A Decision Reached

It's hard to believe, but, in looking back, I haven't posted on this NFL season once since it began. Not much to write about, I guess, until now. I've been trying to figure out which team to root for.

This should be a no-brainer with a representative of the Black and Blue Division in the mix, but it hasn't been. I would also very much like to see Peyton "Rub Some Dirt On It" Manning win the big one, if for no other reasons than he has never been involved in a drunken high speed chase and makes funny commercials.

My decision has been made by, of all things, an interview of Bill Walsh by Inside the NFL's Bob Costas. Walsh, who is suffering from acute leukemia, has been in the spotlight a lot this week, with the Costas interview and the NFL Network's documentary on the 1984 49ers. It got me to thinking about Walsh's impact on the league, which is staggering:

Walsh is a direct descendant from Paul Brown, arguably the greatest coaching mind ever. The Seahawks' Mike Holmgren and the Cardinals' Dennis Green were both on Walsh's staff with the 49ers. The Bucs' Jon Gruden and the Eagles' Andy Reid worked for Holmgren in Green Bay. The Ravens' Brian Billick worked under Green in Minnesota. The Broncos' Mike Shanahan descends through George Siefert, the former 49er assistant who replaced Walsh, while the Texans' Gary Kubiak was Shanahan's long-time assistant in Denver. First-year Vikings head coach Brad Childress had been Reid's offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.

Tony Dungy coached for and with Denny Green and Brian Billick, repectively. He also played for Walsh in San Francisco. If you want to take it one step further, it was Dungy who gave Lovie Smith his first big break. So, in essence, what we will be watching is the result of what Walsh, and further back Paul Brown, created.

Dungy was beloved here in Minnesota and was a fan favorite to be the Vikings head coach. While the Vikings hemmed and hawed, Dungy was snatched up by the Buccaneers. It was there he received one of the rawest deals in sports when he was fired after turning the Bucs into a Super Bowl caliber team. One year later Jon Gruden would win that game with the Bucs and I always felt the credit still belonged largely to Dungy's efforts.

What strikes me about Dungy, especially after seeing so much footage of Walsh behind the scenes this week, is that Dungy really is the most direct reincarnation of Walsh. Calm and cool on the sidelines, and much more a teacher than a coach, Dungy appears to have the very same demeanor, approach to the game, and philosophy. Finesse and intelligence, not braun and intimidation.

So I choose the Colts. I want to see Tony Dungy win the Super Bowl, because I've always had great respect for Walsh, and have watched in awe as the branches of his tenure stretched across this league as if on steroids.

Dungy was the coach we always wanted but, for whatever reason, couldn't have. Like most Minnesotan's though, I have taken a personal interest in his success since the day he arrived here. When we see Dungy's success, we see what could have been.

So you go get 'em Tony, because to see you win reminds us all that we saw the first glimmer of genius way back in '93, and we have been diehard fans ever since.