Fuente: © Indianapolis Colts
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NFL: COLTS: THE FINAL ANSWER

/noticias.info/ By John Oehser - Colts.com

Dungy Definitely Returning Next Season
INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Dungy was somewhat surprised at the fuss.

Because to Dungy, there was never much of a question he was going to return as the Colts’ head coach next season.

Still, when he said over the weekend he was definitely returning it became something of a national story, and Dungy – the Colts’ head coach since the 2002 season – reconfirmed his decision on Monday shortly before attending the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala:

He’s returning to coach the Colts next season. For certain.

“I was always coming back unless I said I wasn’t,” Dungy said in an interview with Colts.com Monday morning. “I didn’t think I was going to have any reason not to.

“I guess I was a little surprised when it became a question for people.”

Dungy, who will enter his fifth season with the Colts and his 11th as an NFL head coach next season, had said a week ago during his season-ending press conference
that he planned to return, but also said he wouldn’t be absolutely certain for several days.

The clarification, Dungy said, was because at the time he had had very little time away from football since the December 22 death of his oldest son, James.

Dungy left Indianapolis immediately upon learning of James’ death, then returned the following week to coach in the season finale. He then coached the Colts the following two weeks until their 21-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Divisional Playoffs.

Asked the day after the Steelers’ loss about his future, he said, “If I was going to answer right now and I had to be held to it, I’d say I plan on being back and I’d say I’m 100 percent planning on being back.”

He also said, “I think this will be the first time I’ll really get to reflect on things – these next few days, when you have more time and you’re not just kind of on autopilot. I’ll have to see what these next few days bring. Usually, in a week or so, then you’re starting to think about what needs to be done and what you’ve got to do in getting to next year.

“That’s why I say, ‘I’m pretty sure I’ll be back,’ because I really don’t know how I’ll react to these next few days.”

Dungy said Monday the week to reflect brought what he expected, and that he had planned all along to return.

He and Colts President Bill Polian, along with several other Colts coaches and officials, will attend the Senior Bowl, a trip Dungy said he will use to begin learning about last year’s college seniors.

“For me, it’s kind of getting familiar with the upcoming draft class,” Dungy said. “I just go for a couple of days to watch practice, just to put names and reputations with each other.”

The news regarding Dungy’s return came in the wake of Sunday’s AFC and NFC Championship Games, games won by the Steelers and Seattle Seahawks, respectively. The Steelers beat Denver, 34-17, in Denver and the Seahawks beat Carolina, 34-14, in Seattle.

The Steelers became the first No. 6 seed to advance to the Super Bowl and became the first team since the 1985 New England Patriots to win three consecutive road playoff games. They beat the top-seeded Colts, second-seeded Broncos and the third-seeded Cincinnati Bengals, the first team ever to beat the top three seeds in one playoff season.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” Dungy said of the Steelers’ victory. “The only thing I worried about with the Steelers was fatigue catching up with them. They did an outstanding job to win three road games, and they used three different game plans, three different approaches.

“They were very focused.”

The Colts beat the Steelers, 26-7, in the regular season in Indianapolis, but fell behind 21-3 entering the fourth quarter in the Divisional Playoff. They rallied to within three points, but a 46-yard field-attempt by Colts kicked Mike Vanderjagt missed wide right in the final minute.

The Steelers had earned the AFC’s top seed last season, but finished 11-5 this season and entered the playoffs as the AFC’s second wild-card entrant. Two of the Steelers’ losses came in overtime – to Baltimore and Jacksonville – and another came in the final 10 seconds to defending Super Bowl champion New England.

Two of Pittsburgh’s losses came without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and they also had a three-game losing streak late in the season, during which Roethlisberger was either out with injuries or limited with a sore thumb. Since the losing streak, Pittsburgh has won seven consecutive games.

“That’s the thing you noticed, that they hadn’t lost many games with Roethlisberger healthy,” Dungy said. “They turned the ball over in the AFC Championship Game last year against New England, and that contributed to that loss. They’re obviously a solid team and they’re playing exactly how you have to play to win in the playoffs.” notas_de_prensa_archivo