Dungy calls it a career
Tony Dungy always considered football just a career path. Not his life's mission.
On Monday, Dungy began the transition from head coach to full-time dad and devoted volunteer by announcing his retirement after seven years leading the Indianapolis Colts.
"We just felt this was the right time," Dungy said. "Don't shed any tears for me. I got to live a dream most people don't get to live."
The move triggered a succession plan Indianapolis put in place a year ago, making Jim Caldwell, the associate head coach, Dungy's replacement.
But the culmination of a 31-year NFL career, which started with Dungy winning a Super Bowl ring as a player in Pittsburgh and ended two years after he became the first black coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, brought out some rare emotional moments from the usually stoic Dungy.
"My wife Lauren told me to bring some Kleenex. I thought I would make it a little farther than the first sentence," Dungy said, his voice cracking.
He told owner Jim Irsay of his decision Sunday.
"And we spent about 21/2 hours crying," Dungy said. "But I had a real peace about it."
The 53-year-old Dungy informed his staff of the decision Monday morning.
McDaniels takes over in Denver: Josh McDaniels, the man behind the New England Patriots' scoring machine, inherits an offense in Denver that needs only an oil change.
The defense? That needs an overhaul.
The 32-year-old McDaniels signed a four-year deal with the Broncos to replace Mike Shanahan, the only NFL head coach to get fired by a team he led to consecutive Super Bowl wins.
Of course, that was in the 1990s. Shanahan won just a single playoff game in the decade since John Elway retired and team owner Pat Bowlen fired him Dec. 30 after the Broncos missed out on the playoffs for a third straight season. He had three years and $21 million left on his contract.
McDaniels guided an offense that had led New England to 18 straight victories before a stunning loss to the New York Giants in last season's Super Bowl. That team scored an NFL-record 75 touchdowns and 589 points.
"I'd like to personally thank Bill Belichick for providing me my foundation in this league and for mentoring me for eight years," McDaniels said at his introductory news conference Monday night.
Lions interview Schwartz again: The Detroit Lions put Jim Schwartz behind a podium to answer questions from reporters as part of their second interview with the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator.
If it was part of his evaluation, he seemed to pass it.
Schwartz cracked one joke when asked what he would do with the No. 1 pick in the draft and his potential boss got a kick out of his answer.
"It's probably time to find a replacement for Bobby Layne," Schwartz said, showing he knows at least a little about the history of perhaps the NFL's worst franchise.
Team president Tom Lewand doubled over, then composed himself enough to avoid bursting out with laughter.
What isn't a joke, though, is how bad Detroit has been and how much it has failed to draft or acquire a viable, long-term option at quarterback.
Since winning a title in 1957 with Layne under center, the Lions have the same number of playoff victories as Pro Bowl QBs: one.
The chance to lead the NFL's first 0-16 team seems to only motivate Schwartz to get the job and succeed at it.
"I don't shy away from a challenge," Schwartz said.
Seahawks hire Bradley: The remodeling Seattle Seahawks hired Casey Bradley as their defensive coordinator and Dan Quinn as their defensive line coach and assistant head coach.
A team spokesman confirmed the first two hires for new coach Jim Mora's defense.
Greg Knapp, 45, arrived from Oakland last week to be Seattle's new offensive coordinator. He's replacing Gil Haskell, who has coached in the NFL for 26 years.
The 42-year-old Bradley has been the linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the last two seasons. He arrived there as a quality control assistant in 2006 after he was an assistant at North Dakota State. He replaces John Marshall, a 29-year veteran who was Seattle's defensive coordinator the last six seasons.
49ers interview Dennison: Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison interviewed with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday to run their offense.
He's the fourth coach to interview for the job on Mike Singletary's staff that was vacated when Mike Martz was fired last month.
Saints promote Carmichael: The New Orleans Saints promoted Pete Carmichael Jr. to offensive coordinator and also hired former Northwestern assistant Bret Ingalls as the team's running backs coach.
Saints coach Sean Payton also promoted Aaron Kromer from running backs coach to offensive line coach and Joe Lombardi from offensive assistant to quarterbacks coach. Before joining the Saints, Kromer was an offensive line assistant with Tampa Bay.
"Pete's promotion is well-deserved and I can't say enough about his ability," Payton said.