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Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy will work NBC 's on-site studio for the network's coverage of Thursday night's Cowboys game at the Minnesota Vikings.
A free agent out of the University of Minnesota in 1977, he had a brief playing career for the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers as a defensive back before going into coaching with the Steelers in 1981.
That's where he found his niche. He was a two-time NFL "Coach of the Year" winning 148 games in 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. His worst record in seven seasons with the Colts was 10-6. His Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl 41 at the end of the 2006 season.
In 1996, his rookie season as a NFL head coach, he hired the USC defensive line coach to join his staff in Tampa. That's how Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli made the leap from colleges to the NFL.
I talked to Dungy on Wednesday morning.
Barry Horn: If you were coaching the Cowboys would you want to go into the playoffs riding a 15-game winning streak or have your team lose again during the regular season to take some of the pressure off the team?
Tony Dungy: I wanted to win all of the time. I don't think a winning streak builds pressure. The first game of the playoffs starts a clean slate. The year we won the Super Bowl with Indianapolis we lost three games in December, including 44-17 to Jacksonville. Losing doesn't hurt as long as you learn something from the game. The worst thing that can happen is winning in December but not playing well. You start believing your team is better than you are. I don't see that happening with the Cowboys. They seem to be growing from game to game.
Horn: What comes to mind when you think Dak Prescott?
Dungy: He does not predetermine what he will do going into a game. He does not predetermine what he is going to do with the football in his hand. He follows his reads. He is just doing what the defense dictates he can do. It's rare you see a young quarterback play that way...I'd say he reminds me of Russell Wilson in his first couple of years. Whether it's pocket passing, scrambling or handing off 35 times a game, he is happy to do what it takes to win."
Horn: And Ezekiel Elliott?
Dungy: He hasn't surprised me. Before the season, I thought he would be a 1,200- to 1,500-yard rusher behind this offensive line. Now because of Tony Romo's injury, he has gotten more carries and will be 1,500 to 1,800 yards. If Romo had played all season, I don't think they would have relied as much on the run. You know, Tony Dorsett and I came into the NFL together in 1977. I figured Elliott had a chance to have the same impact as Tony but his season has been enhanced because he is playing with a young quarterback.
Horn: As a defensive coordinator before you became a head coach, can you assess the Cowboys defense?
Dungy: Let me start with Rod Marinelli. I first met Rod in 1996 when I was looking for a defensive line coach in Tampa. I asked who I should hire and my scouts all said I should take a look at Rod Marinelli, who was at USC at the time. They said he had been an excellent teacher everywhere he had been. I studied his film and then I called Rod and told him I was flying to Los Angeles to meet him. He told me he would pick me up at my hotel at 5 a.m. He came and got me, we ate a little breakfast and we watched tape all day. We watched drills and game tape. I loved it. I got a great education. I was hooked. I offered him a job on the spot. He was sensational for us. I know Rod is telling his players, "We do our jobs. We hustle. We're going to win." That's how they are playing with no superstars. The one thing that his defense is not doing, which is disappointing, is they are not forcing turnovers. They are going to need takeaways when they go up against top quarterbacks in the playoffs. As for Rod, the person, I would want my son to play of him. He instills that a player must sacrifice for the greater good. He preaches that nothing comes easy in life. He's sensational. I am going to have breakfast with him on Thursday. Not at 5 a.m. More like 8:30.
Horn: What is the best advice you have for Jason Garrett at this point in the season?
Dungy: Enjoy the moment but don't overlook the little things. It's the little things that are going to win in the playoffs.
A free agent out of the University of Minnesota in 1977, he had a brief playing career for the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers as a defensive back before going into coaching with the Steelers in 1981.
That's where he found his niche. He was a two-time NFL "Coach of the Year" winning 148 games in 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. His worst record in seven seasons with the Colts was 10-6. His Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl 41 at the end of the 2006 season.
In 1996, his rookie season as a NFL head coach, he hired the USC defensive line coach to join his staff in Tampa. That's how Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli made the leap from colleges to the NFL.
I talked to Dungy on Wednesday morning.
Barry Horn: If you were coaching the Cowboys would you want to go into the playoffs riding a 15-game winning streak or have your team lose again during the regular season to take some of the pressure off the team?
Tony Dungy: I wanted to win all of the time. I don't think a winning streak builds pressure. The first game of the playoffs starts a clean slate. The year we won the Super Bowl with Indianapolis we lost three games in December, including 44-17 to Jacksonville. Losing doesn't hurt as long as you learn something from the game. The worst thing that can happen is winning in December but not playing well. You start believing your team is better than you are. I don't see that happening with the Cowboys. They seem to be growing from game to game.
Horn: What comes to mind when you think Dak Prescott?
Dungy: He does not predetermine what he will do going into a game. He does not predetermine what he is going to do with the football in his hand. He follows his reads. He is just doing what the defense dictates he can do. It's rare you see a young quarterback play that way...I'd say he reminds me of Russell Wilson in his first couple of years. Whether it's pocket passing, scrambling or handing off 35 times a game, he is happy to do what it takes to win."
Horn: And Ezekiel Elliott?
Dungy: He hasn't surprised me. Before the season, I thought he would be a 1,200- to 1,500-yard rusher behind this offensive line. Now because of Tony Romo's injury, he has gotten more carries and will be 1,500 to 1,800 yards. If Romo had played all season, I don't think they would have relied as much on the run. You know, Tony Dorsett and I came into the NFL together in 1977. I figured Elliott had a chance to have the same impact as Tony but his season has been enhanced because he is playing with a young quarterback.
Horn: As a defensive coordinator before you became a head coach, can you assess the Cowboys defense?
Dungy: Let me start with Rod Marinelli. I first met Rod in 1996 when I was looking for a defensive line coach in Tampa. I asked who I should hire and my scouts all said I should take a look at Rod Marinelli, who was at USC at the time. They said he had been an excellent teacher everywhere he had been. I studied his film and then I called Rod and told him I was flying to Los Angeles to meet him. He told me he would pick me up at my hotel at 5 a.m. He came and got me, we ate a little breakfast and we watched tape all day. We watched drills and game tape. I loved it. I got a great education. I was hooked. I offered him a job on the spot. He was sensational for us. I know Rod is telling his players, "We do our jobs. We hustle. We're going to win." That's how they are playing with no superstars. The one thing that his defense is not doing, which is disappointing, is they are not forcing turnovers. They are going to need takeaways when they go up against top quarterbacks in the playoffs. As for Rod, the person, I would want my son to play of him. He instills that a player must sacrifice for the greater good. He preaches that nothing comes easy in life. He's sensational. I am going to have breakfast with him on Thursday. Not at 5 a.m. More like 8:30.
Horn: What is the best advice you have for Jason Garrett at this point in the season?
Dungy: Enjoy the moment but don't overlook the little things. It's the little things that are going to win in the playoffs.