Dungy is cool on hot seat

SHELTON E-mail: Click here Archive

By GARY SHELTON

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 16, 2001

TAMPA -- As chairs go, the one in Tony Dungy's office is a fine one.

It is a comfortable chair of solid construction. It is made of black leather, and the back is high. There are arm rests and, when asked, it swivels, rolls and reclines.

And when Dungy sits there, he swears the seat is not hot.

Perhaps you have heard otherwise. Perhaps you have heard that Dungy is so firmly on the hot seat that the cushion is about to burst into flames. Perhaps you have heard there is a target on his back, critics at his heels and a microscope over his results.

"I've been hearing that myself," Dungy said. "But my seat doesn't feel any warmer than it has for five years. I haven't heard it from the people I work for, so I'm going to assume it's the same temperature it's always been."

Apparently, that isn't the perception across America. Evidently, the perception lingers that either Dungy's team will make it to the end, or the end will come to Dungy.

[Times photo: Toni L. Sandys] In a Web site poll, Tony Dungy overwhelmingly was voted the NFL coach on the hot seat.

Did you see the poll on ESPN.com this week? The Web site asked fans to vote which NFL coach was most on the hot seat. Dungy lost in a landslide. Of 87,777 votes, he received 40,992, or 46.7 percent. Evidently, Dungy's seat is so hot they should change the name of his chair to "Old Sparky." It's the only chair in America that needs to come with a smoke detector.

By comparison, Dave Campo of the Dallas Cowboys, a coach who may not make it to Labor Day, and who might be fortunate if he does not, received only 10 percent of the vote. Dick Jauron of the Bears, another coach who should not buy green bananas, received only 9.3 percent. Mike Riley, who coaches the hapless San Diego Chargers, received only 3.3 percent. (On the other hand, perhaps only 3.3 percent of the voters know who Riley is.)

This is a silly place to start the season. It is absurd on top of ridiculous with huge portions of stupid mixed in. Have we lost all perspective? Have we lost all common sense? Does Les Steckel have nothing better to do than to sit in front of his home computer and hit the same number, over and over, until the count gets to 40,000?

"I didn't think twice about the poll," Dungy said, laughing. "As long as Mr. (Malcolm) Glazer wasn't part of the 46.7 percent, it doesn't bother me. It could have been only one vote against me, but if it was the wrong vote, that would have been worse."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone around here expects the Bucs to be very good. If they aren't, it's going to be disappointing, and it's going to be loud.

But should it be the end of Dungy?

Of course not.

Let's get this straight from the start. Dungy is the finest coach in Bucs history and, with three playoffs in four seasons, he has constructed the best era. The idea this team is playing for his job is preposterous.

Don't you remember Sam Wyche? Ray Perkins? Richard Williamson? Leeman Bennett? Don't you remember the insanity of the old days? Don't you appreciate the success Dungy has made seem normal? Don't you wonder if Staples sells asbestos office furniture?

They are a dangerous thing, expectations. Dungy has built them, and now there are fans who would turn them on him. Players who were wasted in previous regimes (Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch) have become great, and now, all you hear about is all the talent Dungy has.

Of course, logic tends to leave fans all over the place. This isn't the first time this has happened. There was a time Marty Schottenheimer had taken the Cleveland to four straight playoffs, and an impatient owner pushed him out the door. The Browns promptly went to hell, then on to Baltimore. It happened again in Kansas City, when Schottenheimer was eased out after making the playoffs seven times in nine seasons. In happened in Philadelphia with Buddy Ryan. History suggest that if you make a change, the team usually goes backward, not forward.

Then, there is this. Exactly who would you replace Dungy with?

Bill Parcells? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows what Parcells will do, least of all Parcells? Who else? Look at the coaches who were hired last year. Schottenheimer. Dick Vermeil. Greg Williams. Marty Mornhinweg. Herm Edwards. Do you want to swap Dungy for any of the lot?

As for Dungy, he just grins and shrugs. If it bothers him that people are talking about his livelihood, he keeps it hidden.

"I don't feel any pressure," Dungy said. "I think expectations are a good thing. I'd rather have these kinds of questions than 'Can you get to .500?' "

Look, it's this simple. Playoff coaches shouldn't be fired, whether they're Denny Green in Minneapolis or Jim Mora in Indianapolis. And the Bucs are going to make the playoffs this season.

Afterward, whether the sound is celebration or consternation, Dungy should feel safe and warm, sitting in his office and basking in the flames of his fireplace.

Oops, sorry. Dungy doesn't have a fireplace.

That's his chair. Like the fans, it tends to overheat from time to time.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright