NBC’s Tony Dungy didn’t know he’d be calling an NFL playoff game with Al Michaels
Dungy is calling his first NFL game as the sole color commentator, but he'll be doing it alongside a play-by-play legend.
Tony Dungy can’t believe he’s been working at NBC for so long.
The Hall of Fame coach turned mild-mannered analyst remains an outlier in an industry that rewards loud voices and hot takes. But he almost passed on joining the network in 2009 when former NBC chairman Dick Ebersol offered Dungy a role after he coached his final game for the Indianapolis Colts, a wild-card loss to the then-San Diego Chargers.
“I didn’t have a radio show, I didn’t do a coach’s show, it just wasn’t me,” Dungy told The Inquirer.
Ebersol wasn’t looking for someone with a gimmick — he wanted a personality with a lot of football knowledge and some gravitas to replace Cris Collinsworth, who was leaving Football Night in America to replace John Madden as Sunday Night Football analyst.
“My wife said, ‘You know, you ought to investigate it because if you stop cold turkey, you’ll miss it.’ She was right,” Dungy said. “So I’ve enjoyed it, but it’s hard to believe it’s been 13 years.”
Calling Chargers-Jaguars with Al Michaels
Dungy is normally an analyst on NBC’s hectic Football Night in America pregame show alongside former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. But Saturday night, he’ll be in the booth when the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are hosting their first home playoff game in five years.
Dungy said he didn’t know when the season started he’d be calling one of NBC’s wild-card games, much less calling it alongside Al Michaels, who’s back at NBC for one game as part of his emeritus deal after calling Thursday Night Football games on Amazon’s Prime Video.
“Al Michaels has called so many of our big games. I’ve admired him from afar for years, and been able to work with him a little bit, but I’ve never called a game with him,” Dungy said. “So this is going to be exciting for me.”
Michaels’ partner on Amazon’s Prime Video, Kirk Herbstreit, was not an option, since he’s not employed by NBC and works as a college football analyst for ESPN.
Dungy has called a handful of games at NBC, mostly Thanksgiving night games. But those have been part of a three-person booth alongside Mike Tirico and Garrett or Rodney Harrison. This will be the Dungy’s first time as the sole color commentator, and he plans to stick with what comes naturally.
“When I do games, I try to just give people a little insight, maybe things they wouldn’t necessarily know, try not to overdue it, and let the play-by-play announcers shine,” Dungy said.
» READ MORE: Eagles fans could know who the Birds will face in the playoffs by tonight
The one time Dungy considered returning to coaching
Dungy has been at NBC for more years than he spent as an NFL head coach. But the two-time Super Bowl winner said one coaching opportunity got him thinking about a return to the sideline.
After the 2013 season, the Detroit Lions fired head coach Jim Schwartz. Martin Mayhew, then the Lions’ general manager, was interested in hiring then-Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell, but called Dungy to see if he might have interest.
“He said, ‘I had to do my due diligence and just make sure you’re not interested before we move forward.’ And that was the only time I considered returning, because I grew up in the Detroit area, and my dad was a huge Lions fan,” Dungy said. “I actually did think about that one for 15 minutes.”
Dungy high on both Nick Sirianni and Doug Pederson
While Dungy is known for being soft spoken, he’s not afraid to offer a strong opinion. He didn’t mince words on social media after the Houston Texans fired head coach Lovie Smith after one year, the same move the team made with David Culley.
“It doesn’t make sense. Chuck Noll was 1-13 in his first year. Jimmy Johnson was 1-15. I remember being 1-8,” Dungy said. “It takes time, and you’ve got to be committed to building it.”
On the flip side are teams like the Eagles, who have shown more willingness to give their head coaches time, Chip Kelly notwithstanding. Dungy has some history with the Eagles — he helped convince the Birds to give Michael Vick a second chance after Vick served jail time for running a dog fighting ring — and said owner Jeffrey Lurie deserves credit for the Birds’ success.
“He knows what he wants, he picks a certain type of person, and for the most part sticks with him,” Dungy said.
There have been some recent breakups. In addition to Kelly’s firing in 2015, Lurie and the team parted ways with Pederson following the 2020 season, three years after the team’s first Super Bowl victory. Dungy said Pederson’s arrival clearly benefited the Jaguars after an unsuccessful and chaotic season under former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, who didn’t make it through his first season.
He called Pederson’s hiring “a beautiful call for the right type of person in the right situation.”
Dungy has also been impressed with Nick Sirianni, who in two seasons has turned the Eagles around behind quarterback Jalen Hurts, securing the team’s first No. 1 playoff seed since the 2017 season. Dungy gave Sirianni and the front office credit for believing in Hurts and building an offense that caters to his strengths.
“The team has responded to Nick, and they’re going to be in good shape for a long time,” Dungy added. “You see the energy that they’re playing with, the belief that they have, and that has to come from the front office. … They’re going to be competitive. They’re gonna be team that you have to reckon with.”