Father Dungy Jumps On Bandwagon
October 25th, 2015
New Jameis fan?
For reasons Joe cannot understand, so many Bucs fans believe Father Dungy is sort of a walking teddy bear that they would love to hug as they doze off to dreamy thoughts at night.
This just in, folks: Father Dungy didn’t and couldn’t — and Joe would bet any amount of cash wouldn’t have — won a Super Bowl with the Bucs. With his players.
Meanwhile, a guy who did win a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, with his own players (go look at Chucky’s starting offense compared to Father Dungy and then try to come back at Joe that Chucky won with Father Dungy’s players) is all but given a backhand by fans.
Joe just doesn’t get it. Never will.
Yet this same Father Dungy believes he is an expert at quarterbacks. And too many fans do, as well. This would be like Rosie O’Donnell or John Daly pitching weight loss products.
This past spring, no one — and Joe means no one! — lobbied the Bucs to not draft America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, more than Father Dungy. Butting in where he didn’t belong (remember, Father Dungy was fired by the Bucs), Father Dungy twisted arms with folks he knew at One Buc Palace and pleaded and begged the Bucs but publicly and privately not to draft Jameis, but instead Marcus Mariota. Joe’s best guess why Father Dungy wanted Mariota playing for the Bucs is that his kid once played with the guy.
But now, Father Dungy seems to have had an epiphany. In a recent response to a Twitter question, it seems Father Dungy is now in Jameis’ camp.
Jameis is learning the pro game and growing every week. He is going to be fine-just has to learn to protect the ball https://t.co/z6TZ85Z2tH
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) October 23, 2015
Well, now. Joe is going to guess the haughty way Father Dungy reacted to the Bucs drafting Jameis, in effect, saying Jameis must meet Father Dungy’s standards to earn trust, that Jameis kissed Father Dungy’s ring in recent weeks.
It just seems odd that as much as Father Dungy fought to not have Jameis live in the Tampa Bay area, much less play for the Bucs, that all of a sudden he is a Jameis supporter.
Or could it be the cult of personality of Jameis, one that already made him leader in the locker room, also worked its spell on Father Dungy?
October 25th, 2015 at 8:08 am
Dungy’s tweet doesn’t necessarily look like a ringing endorsement Joe. More like a half booty effort to not talk bad about him.
October 25th, 2015 at 8:15 am
I’m with you Joe. Dungy “Lovie” was too stubborn and set in his ways to ever go farther than he did in Tampa. He chose Clyde Christenson and Les Steckle as offensive coordinators when he could have hired Norv Turner, c,mon man…..If not for Manning and Jim Caldwell’s offense in Indy, a stipulation the Indy owners required before they hired him, he would not have won a ring, period.
October 25th, 2015 at 8:16 am
Manning and Tom Moore, which Bill Polian insisted on being retained by whoever he hired to replace Jim Mora.
October 25th, 2015 at 8:44 am
@Joe
If not for Lovie, Dungy, Manning and Tom Moore would not have ever won a superbowl!!!!
October 25th, 2015 at 8:45 am
snore
October 25th, 2015 at 8:55 am
Dungy brought respectability to this franchise and built one of the best defenses ever in pro football.
Gruden scrabbled together a good offense and won a super bowl.
I am forever grateful to both of these guys…
But let’s not kid ourselves. Without that defense the Bucs never would have won as many games as they did that year and it is doubtful Gruden’s offense would have beat Philly.
October 25th, 2015 at 9:03 am
Key factors in winning the Superbowl included Gruden’s familiarity with the Raiders who didn’t even bother to change their audible calling signals which Gruden had installed the year before, and of course one of the best ever defenses in the history of the NFL, which held opposing QB’s to a passer rating of 48.4, a defense created on Dungy’s watch.
Chucky certainly played an important role in putting them over the top but how good of a coach is he really?
Looking at his teams in the years after the Superbowl don’t really seem to align with his image of an offensive guru.
He’s better in the broadcast booth than he is between the white lines.
