Tony Dungy Appreciates Todd Bowles’ Coaching Style

“I like his calmness and his steadfastness, and he has a way that he wants to win,” Dungy said on a recent edition of the Pewter Report Podcast on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

The 4-1 Lions are just as formidable today as they were in sweeping Dungy’s Bucs in 1996 when they had quarterback Scott Mitchell, wide receivers Herman Moore and Brett Perriman and some running back named Barry Sanders, who was pretty good back in the day.

Dungy was 6-7 versus the Lions while he coached the Bucs from 1996-2001. It was a rough start for Dungy against Detroit, as his Bucs lost six of their first eight games from 1996-99 – although Tampa Bay won the 1997 Wild Card playoff contest in the last game in the Big Sombrero. Yet Dungy’s Bucs took control of the series from 1999-2001, winning four out of the last five contests.

Bowles’ Bucs don the creamsicle uniforms on Sunday for the first throwback game in Tampa Bay since 2012. The franchise is just 1-3 wearing the old orange jerseys with the Bucco Bruce helmets, including three straight losses. More importantly than the uniforms, Bowles and his team want to improve to 4-1 coming off a bye week and a big 26-9 victory in New Orleans the week prior.

On his recent appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast, Dungy agreed that Bowles’ even-keeled sideline demeanor closely resembles his own from his coaching days.

“What people don’t realize I think sometimes, they see you there on the sideline not reacting the way they might,” Dungy said. “But most of the time, you’re thinking about the next play or the next situation. ‘Okay, this happened and it was bad and we can’t do anything about that. What do we have to do next?’ And you may be talking, you’re listening to one of the coaches in the box with the next play. You’re trying to move ahead.

“That’s what I always did, and I think Todd does the same thing. But a lot of times, we want to see that demonstration of, ‘Okay, I would definitely get after someone.’ Well, sometimes you can do that without making a scene, and I think Todd does that really, really well. His guys are motivated.”

Dungy, who had a 54-42 (.563) record in six seasons as Tampa Bay’s head coach, admitted that his calmness and soft-spoken approach worked against him in head coaching interviews in 1995 and 1996. He wound up being the Bucs’ third option in 1996 to replace Sam Wyche after former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson and Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier turned down the Tampa Bay job.

“I know I used to tell that to owners when they questioned me – I had four or five interviews before Mr. Glazer hired me – and that was the question a lot of times,” Dungy said. “I would always say ‘Don’t watch me, watch my team. Look at my team and see what they’re doing, and see if you like what my team is doing. If you do, that’s all you need to know.”

Tony Dungy Is Also A Big Fan Of Bucs OC Dave Canales

Tony Dungy is very familiar with offensive coordinator Dave Canales from a Christian coaching fellowship group the two are in together. Dungy, who still resides in Tampa, was thrilled when Bowles hired Canales because he knew it was going to be a great fit.

“I remember this offseason when he was talking to David Canales, and I’ve gotten to know David through a coaches’ Bible study,” Dungy said. “I told Todd, ‘You’re going to like this guy because you guys think alike.’ And Todd called me back and said, ‘You know what, you’re right. We’re on the same page with how we want to do things.’ I just think the Bucs are in great shape because they’ve got a game plan.

“And it may not fit everybody else’s plan, but how we’re going to win games, how we’re going to practice, what we’re going to do, the type of guys that we’re going to have, the way we’re going to play. It’s going to be hard-nosed, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be physical. People are going to have to beat the Buccaneers, they’re not going to give games away. I like the direction we’re going.”

While Dungy has worked for NBC Sports as an NFL analyst and commentator, he’s supposed to be impartial. But Dungy can’t help but root for the Bucs on Sunday against the Lions – and one of those reasons is his respect for Bowles.

“I always try to be impartial, but I do, I love Todd,” Dungy said. “I love the way they’re approaching these things. Baker Mayfield is my younger son’s favorite player, so I have a lot of Buccaneer interest. And I always have those painful memories of Detroit getting the best of us early on [in my career], so I’m definitely hoping that the Bucs can pull this one out.

“That would be great to see a win [in the creamsicles]. Because if I remember right, the last time we played the Lions in the creamsicles, it wasn’t pretty. So they have to make up for that.”

Watch Tony Dungy On The Pewter Report Podcast

If you missed Thursday’s Pewter Report Podcast featuring the legendary Tony Dungy, you can watch it here: