Faceoff's best of the rest

Who is the best coach in Buccaneers history, Tony Dungy or Jon Gruden?

By Times Staff
Published June 4, 2006

In the first week of turning the Sunday "Faceoff" over to the readers, we found a few out there missed their calling and should've tried writing sports for a living. While we had a number of responses worthy of running in Sunday's edition of the Times, we chose Stephen Foy of Palm Harbor and Austin Carter of Tarpon Springs. However, here are the best of the rest of the responses you sent us.

Gruden. There is an expression which says, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. Players get paid to produce the best they can on the field and coaches get paid to squeeze as much out of them that they can. Gruden achieved the ultimate in his profession by winning the Super Bowl where Dungy took his team to the playoffs and lost. When we talk about the best there is no place for second, only first!! Jon Gruden is the best coach in Bucs history and there should be no debate.

- Ian Cohen, St. Petersburg

For two reasons I choose Dungy over Gruden as best Bucs coach. One, Tony virtually started from scratch with few quality players and built a winning team, even though they didn't win a Super Bowl. Gruden inherited the team Tony had built. Two, to me Tony's prime attainment was the Men he made out of Boys. While I want the team to win, to me in the long run, the building of lives is the greater good.

- Rosemary Westbrook

Tony Dungy is the best coach the Bucs ever had. He took a terrible team and made it good enough to make the playoffs. He generated excitement and hope, not hype. He is a human being first, who treats everyone with the same calm, measured actions that inspire players to perform at their best for him. Not because they have to, but because they want to do it for Tony. He leads by example. He does not let the emotions of the moment overwhelm him while engaged in complex coaching multitasking. He has displayed class and dignity in highly public personal and professional disappointments and tragedy. His record of continued steady team improvement is enviable by any coach. He has won by being steady and predicable, but has shown that he can adapt and accept change in spite of his deep convictions.

- Robert Fedor, Treasure Island

The best coach in Bucs history is Jon Gruden. Your question is not, "Whom would you most like to have dinner with" or, "Who was the best ambassador for Tampa Bay sports" or, "Who do you most admire?" Had it been any of these, Tony gets my vote. But Jon is the best coach because he holds players accountable. Tony did not. ... During the Dungy era, there were no consequences for lousy performances. There were only excuses and the overused, "We just need to execute better." In my favorite quote from the Bucs first coach, John McKay, when asked about his team's execution. He replied, "I'm in favor of it!" Tony needed some of that attitude. Come to think of it, how come you left McKay off the list?

- Greg Zollo

Coach Tony Dungy is, by far, the best coach in Buccaneers history. The only way Jon Gruden got the team to the Super Bowl was because it was the first year he was head coach, and he was taking the team that Tony Dungy had recruited and trained. Look at Gruden's record since then. Look at how successful Gruden has been with the people he has recruited! Dungy was a class act. Dungy always brought out the best in each player by the way he treated each individual team member. He continues to carry on this tradition with the Colts!

- Margaret Hyde, Clearwater

TONY DUNGY!!!!!! Class act. Mature. Leadership by example. Talented. Principled. Real family values. Balanced life. Sincere. How much room do you have?

- Robyn Dalton, Largo

Tony Dungy. The saint built our franchise from perennial laughing stock to perennial contender. The sinner plays with passion, and delivered a Super Bowl championship. My head says Gruden is the best. My heart says Dungy. Tie at the end of regulation? Another Super Bowl championship and my head and heart will agree on Gruden.

- Rick Henry, Brooksville

I think Tony Dungy was the best coach ever. He truly cared about the players. All Gruden thinks about is money and I think he is a big jerk. He never should have got rid of John Lynch and Joe Jurevicius. I can only say (that) if he got rid of Alstott there would have been a real war and he needs to play him more than he does.

- Cynthia L Ikens

Tony Dungy! Tony built the defense and team character over the years he was here that won the Super Bowl (after he was fired). He was treated like a bum by the ownership during his firing because they thought they had Bill Parcells at the altar finally. Tony is one of the best human beings in the NFL and one of the best coaches. His only weakness with the Bucs was being hard-headed about improving the offense. Gruden walked into this job, added a little offense and won a Super Bowl. He's been struggling ever since. And by the way, we lost the best GM in the NFL (Rich McKay) over the Dungy firing and management changes.

