Giving Tony Dungy Props
December 18th, 2016
Has seen the light.
Joe was all prepared to tear apart former Bucs coach Tony Dungy today. But then something happened as we all waited for tonight’s Bucs-Cowboys kickoff.
Dungy, who Joe often refers to as “Father Dungy,” all but apologized to Bucs fans as he should.
Joe had been borderline outraged at Dungy throuh the past couple of years for the way he did his absolute best to Pearl Harbor the chances of America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, from coming to Tampa Bay.
Joe just knew as part of the NBC broadcast team for Sunday Night Football, Dungy was going to comment on Jameis. Joe was going to write to his readers not to listen to a word Dungy said on Jameis as he did his finest to sabotage Jameis’ chances of becoming the face of the Bucs franchise.
Dungy – inappropriately, Joe thought – stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and launched a one-man crusade nearly two years ago to convince the Bucs to stay away from Jameis at all costs.
Joe did everything in his power not to go on a full-out assault on Dungy both before and after the draft. Joe thought it was outrageous of Dungy to insert such undue influence on the future of the Bucs. Who the hell was he? He wasn’t employed by the Bucs; he was fired by the Bucs!
Dungy, who of course is very tight with then-Bucs coach Lovie Smith and is still a confident of Team Glazer, did everything in his power to talk the Bucs out of drafting Jameis — squeezed Lovie, hounded Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Light, lobbied Team Glazer. Hard.
It drove Joe absolutely wild.
Then, when (thank God) Lovie ignored Dungy’s pleas, Dungy trashed Jameis in a hit piece with USA Today basically saying Jameis would not be accepted by the Tampa Bay community, which Joe thought was appalling to say about a young man who had been with the Bucs for just a few days.
Earlier this week, Jameis had a sitdown with Dungy for an interview on NBC. Pieces of it were broadcast during Thursday Night Football and last night during the Dolphins-Jets telecast.
For Joe, it just showed what a class act Jameis is, to do a sitdown with man who did his best to make sure Jameis never played for the Bucs.
As Jeff Cameron of ESPN Tallahassee has said, “Thank God Lovie Smith never listened to Tony Dungy!”
Then last night during the Dolphins-Jets broadcast, Dungy came clean. Dungy remarked how he was impressed with Jameis and gave credit to the Bucs for sticking to their guns and their research and didn’t listen to the many people who were trying to convince the Bucs not to draft Jameis.
Then Dungy added, “And I was one of them.”
And a bit later, Dungy noted how the coaching change from Lovie to Dirk Koetter has “been good” for Jameis.
Wow! Mind you Lovie is one of Dungy’s best friends. And Dungy admitted Koetter taking over has led to Jameis’ growth as a quarterback.
Joe was impressed. Hey, it still irks Joe how Dungy dammed near single-handedly screwed up the Bucs for another decade or longer by his campaign to keep Jameis away from Tampa Bay. But Joe was very impressed that roughly a year and a half later, Dungy all but admitted he was wrong. It further impressed Joe that Dungy stated Jameis benefited from one of his best friends no longer coaching him.
Major props to Dungy. For him to say those things in front of a national audience took cajones. Most analysts would never come close to admitting as much. It also showed, again, why Dungy, at his core, is a good man.
Bravo, Dungy.
December 18th, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Nice read Joe!
Good things Bucs didn’t listen to Dungy.
Excited for tonight’s game.
Go Bucs!
December 18th, 2016 at 3:16 pm
He had to though!!!! If he had continued, it would just have looked like a petty feud from dungy!!!!!! Congrats to the coaching staff to back the TAMPA2 mafia into a corner but to say ” Its all been best for the team”!!!!!!! Much like some commentors here, you get points for saying “sorry” but not for being wrong for 2 years!!!!!!!
Go AMERICA!!!!!!
GO lovie giving dallas a pregame speech to suck the life out of the locker room!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 18th, 2016 at 3:17 pm
Dungy dammed near single-handedly screwed up the Bucs for another decade or longer by his campaign to keep Jameis away from Tampa Bay.
Single-handedly? Really? I think we’re being a wee bit over dramatic here Joe. Dungy doesn’t have half that much influence on this organization. It wasn’t just Lovie Smith making the decision either.
December 18th, 2016 at 3:18 pm
Bravo, Jameis for proving Dungy wrong, more than Dungy just finally waking up to reality.
December 18th, 2016 at 3:23 pm
Off topic, I feel bad for Eli Manning. He hasn’t got one WR that can catch. He’s spot on with most of his throws, but they jus2t keep dropping.
December 18th, 2016 at 3:25 pm
It’s not like Dungy was the ONLY one against drafting Winston. There were plenty of us.
Most of us have learned the error of our ways.
December 18th, 2016 at 3:35 pm
unbelievable:
Lovie had final say on drafting Jameis.
December 18th, 2016 at 3:38 pm
Bonzai:
No disrespect, but don’t think you have as much influence with Team Glazer and Lovie as Father Dungy. 🙂
December 18th, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Dungy should be wiping the sweat of Jameis’ forehead and just keep quiet on his opinions on who the Bucs should draft, etc, in the future.
I was a Jameis supporter from day one and detested on how he tried to slaughter the chances of Bucs picking him up..
Go Jameis!
Go Bucs!
December 18th, 2016 at 3:52 pm
Would love to hear a similar reckoning from HEATH Evans of NFL Network!
