One coaching legend ended his reign Monday. Did another one begin?
Tony Dungy, 53, retired from the Colts and likely will never coach again; Josh McDaniels, 32, was hired by Denver.
“The guy has been a credit to the profession,” said Charley Casserly, former general manager of the Redskins and Texans, of Dungy. “He’s been a class act.”
But nice-guy Dungy was not soft.
“Outwardly he seems to have a calm demeanor,” Casserly, now with CBS, said, “but when you analyze how he coaches he’s very demanding. He holds players accountable and I think even though he’s soft-spoken, his team reflects an image of calm and intensity at the same time. He’s a very patient person.”
As for McDaniels, we have no idea what he’ll do. We do know he had no interest in the Redskins job last year, figuring he was still too young, according to sources in New England where he was the offensive coordinator. But we also know that McDaniels grew up in a coaching household — his father, Thom, is a coaching legend in Northeast Ohio. One childhood friend said when they would play video football games, before McDaniels would, say, go for it on fourth and 2, he would check around to make sure his dad wasn’t in the room. He knew he would get an earful about not punting in that situation.
So what does that mean for his tenure? Who knows? It’s not as if former Bill Belichick aides have panned out elsewhere. But we liked the story.