- Joe Barbieri

My sympathy plus admiration for Tony. He has the ability to evaluate talent like a general manager and develop great teams on the field. But real coaching starts with the game and unfortunately he could not win in the playoffs with very good teams. He confirmed this inability last season by losing at home with a history-making Indy team. We know football is a very emotional game and Jon is a highly emotional offensive strategist who wins games on the field and with many of the same players that Tony lost with. Gruden is the best Buc coach and he proved it by beating the Eagles in the playoffs in Philly on a cold January day. Then routing the Raiders in the Super Bowl with both great offensive and defensive plays! He continues by taking last season's mediocre team with a rookie quarterback to the playoffs. And there is more to come.

- Bill Wiley, Largo

Tony Dungy. He is an example I choose to select as my choice of a true COACH. A knowledgeable, experienced gentleman, who gained the trust and respect of his players and other coaches. His demeanor was the mainstay of his outstanding character. Coach Gruden could and does express himself with clarity and wisdom of a GOOD COACH, without tainting the wholesome attributes that make up qualities of an outstanding human being. Coach Tony Dungy will always be respected for how he coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

- Barbara Willard, Clearwater

Jon Gruden is the better coach. Tony Dungy had all the players and couldn't win the big one. As a matter of fact, Dungy never even got to the Super Bowl. Gruden not only took the team to the Super Bowl, but also won it! Dungy couldn't do it in Tampa Bay and he's not doing it in Indianapolis either.

- Walter B. Raine, St. Petersburg

As much as I respect and admire the way Tony Dungy changed the direction of this organization, Jon Gruden is the coach that provided the killer instinct and motivation to make the Buccaneers Super Bowl champions. Gruden, not Dungy, is the coach who brought in key offensive contributors - Michael Pittman, Keenan McCardell, Lomas Brown, Ken Dilger and Joe Jurevicius - to Tampa. It was Tony Dungy's ego that cost him his job. All he had to do was hire a competent offensive coordinator and Dungy would still be in Tampa. History remembers the winners and Jon Gruden is the ultimate winner in Bucs history.

- Tony Saylor

No contest at all. Jon Gruden is the better coach. Tony Dungy is a nice man. The whole time he was in Tampa, he had a decent defense but NO offense. Gruden brought a good offense to go with the Bucs Defense. And that has been proven more each season

- Paul Schultz, Clearwater

Jon Gruden is a good coach but he hasn't done anything significant. He's basically using Tony Dungy's team. If you ask me, the biggest mistake was hiring Jon Gruden because there has been nothing but drama since he has arrived. So to answer you question I would have to say TONY DUNGY is the best coach in Buccaneer history.

- Nick Williams, St. Petersburg

What an easy question you chose to kick off your new format. Jon Gruden brought us a SUPER BOWL win. Tony Dungy brought us heartbreak and frustration. The Bucs assembled a team of extremely talented athletes with the potential to have strung together three to five championships. Tony Dungy's lack of coaching skills prevented this from happening. If it were not for Monte Kiffin, Dungy's team would have underachieved much more. It is said that Dungy is a nice man. I have never met him so I cannot comment on that. However, his lack of coaching skills are something I feel qualified to comment upon. Gruden and Bruce Allen are quickly and methodically restructuring a team that was old and in cap shambles. Last year's team mirrored Gruden - extremely exciting football from a team of overachievers! Gruden has already cemented his place in Bucs history and the future is looking rosy, while Dungy continues to underachieve in Indy!

- Al Bartolo

In my opinion, Tony Dungy was the building block of the current Bucs. He built the team, but I also think Jon Gruden is an excellent and dedicated coach, he chooses players that can get the job done. The whole process started when the Glazers took over. I think Dungy and Gruden both have been excellent.

- Dick Rivett, Tampa

TONY DUNGY BEYOND A DOUBT!

- Merrilee Foerster

DUNGY DUNGY DUNGY.