December 18th, 2016 at 3:56 pm
Forgiveness must be in the air Joe, this being Christmas time and all. You pretty much hit the nail on the head when you wrote .. “Lovie had the final say on drafting Jameis.” Of course we could add the Glazers in there (it is their money after all). And like Bonzai wrote, plenty of folks were for drafting Mariota, not just Tony Dungy. Both are turning out to be exceptional QBs, and both will ultimately end up being franchise QBs most likely. Jameis just happens to fit the Bucs better I think, and I suspect the Titans feel the same way about Marcus. As they should. I’m just thankful that neither one of them is the so-called ‘Johnny Football’.
December 18th, 2016 at 4:00 pm
Bonzai, Beckham Jr and Sterling Shepard have been dropping today? I admit, I fell asleep earlier but woke up in time to see that one handed TD grab by Beckham. Still wishing we had drafted Shepard. Along with Cruz, thats a formidable WR core.
December 18th, 2016 at 4:03 pm
Still believe his conservative ways cost the franchise at least two more rings. No way in hell a defense like that should only have one ring.
December 18th, 2016 at 4:13 pm
Dungy messed up. I can’t figure why he is even on TV. Boring!
December 18th, 2016 at 4:20 pm
Yeah Joe… this is so similar to your bromance of drafting Johnny Football.
Were is your apology to all of us?! Can you imagine?
I think you did eventually the caous with Johnny Football and quickly jumped on the “Draft Jameis Bandwagon.” Like Dungy you should man up! lol
Go Bucs!!!
December 18th, 2016 at 4:21 pm
Looks like the Bears found their QB. Too bad they couldn’t pull off the upset. Maybe this is a good omen for the sixty whiners vs. the atlanta piece of craps.
December 18th, 2016 at 4:28 pm
I am cheering for Colin Kaepernick and the sixty whiners.
Damn do I feel dirty.
Even worse than that night when I was 20 years old and woke up in that girls bed whose brother was my best friend, doh!
December 18th, 2016 at 4:40 pm
Jameis would have been drafted regardless of dungy’s viewpoint and regardless if lovie was here. Your gm had him pegged as his qb 4 years ago. Trust me, if lovie wanted mariotta, he would have been overruled or fired. Lovie had final say on the final 53, not the final say of every player that was brought in the doors of one buc place. Jameis was always going to be the pick.
December 18th, 2016 at 4:48 pm
Cajones = Drawers
Cojones = Bal…..
December 18th, 2016 at 4:49 pm
If not for Peyton Manning, Dungy would have just been another nobody coach who couldn’t win a Super Bowl.
December 18th, 2016 at 4:51 pm
Lovie had it written in his contract he had final say on personnel matters. If Lovie didn’t want Jameis, Jameis wouldn’t be here.
You think a guy who just got hired as a GM who has never been a GM before would run off Revis right away? That was Lovie’s call.
December 18th, 2016 at 4:56 pm
if you remove Winston from a Florida school I wonder why the locals think Winston is a better qb then M.M….from what I hear on nfl network M.M. is usually believed to have a higher ceiling.. yes they are both going to be stars!
December 18th, 2016 at 5:09 pm
@ben, I think Ur on the wrong site. I heard they just started a titan site called music city miracles. U should go check that out. U can express Ur love for the Fragile One over there
December 18th, 2016 at 5:22 pm
Breaking News
Not only does Blount Lead the league in Rushing TDs right now but he just set a FRANCHISE record for the Patriots………………
I mean…………………..#speachless
December 18th, 2016 at 5:24 pm
He wasn’t ready when he was here and we didn’t have the right Staff or Team to mold him. Hopefully we can do that now with this staff and this team. So far So good.
December 18th, 2016 at 5:41 pm
Marcus HAS to stay healthy for 3 yrs straight to be taken seriously. Already behind 1..hes exceeded my expectations but he has a stable run game too. Super happy for him and jameis but nfl network is a joke if they say that. I said jameis was better than luck his sr yr in college and was lambasted. What what??? lol!!
December 18th, 2016 at 5:50 pm
I am still pissed off about that schmuck Schiano not wanting Michael Bennett to stick around.
He was a WORSE coach than Ray Perkins, IMO.
December 18th, 2016 at 5:51 pm
Dungy definitely doesn’t know offense
December 18th, 2016 at 8:14 pm
Father Dungy was probably all-in on Hillary, too. You know he was.
December 18th, 2016 at 8:20 pm
That said if we had taken Mariota (Jameis is a lot better, better fit for the city, etc) it isn’t like we were for sure corkscrewed for another decade. Just wouldn’t have had the best QB in the draft.
December 18th, 2016 at 10:18 pm
Joe, Joe, Joe,
Dungy expressed his opinion, he did not do everything in his power to torpedo the Bucs from taking Dungy, because he couldn’t, a lot of it was, he knew MM from his son playing at Oregon, since JL and Locke did their due diligence, they likely asked his opinion. Also, Dungy came out last year on NBC and stated that he was wrong about JW, but you were so blind with Dungy rage, you didn’t see or hear it.
December 18th, 2016 at 11:34 pm
Father Dungy was probably all-in on Hillary, too. You know he was.
ok lets see what is going to happen when the working class scmucks realized their ss checks going to get cut when most of them do not have pensions after voting against their pockets
December 19th, 2016 at 1:42 am
Go Father Dungy! We love you in Tampa Bay!!!!!!
December 19th, 2016 at 6:34 am
Joe, we wouldn’t be hurting if we drafted the other guy either. It’s not
Like Tony is wrong for liking a different good player.