04/19/24
January 25, 2002
Tony Dungy promises to rebuild Indianapolis' defense,: and with his defensive resume, who could doubt him? But will the rise of the colts defense coincide with the fall of their offense? Can Dungy adjust his play calling to take advantage of the Colt's offensive superstars, or will this be Tampa all over again, great defense, no offense?
The difference between Tampa Bay and Indiana is that the Colts already have a good offense with lots of talent, but the Bucs never put the offensive talent together. I think Dungy's smart enough to know his own strengths and limitations and get or keep a good offensive coordinator.
posted by kirkaracha at 03:05 PM on January 25, 2002
I tend to agree. The talent is there, he should be able to just let them play. But if he tinkers with it at all and the offense slows down, the critics will have a ball at his expense.
posted by justgary at 03:12 PM on January 25, 2002
Since I grew up in Indy (like Vonnegut, mind you), I happen to be quite the Colts fan (sorry Baltimore). I'm thrilled that they hired Dungy. The defense has been a constant disappointment. Dungy knows defense. I've heard that he has a great relationship with Moore, the offensive coordinator, and plans to give him full reign of the offense (as much as a Head Coach can). If Dungy can get the Colts to be a top 10 ten defensive team, Colts would be a serious contender in the AFC. On a more serious note, this is the fourth African-American (Black American) coach to be hired for a high-profile team in the state: Pacers (Isaiah Thomas), IU basketball (Mike Davis), and Notre Dame football (Tyrone Willingham). For a state that has been associated with the KKK in the past, I find this to be greatly encouraging. Of course, hiring a few coaches doesn't mean racism doesn't exist. And hiring these coaches had less to do with their race and more to do with their exceptional talent. (Here's an article in the Indianapolis Star that discusses the social significance of this hire.)
posted by jacknose at 03:52 PM on January 25, 2002
My joy is that the Tampa front office is still wiping the egg off of their face. "Yeah, we got Parcells, so... Whaddya mean 'no'?" I just read somewhere that Norv Turner is interested. Heaven help you and the impending doom of your franchise should Norval inflict himself on the Bucs.
posted by owillis at 06:00 PM on January 25, 2002
Dungy claims he'll leave things alone on offense, even keeping some of the old offensive coaches. But you know he'll have some input. If this offense starts to falter all fingers are pointed at Dungy.