- Cristy Byers-Flum

Jon Gruden is the best coach in Bucs history.

- Matthew Chambers

There is no question here about who is a better coach. Jon won a Super Bowl! And I'm tired of people saying it was with Tony's players. If Tony had still been the head coach we would have lost in the NFC round versus Philly as he would have tried to let the defense win the game instead of throwing a pass to Joe Jurevicius (whom Tony wouldn't even had on his team). Yes, as I fan I'm thankful to Tony for his hard work he did here but look at Indy with all the talent they had pre-Tony.

- Eric Howe, Largo

Hands down: Tony Dungy.

- Patricia Collins

Tony Dungy is the best Bucs coach.

- Karen Ray

Without a doubt, Tony Dungy.

- Robert F Kushnereit

TONY DUNGY. THANK YOU FOR THE BEST COACH THE BUCS HAVE EVER HAD.

- Jimmy Holland, Lecanto

Tony Dungy was the best in Tampa. Gruden is a complete disaster!!

- Patricia Glickman

I would say the majority of your e-mails will swing Dungy's way. But I vote for the Super Bowl champion Jon Gruden, keeping in mind he is still here and will probably bring another championship in the next few years. Take a look in Indy. Dungy is proving he would have never brought a championship here. My respect and thanks goes out to Tony Dungy and the Glazers for putting Tampa on the map, but it took an even better coach to get this team to the next level and Gruden did it in a year.

- David Kawa, Land 0' Lakes

Jon Gruden. We all LOVED Dungy when he was our coach. But he is gone! Get over it!! Gruden is absolutely GREAT!! Get behind him instead of criticizing everything he does. If you are so crazy about Dungy, move to Indianapolis.

- Bev Dahlberg, St. Petersburg

Tony Dungy gets my vote as best coach.

- Don Briggs

Dungy or Gruden? What kind of a question is that? Everybody knows that Gruden did not get us to the Super Bowl, that Dungy got us there. It was totally Dungy's football team that gave Tampa Bay the bragging rights of a Super Bowl win. So you ask, "Who is the best coach in Buc history?" Dungy, of course!!!!!

- Cindy Daily, Holiday

I personally think the choice is quite obvious when you think about the teams we endured for all of those years. Yes, Jon Gruden brought us the Super Bowl in his first year here but whose players did he win it with? He also has struggled the past two out of three years. I have colleagues who have asked me would I trade our Super Bowl championship for Tony Dungy and that's a very hard question to answer. Winning that Super Bowl was one of the proudest times in my life, but look at what it has cost this team. We no longer have the quantity of quality players, personally and professionally that we had when Tony was here and I am not as proud of some of the players Gruden has brought in. I also realize that in this day and age in the NFL, it is very difficult to hold a team together with the salary cap issues facing all the teams. But I feel Tony could have and would have got it done. Sometime I feel we sold our souls to get Jon Gruden and he certainly does not have the character that Tony Dungy has.

- Gary Freggens, Dunedin

If majors are the gold standard in golf, Super Bowls are obviously the same for football. Did anybody ever mention Phil (Mickelson), with all his tournament wins, in the same breath with Tiger (Woods) until Phil started winning majors? Are Marv Levy and Bill Walsh in the same conversation? Tony formed a defensive dynasty here, but we never had anything on the other side of the ball. He won many games, and playoff games, but never the big one. Coach Gruden came in, and with Rich McKay's team, made Tampa a champion. Then, when it takes most franchises at least five years to rebuild after losing seasons, Gruden already has us back as true contenders in the most competitive league in sports.

- Greg Carroll, Tampa

No contest. Coach Tony, of course. He is a super class act. Jon Gruden took a gift. So it was a Super Bowl ring. So big deal. There is only one coach tony. He is a gift.

- Jinene Harvey, Clearwater

Tough one, but the bottom line is that Gruden brought a Super Bowl victory. Please do not tell me it this was "Dungy's team." Yes, (Dungy) resurrected a downtrodden laughingstock but ... he should have won more than he did. The players got older and the opportunity to dominate while the core players were young never materialized. This year's team was predicted by most to finish with 6 to 8 wins yet (Gruden) took them to the playoffs. And Dungy? Well, he finally surrounded the Manning offense with a very good defense yet they were done after the first game. Par for the course for his stay in Indy. Gruden by a nose.