October 25th, 2015 at 9:17 am
Credit to Dungy but credit to Rich. We drafted future/current/near hall of famers at every level of our defense. Dungy brough stability but Sapp brought the swagger. Tony just couldn’t get those guys over the final hurdle. Chucky was the guy that saved the franchise from blowing a massive golden opportunity. Btw does Monte get no love? Called the D for both those guys.
October 25th, 2015 at 9:20 am
Bucsconsultant… We only played the Raiders once that season, and your damn right, Gruden was critical in the victory
October 25th, 2015 at 9:35 am
Dungy and Gruden are a 2 headed monster Joe if you don’t understand why Dungy holds a special place in certain fans hearts such as me. Then it’s you that have the issues not us.
Do you even remember how bad this team was for over a decade before Dungy arrived? Do you need a reminder? Look at the past 10 years…the past 10 years were better years than that decade before Dungy. Hope that was a good example and it sinks in.
As far as Gruden this is where you and I agree. I will NEVER comprehend the notion that it was Dungy’s team that won the SB, nor will I ever understand that backhand you speak about that some fans give Gruden.
So fans will come in here and give their take on both coaches now I suppose, or it could be a JW related post that they make. If they come in here and bash either one of those 2 coaches for anything, their points will be moot in my book. I will read their words , but they will never compute. Never.
Dungy walks on water as far as I’m concerned. Gruden, compared to the product we gotten on the field after his dismissal pretty much walks on water as well.
October 25th, 2015 at 9:36 am
Derrick…the mere sight of Monte Kiffin on TV always puts a very big smile on my face.
October 25th, 2015 at 9:38 am
BucsConsultant says :
“Chucky certainly played an important role in putting them over the top but how good of a coach is he really? ”
So good of a coach that the Raiders were hot garbage before he arrived and that’s a fact!
October 25th, 2015 at 9:52 am
They needed dingy to build that defense and trident come in and shake things up and change the offense. Its that Simple.
Why can’t people see they needed both?
Hell DB, double nickel, 55, has even said so.
October 25th, 2015 at 9:53 am
@ rhenry
NAILED IT!!!!
October 25th, 2015 at 10:01 am
Dung won with Sam Wyche’s team. Brooks and Sapp were drafted before Dung was a Buc. The “Gruden won with Dungy’s team” premise is tired and ill-informed. Tony Dungy and his stubborn unwillingness to acquire and use offensive talent is single biggest reason the Bucs have one Lombardi trophy instead of three.
October 25th, 2015 at 10:09 am
Dungy brought accountability and remains true to his principles to this day… He IS a big teddy bear figure because he IS one!!! I once hugged him and tried to spoon with him before I realized he was but a mortal man… Which leads me to my point… It was not that he was gainst JW more then it was he was for MM… He wanted the BUCS to have accountability at a key position for years to come… Say what you want but JW was and will remain as risk… He has zero room for personal mistakes at this point… HOWEVER, the most obvious point to this post is that Pride of Tampa Americas QB Famious Jamies Jaboo Winsten has magical powers and has cast a cult hero spell that has sucked in Father Dungy…. Whats amazing about it is that it seems he had Guru of OPP Jon the Chucky Grudens help in casting the spell… THIS WILL ONLY END IN SPECTACULAR FASHION…. Let’s all hope that its a positive ending 200 years from now…
October 25th, 2015 at 10:19 am
Dungy: Inherited a team with a decade and a half of dreadfulness. Roster had some talent. Instilled winning attitude. Arranged and supervised a generationally dominant defense. Presided over a limited offense designed to run clock and batter opponent defenses–clearly old-school approach. Left the Bucs MUCH better than he found them. Bonus points — first black head coach, put team into community model organization, still widely respected in league circles on a number of football and social issues.
Gruden: inherited generationally dominant defense and staff. Inherited Bucs team with winning and playoff attitude and reputation. Built offense for one Super Bowl run. Tore down offense, replaced quarterback with series of journeymen. Bad at draft. Worse at free agency. Let defense wear out. Bonus points — Egomaniac. Unreliable and untruthful with his players. Did not build or maintain excellence.
