into HoFer’s along with a top 10 defense every year.
And please stop with the only reason he won a SB was because of Peyton Manning BS. Peyton has only won 1 Ring (with a chance to get his second this year) but with out that defense Dungy built he would more then likely still be ringless. Peyton is 1 person and couldn’t/can never win it all by him self. Peyton is a great QB and i will never take that from him. But Dungy’s Defense is the biggest reason why they finally won the big one. Dungy deserves the credit he is getting plain and simple.
January 29th, 2014 at 7:18 am
@joe – sombrero didn’t misread. He has a history of trying to spew racially charged nonsense on here.
January 29th, 2014 at 7:48 am
The colts were and average team even with peyton until Tony got there. After Dungey arrived they started to play consistent. At Least 12 wins 8 years in a row. ( NFL record ) Couldnt have done it without Tony.
January 29th, 2014 at 8:37 am
Sapp acts like the HOF would care if he wasn’t in it. Sapp acts like Bucs Nation and the world would care if he wasn’t in it. Truthfully, the more he opens his mouth, the more embarrassed I am that he represents the Bucs.
Sapp, please hire a PR person or professional handler to screen your comments. You arn’t doing your legacy any favors. People loved it when you did htis on the field. People love it even more when you emerge from the Thug image and become a competent, insightful, useful adult.
January 29th, 2014 at 9:23 am
I agree with you guys that being the first black coach to win SB will probably get him in.
However I think it’ll be a shame if THAT is why he gets in. IMO he was too good of a coach to be getting in for that reason. He deserves to be in no matter what his skin looks like. He turned around two different teams, one a great defense and one a great offense. Not to mention one hell of a model American/Sports figure.
January 29th, 2014 at 11:21 am
chuck noll an walsh had great players an won a superbowl,so what he had manning,dungy belong in the hof.
January 29th, 2014 at 1:31 pm
I hope Sapp doesn’t hold his breath, Dungy was half a head coach and that is why he was fired.
Shouldn’t they elect the 1st black HC, the 1st black QB, the 1st black QB to win a Super Bowl before the 1/2 coach.
Sapp has also said that Dungy was responsible for keeping them out of a couple more Super Bowls.
It must be hard to interview Warren with out pissing him off, kind of like that congressman last night who threatened to throw the reporter off the balcony of the capitol for asking one too many questions.
January 29th, 2014 at 10:43 pm
I’m in disbelief reading this section. Anyone who uses Sam Wyche and Tony Dungy in the same sentence wasn’t around for either of them.
February 17th, 2014 at 12:00 pm
[…] Sapp in frozen Newark to talk about a variety of topics. Joe’s already shared Sapp’s Hall of Fame takes, changed Xs-and-Os view of defense, and Sapp’s thumbs-down on Mike […]