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New York columnist: Cowboys should hire Landry-like Tony Dungy
Posted at 12:47 PM on Mon., Nov. 15, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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WILLIAM C. RHODEN
New York Times (McClatchy News Service)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Just in time for the New York Giants, America's Team came alive Sunday night. The Dallas Cowboys, dealing with the frustration of a 1-7 record, dissension and the dismissal of their coach, defeated the Giants, 33-20.
It was a successful coaching debut for Jason Garrett, who had been the Cowboys' offensive coordinator before the owner Jerry Jones promoted him to replace Wade Phillips on an interim basis.
Garrett is the Cowboys' man of the hour, but the larger question for this franchise is whether Garrett is the Cowboys' coach of the future.
If the Cowboys win the rest of their games, Jones will be hard pressed to give the job to anyone else, but the advice -- and the names -- have been pouring in. The advice is that Jones needs a powerhouse, big-name head coach to right the Cowboys' ship. The names are familiar: Bill Cowher, who took Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl championship, and Jon Gruden, who led Tampa Bay to a championship. Good names, certainly. But with a spectacular stadium to fill and a sports legacy to uphold, Jones has to do better than a good decision. He needs a great one.
Jones clearly favors Garrett, a former Princeton quarterback who went on to become a backup with Dallas and the Giants. He could be the fresh voice the Cowboys need to hear. He certainly has stood in line and deserves his chance.
But America's Team needs a better idea.
For the Cowboys and Jerry Jones, that better idea is Tony Dungy; the perfect coach for a team in turmoil.
When Jones, the Cowboys' 68-year-old owner, steps back and takes stock of the team's predicament, he will realize that Dungy is the perfect fit for a franchise that needs to be centered and stabilized. That's who Dungy is -- the calm in the midst of a storm and a bridge over troubled water. Jones should not be deluded by the victory Sunday; the Cowboys' waters are still troubled.
If Dallas hires Cowher or perhaps even Gruden, Jones would most likely have to hand over power over personnel. This has been a sticking point for Jones, who also functions as the Cowboys' general manager, since he became the owner.
Unlike Cowher and Gruden, Dungy is not driven by ego. He wants to coach football, win games and more than any of that use his celebrity to help heal lives.
Dungy, 55, commands respect without roaring like Cowher or frothing like Gruden. He has proved that you don't have to do either to reach the contemporary young player.
Dungy has never been on a power trip. In fact, he embodies everything that once formed the foundation of the Cowboys.
Its victory over the Giants notwithstanding, America's Team has to get back to its roots. Those were established in the 1960s and '70s by Tom Landry in terms of demeanor, coaching elegance and NFL pedigree as a player.
In many ways Dungy is like Landry, who coached the Cowboys from 1960 until he was fired by Jones in 1988.
Both were defensive backs in the NFL -- Landry for the Giants under Jim Lee Howell, Dungy for the Steelers under Chuck Noll. Both became defensive masters in the NFL.
As Landry was, Dungy is quiet and reserved. As Landry was, Dungy is deeply religious, though he is more compassionate than Landry, whom Duane Thomas once called the "Plastic Man." Dungy is Bill Parcells without the rough edges.
Both built championship teams. Landry helped build the Cowboys into America's Team; Dungy built the foundation for Tampa Bay's championship team, then led the Colts to victory in the 2007 Super Bowl. At a political level, Jones has never seriously considered an African-American as a candidate to coach his team. Interviewed, yes. Seriously considered, no. If Jones is going to finally hire a first, it might as well be Dungy.
Jones said it would be unfair right now to comment on the possibility of hiring Dungy.
The larger question -- beyond whether Jones would have the vision and the nerve to hire Dungy -- is why would Dungy come out of retirement to coach Jones' Cowboys. Perhaps out of a sense of mission.
America's Team would provide Dungy with a great stage for a larger personal mission. As part of his ministry, Dungy speaks with multitudes of young men and women, many of whom cling to survival by a slender thread. He talks about hope and perseverance -- just the message these Cowboys need to hear.
Dungy understands America's troubles with youth in a way that few NFL coaches do. The Cowboys would provide Dungy with his largest stage yet to reach out and save lives.