Current Bucs Team: Young, with some nice players but an overall substandard roster. Losing attitude for almost a decade. Have no design or core competence. Seeking identity.
OK, Joe, back at you. Which sounds better — a one-year sensation built on a predecessor’s defense? Or a stand-up do-right guy who builds for a decade?
October 25th, 2015 at 10:22 am
If there was never a Dungy in Tampa Bay. There never would have been a Gruden in Tampa Bay and probably never a SB trophy as well. Some of you are just too thick to understand that. Yes bring up Wyche or McKay if you like for drafting Brooks and Sapp but he wasn’t taking the team anywhere either.
It’s all dawned on me now. I get it. I get the disrespect. It’s like I always say if you told the majority of people in the bay area before Dungy arrived that you were a Bucs, you were made fun of. So I’m pretty confident that anyone who disrespects Dungy was never a “real” Bucs fan until he arrived. So they don’t get just how bad it really was. It’s quite obvious to me in the words they use. They DON’T get it.
Then again it’s probably the same fans today that can’t get off their idiot phones while they’re at the game and actually be loud for our D.
October 25th, 2015 at 10:53 am
Dungy spongey grade A politically correct flip flopper. The shriveled Spock.
October 25th, 2015 at 10:59 am
Rich McKay built the entire roster for the Super Bowl championship run and should be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Polian. Things started to go south when Gruden ran McKay out of town. Bruce Allen is a terrible GM, just look at who he’s drafted and signed with the Bucs and Redskins. Mark Dominik continued the slide with some of the worst drafts in NFL history.
The jury is still out on Jason Licht. Mike Evans needs to bounce back and Jameis Winston needs to develop into a legitimate top-5 QB, or at least a lot better than Mariota. ASJ, Charles Sims, Donovan Smith, Kwon Alexander, and Ali Marpet all look fairly promising so far. Licht is definitely a cut above Bruce Allen and Mark Dominik, let’s hope he turns out to be another Rich McKay.
October 25th, 2015 at 11:08 am
David Letterman made jokes about the Bucs before Dungy arrived they were so bad…. The Bucs were all over those football follies VHS tapes they were so bad…
and last but not least Tampa Stadium had about 4,000 fans a game before Dungy arrived…
Do you people still not get it?
October 25th, 2015 at 11:35 am
Tony Dungy’s HC record with the Bucs & Colts
vs
Jon Gruden’s HC record with the Raiders & Bucs
These stats confirm Dungy as the better coach, by a mile.
That would include Regular Season W/L’s and Post Season W/L’s
As an unapologetic Jameis fan, I happen to disagree with Dungy’s 2015 draft choice for the Bucs.
But, insofar as X’s and O’s….Dungy by a mile…!!!
October 25th, 2015 at 11:51 am
Hey Joe, there’s nothing wrong with Dungy backing the kid now that he’s a Buc, like it or not. You and me or 98% of the bloggers here would do the same, even if the choice were Mariota. That’s what loyal fans would do.
So it sounds like despite the fact he was fired, Dungy is still a fan of the Bucs. And I, for one, am glad to hear it too.
October 25th, 2015 at 11:51 am
@Lou BINGO!! Consistent excellence or a short term bout of genius and then rapid flame out? Both coaches are truly truly special but crapping on the work Dungy did makes Joe seem like a bandwagoner who only started paying attention when the Bucs started winning under Dungy smdh
October 25th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
To claim that this was all Gruden’s team his first year is silly.
Obviously, Dungy changed the culture and built the defense that got us to the Superbowl.
Gruden’s insider knowledge gave us a huge edge. So far as our offense that year? It wasn’t THAT great. It was good enough because it was a different time and the defense that Dungy built was so good.
So I view the Superbowl win as a combination of both coaches.
I agree Dungy could not build an offense…but I disagree that Gruden could.
October 25th, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Dungy didn’t do anything Peyton did!
October 25th, 2015 at 5:08 pm
“Joe just doesn’t get it. Never will.”
WOW!!! What a revelation. Everyone who reads this column knows JOE doesn’t “get” much on anything.