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January 13, 2008

Sunday morning pigskin links: Jaguars awe, Dungy done?

Providence Journal /Glenn Osmundson
Flying Elvis: New England Patriot Donte Stallworth goes airborne for a first down on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter as Jacksonville's Rashean Mathis does a swan dive. Pats clinched the AFC East title, 31-20.

Over the top: It's tough to combat perfection by Gene Frenette, a sports columnist for the Florida Times-Union:

This was the football equivalent of watching Michelangelo paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Or seeing the faces of four U.S. presidents chiseled into Mount Rushmore.

Once the Jaguars bowed out of the NFL postseason Saturday night, there was nothing left to do but let the league's poster boy for greatness take a bow.

Props to the Jaguars. They gave us an edge-of-the-seat game. They just made a couple of costly mistakes, and for that we are grateful.

More Jaguars at jacksonville.com

SI: Not nearly enough: Jags did what it takes to stop Patriots -- and still lost. Don Banks.

Dungy done? The Tampa Bay (Fla.) Tribune reports, Eric Dungy To Play Football At Plant (High School)

The Dungys kept their home in the Avila neighborhood, which is Gaither High School's district, after he was fired by the Bucs in 2002. Weiner believes they bought a second home in the Plant district. Tony Dungy declined comment through a team spokesman.

Eric Dungy, who turns 16 on Saturday, has grown up on the sidelines alongside his father. He arrives at Plant in time to participate in the team's offseason workouts. The Panthers begin team weight training Monday and structured workouts on Jan. 21....

...The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Dungy led his team (3-7) with 27 receptions for 331 yards last season. He also had three passes defensed and had 27 tackles as a defensive back.

Dungy commuted to Indy from Tampa when he started with the Colts after the Bucs fired him in 2002, and says he could do it again. (Irsay vows flexibility to keep Dungy).

Oddly, the Indy Star published a profile of Dungy Thursday (How long will Tony Dungy walk the sideline?) that feels a little canned (pre-written). It refers only to the visit to Plant High School, without mentioning that Eric Dungy is gone. The timing is odd, since it's bound to be a distraction from Indy's pursuit of consecutive Super Bowl win number two against the San Diego Chargers at 1 p.m.

There's a whiff of resignation in the story's subhed: "He has led the Colts to remarkable success, never straying from the values that define him. Yet other missions call him, too."

One of the most successful coaches in NFL history wants to be so much more.

Dungy has been involved in a prison ministry program in Tampa for several years and has devoted himself to All Pro Dad, a branch of the Tampa-based Family First. His book, Quiet Strength, recently sold its 1 millionth copy. When Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was shot and killed in November, Dungy spoke of the need for people in positions of influence to address a culture of violence that seems so pervasive among today's youth.

On the other hand, Dungy allows that "there's a vehicle to get that message out, and the NFL's a pretty good vehicle."

Colts columnist Bob Kravitz Friday: If you ask me, Dungy's moving on.

The Tony Dungy photo caption: Indianapolis Colts' coach Tony Dungy holds the Lombardi Trophy after the Colts' 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in Miami, Florida, on Sunday, February 4, 2007. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/MCT)

Today's divisional playoff games:

1 p.m. San Diego at Indianapolis, CBS
4:30 p.m. NY Giants at Dallas, FOX

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 11:33 AM | Permalink

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