In the process, he might save America's Team as well.
Posted at 12:47 PM on Mon., Nov. 15, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
WILLIAM C. RHODEN
New York Times (McClatchy News Service)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Just in time for the New York Giants, America's Team came alive Sunday night. The Dallas Cowboys, dealing with the frustration of a 1-7 record, dissension and the dismissal of their coach, defeated the Giants, 33-20.
It was a successful coaching debut for Jason Garrett, who had been the Cowboys' offensive coordinator before the owner Jerry Jones promoted him to replace Wade Phillips on an interim basis.
Garrett is the Cowboys' man of the hour, but the larger question for this franchise is whether Garrett is the Cowboys' coach of the future.
If the Cowboys win the rest of their games, Jones will be hard pressed to give the job to anyone else, but the advice -- and the names -- have been pouring in. The advice is that Jones needs a powerhouse, big-name head coach to right the Cowboys' ship. The names are familiar: Bill Cowher, who took Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl championship, and Jon Gruden, who led Tampa Bay to a championship. Good names, certainly. But with a spectacular stadium to fill and a sports legacy to uphold, Jones has to do better than a good decision. He needs a great one.
Jones clearly favors Garrett, a former Princeton quarterback who went on to become a backup with Dallas and the Giants. He could be the fresh voice the Cowboys need to hear. He certainly has stood in line and deserves his chance.
But America's Team needs a better idea.
For the Cowboys and Jerry Jones, that better idea is Tony Dungy; the perfect coach for a team in turmoil.
When Jones, the Cowboys' 68-year-old owner, steps back and takes stock of the team's predicament, he will realize that Dungy is the perfect fit for a franchise that needs to be centered and stabilized. That's who Dungy is -- the calm in the midst of a storm and a bridge over troubled water. Jones should not be deluded by the victory Sunday; the Cowboys' waters are still troubled.
If Dallas hires Cowher or perhaps even Gruden, Jones would most likely have to hand over power over personnel. This has been a sticking point for Jones, who also functions as the Cowboys' general manager, since he became the owner.
Unlike Cowher and Gruden, Dungy is not driven by ego. He wants to coach football, win games and more than any of that use his celebrity to help heal lives.
Dungy, 55, commands respect without roaring like Cowher or frothing like Gruden. He has proved that you don't have to do either to reach the contemporary young player.
Dungy has never been on a power trip. In fact, he embodies everything that once formed the foundation of the Cowboys.
Its victory over the Giants notwithstanding, America's Team has to get back to its roots. Those were established in the 1960s and '70s by Tom Landry in terms of demeanor, coaching elegance and NFL pedigree as a player.
In many ways Dungy is like Landry, who coached the Cowboys from 1960 until he was fired by Jones in 1988.
Both were defensive backs in the NFL -- Landry for the Giants under Jim Lee Howell, Dungy for the Steelers under Chuck Noll. Both became defensive masters in the NFL.
As Landry was, Dungy is quiet and reserved. As Landry was, Dungy is deeply religious, though he is more compassionate than Landry, whom Duane Thomas once called the "Plastic Man." Dungy is Bill Parcells without the rough edges.
Both built championship teams. Landry helped build the Cowboys into America's Team; Dungy built the foundation for Tampa Bay's championship team, then led the Colts to victory in the 2007 Super Bowl. At a political level, Jones has never seriously considered an African-American as a candidate to coach his team. Interviewed, yes. Seriously considered, no. If Jones is going to finally hire a first, it might as well be Dungy.
Jones said it would be unfair right now to comment on the possibility of hiring Dungy.
The larger question -- beyond whether Jones would have the vision and the nerve to hire Dungy -- is why would Dungy come out of retirement to coach Jones' Cowboys. Perhaps out of a sense of mission.
America's Team would provide Dungy with a great stage for a larger personal mission. As part of his ministry, Dungy speaks with multitudes of young men and women, many of whom cling to survival by a slender thread. He talks about hope and perseverance -- just the message these Cowboys need to hear.
Dungy understands America's troubles with youth in a way that few NFL coaches do. The Cowboys would provide Dungy with his largest stage yet to reach out and save lives.
In the process, he might save America's Team as well.