- Robert B. Currie, Clearwater

Jon Gruden is by far the best coach in Buccaneer's history (because of) his devotion to the game, vision and dedication to improving the team. He lacks the personality of Dungy, but compensates with his aggressiveness to push his players to better themselves in every game.

- Ben Rosa

Tony Dungy was the greatest coach in Bucs history. He was a coach of character who expected the best of his players on and off the field. Dungy didn't condone off field conduct, such as getting into fist fights in night clubs, etc., because it tarnished the image of the team. Players supported Dungy and played hard for him because of his high ethical standards and idealism. Gruden, on the other hand, with his hair-trigger temper doesn't much care what players do off the field so long as they perform on the field. Such is limited perspective. Dungy laid the framework for the entire Buccaneer team (especially his awesome defense) which was a laughingstock and disgrace to Tampa Bay before he took the reins of leadership. Four times in five years Tony Dungy had a playoff team. That speaks for itself. Tony was a role model who made the team a role model to our entire community.

- Robert B. Fleming, St. Petersburg

The best coach in Buccaneers history is without a doubt Tony Dungy. He is the man responsible for turning what was the league's laughingstock into a powerful playoff team by combining a solid defense, high character players and a winning attitude. Before Dungy you couldn't give away tickets to a game at the Old Sombrero; soon after Ray Jay was built you couldn't get a ticket to get in. Then Gruden came along after Dungy failed to advance far enough in the playoffs and rode Tony's players into the Super Bowl by using his caustic demeanor, rah-rah attitude and no-nonsense approach. Now we've got a team full of miscreants and malcontents who would just as soon hit their wife or get arrested than win a playoff game. Did the Bucs make a deal with the devil (Al Davis) to get their Bowl victory? It sure looks like it. But in looking back at history, there should be no question that Tony Dungy is the best coach in Bucs history, hands down.

- Jeffrey Rosenfield, Clearwater

When it comes to determining who the best coach in Bucs history is, one would have to argue that Dungy is for several reasons. Tony Dungy was the catalyst that made the Buc's defense as dominant is it has been during the last decade, including mentoring Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Hardy Nickerson; drafting Ronde Barber, Warren Sapp and Brian Kelly, to name a few. He hired Monte Kiffin, one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears coach), Herman Edwards (KC Chiefs), Rod Marinelli (Detroit Lions). While his offenses were not impressive, he drafted Mike Alsott and Warrick Dunn, which gave the Bucs a formidable running attack. ... Jon Gruden did his best coaching job last season, in my opinion, but winning a Super Bowl with a team who was destined to reach the pinnacle anyway doesn't make Jon the best coach in Bucs history. It is the person who turns a sack of potatoes to German potato salad that gets my accolades.

- Carl Jones, St. Petersburg

Despite the personal affection and respect one must have for a Tony Dungy, my vote goes to Gruden. He made a contender out of Oakland and if it weren't for that stupid "tuck rule," he might have won a Super Bowl there. He came here and took Tony's consistently disappointing team, loaded with All-Pros, to a convincing world championship in his first year. He kept the team together despite defections, salary cap problems, injuries, and practically no draft choices the next two years and then posted an 11-5 record and a division championship with a rookie QB!!!! Meanwhile, Tony goes to a very good Indianapolis team boasting future Hall of Famers at QB, running back and receiver and continues to disappoint. Case Closed!!!

- George Reale, Beverly Hills

There is no comparison. One took over a good team and ran it down. The other one took two mediocre teams and made them great contenders.

- Donald F. Kelly, St. Petersburg

Neither Tony Dungy or Jon Gruden. John McKay was. He took practically nothing and had the Bucs in the playoffs in three years. Tony had talent around him, and Jon had talent around him. John McKay got more out of what he had than either Tony or Jon. How soon we forget.

- Weldon Comerford, Seminole

[Last modified June 4, 2006, 09:12:40]