Tony Dungy Retirement Rumors Escalate – Bob Kravitz Column Way Off Base
I actually have to get back to day job today, so updates will be a little more sparse. However, I’ve seen some news this morning regarding the escalating rumors of Tony Dungy’s possible retirement.
I have already gone on record as saying that I hope Tony Dungy does not retire. Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star obviously disagrees with me; and from the looks of the comments section of the article, he disagrees with about 99% of the Colts fan base as well.
An email exchange I had with a major sports blog earlier today summed it up the best. I emailed them a link to Kravitz article as a tip, hoping they would post it so sports fans around the world could view Kravitz’s drivel and realize what sports fans in Indy have to put up with. Their response: “What a buffoon.” I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
One line in particular stood out to me in Kravitz’s article about Tony Dungy: “As much as we all respect and like the man, the numbers cannot be ignored.” Kravitz then follows this up by discussing Dungy’s disappointing playoff record. The truth though is that Kravitz is right, the numbers cannot be ignored, he was just right for a reason in opposition of his main point. Tony Dungy’s record as Colts head coach, the numbers, make it implausible for any Colts observer to say the franchise is better off without him. Six straight 12-win seasons, a plus-.750 winning percentage, a Super Bowl championship — the numbers are in Dungy’s favor, not working against him.
And, of course, Bob Kravitz seems to contradict himself by essentially saying that Colts fans would be stuck 
with Jim Caldwell, and that “the Colts should understand turning to Caldwell will be a tough sell.” Why then is it in the team’s best interest for Tony Dungy to go? If the already determined successor is “Tony Dungy Lite” and would prove a tough sell, how does the franchise improve by Tony Dungy leaving?
Is Bob Kravitz confusing anyone else? If I’m off base here, please tell me. My head was spinning after reading the Kravitz column because it just did not seem to make any coherent sense.
Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk has an interesting take on the issue, while claiming that sources around the Colts say its about 70-30 that Dungy will, in fact, retire:
In a city where the Colts often keep the primary newspaper in town on a choke chain, Kravitz (in our view) wouldn’t be sliding out onto that specific limb unless he already knows what Dungy is going to do.
Of course, there’s also a chance that Kravitz has gotten a nudge from G.M. Bill Polian, who might want to use the transition to a new head coach as cover for the team’s looming struggles in the last capped year under the current CBA, which for the Colts will be the day of reckoning after years of pushing cap dollars into future seasons.
I suppose a gentle nudge from Bill Polian might explain what I consider to be a pretty nonsensical article by Bob Kravitz, but I am having a hard time believing that would be true. Of course, Florio has posted some pretty unflattering remarks about Bill Polian in the past, much to the dismay of some Colts supporters. I’ll be honest and say that I don’t know enough about the situation to accurately comment; but the notion that a GM would give a “nudge” to a local columnist to write a negative article about the most successful coach in franchise history is, well, interesting. I’ll put it that way.
The Colts obviously have some questions heading into 2009, none more important than the status of their current head coach and if he will be there next season. As the Tony Dungy retirement rumors continue to escalate, I just hope we do not see any more stories like the one penned by Bob Kravitz. Tony Dungy deserves far more respect, and not just because he is a good and decent man; but because he is without the question the best person to lead the Colts as head coach for next season. Colts fans and interested observers like myself are anxiously awaiting his final decision, and hopefully we don’t have to sift through any more Kravitzesque drivel while keeping up with the latest Tony Dungy updates.
What do you think? Is Bob Kravitz off base in his criticism of Tony Dungy?
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Tags: bill polian, bob kravitz, coaching carousel, Indianapolis Colts, NFL, tony dungy
I don’t think Dungy is done in Indy yet, especially after this post- season. I feel that he still wants one more championship and its not his time to retire yet.
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JRod Reply:
January 5th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
@Chris Thompson, I’m sure the majority of Colts fans would love to see you be proven right. Unfortunately, it looks like Dungy may very well retire. He just shouldn’t be pushed out in any way or have to deal with guys like Bob Kravitz saying the team would be better off without him. It’s ludicrous.
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Chris Thompson Reply:
January 5th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
@JRod, Like you wrote earlier about Bob Kravitz, I agree with you He is a Buffon. I hate writers like that.
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Well according to the few votes so far it looks like you’re the one that may be off base. I think it’s time for Dungy to go. He gets alot of respect for being a good man, but he coaching leaves something to be desired. His O-well attitude has began to rub people the wrong way. If I want a man to run my church i’ll go with Dungy, but if I want a football coach that can motivate players im looking elsewhere.
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JRod Reply:
January 5th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
@Dman, it is still pretty early, and obviously we don’t drive the kind of traffic here to get huge poll results anyway, but as of 6:00 CT it was 9-3 in favor of the No’s. Based on what I observed in the IndyStar comments and in the forums I checked out, that sounds like a pretty good approximation of the response I was seeing to Kravitz’s article.
I understand and respect your points, but I think the truth is that every coach leaves a little something to be desired. Andy Reid doesn’t run enough, Bill Belichick isn’t cordial enough and cheats, Lovie Smith is too laid back, etc. It is very rare that you find a coach who is “perfect”, but when you have one who is proven and consistent in today’s NFL, I think you have to hold onto them with everything you’ve got.
Look at the Titans. They are up and down, but they stick with Jeff Fisher because he is an above average coach who will win more than he loses. Would you rather have Jeff Fisher in Indy? He’s good, but certainly has never won 12 games in 6 straight seasons or even coached in as many playoff games as Tony Dungy has lost (I didn’t fact check that, but I bet it’s at least close.)
I don’t think Tony Dungy is the best coach ever, nor is he absolved from blame when the Colts lose. But still, what is the alternative? Eric Mangini? Steve Spagnuolo? They are unproven. You know what you have with Tony Dungy and it is well above the average.
Be careful what you wish for, as they say — you just might get it, and find yourself thinking that 12 wins and a first round exit with the occasional deep playoff run sounds pretty good in comparison.
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