Bill Polian never wanted Dungy as coach

[rayzor]

pretty interesting read...esp. considering those who wish that polian had stuck around here.

The only Colts coach Polian has ever hired was Jim Mora Sr. The marriage ended badly, with Polian firing Mora after he refused to dimiss his then-defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, following the 2001 season. Today, Fangio coordinates Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers defense, which ranks No. 1 in the NFL. Mora Sr. still has not spoken a word to Polian since their break-up ten years ago.

After Mora, the common myth is that Polian then hired former Tampa Bay head coach Tony Dungy. Not true. Polian never had any intention of hiring Dungy back in 2002. It was Colts owner Jim Irsay who wanted Dungy despite Polian's protests. To make the situation work, Irsay and Polian went to Tampa, met with Dungy, and worked things out. The rest is history, as they say.

Phil Wilson of the Indianapolis Star spoke about the hiring of Dungy yesterday on an Indianapolis radio show:

It's always been speculated that Polian wanted to hire Nick Saban as the Colts head man after Mora was canned. Some of you might not know this, but Saban was who Polian wanted to hire in 1998. The deal never materialized. Polian settled for Mora.

.

.

.

As Phil Wilson astutely points out, the problem with keeping the Polians around is, quite simply, many coaches don't want to work for them. The Polians have an awful reputation in league circles for being insufferable pricks (they act that way with everyone, not just media), and they are known as meddlers. They will want full control over the roster, and they will also want the next head coach to retain some of the current assistants working under Caldwell.

Wilson explains to radio personality Dan Dakich on his show yesterday:

.

.

.

Look, we continue to beat this drum, and we will do so until Jim Irsay opens his eyes and realizes the obvious: Bill Polian and his useless sons must be purged from the front office at the end of the season. I don't know how Jim Irsay could sell to the fanbase that soon-to-be-thrice-fired Norv Turner is going to lead the Colts to a championship. And since it seems unlikely that any sort of credible head coach would ever come to Indy and deal with the overbearing asshats who currently run the front office, the question is: Why keep them?

Why keep the Polians? How do they help? How do they improve the quality of the franchise?

Their recent draft record is horrible. They spurn free agency. They can't hire quality coaches. People around the league refer to them as 'toxic.'

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2011/12/16/2640456/bill-polian-did-not-want-to-hire-tony-dungy-in-2002-might-want-norv

btw...if you're wondering about that "toxic" quote:

As pointed out by Brad Wells of StampedeBlue.com via email and Jason Whitlock of FOXSports.com via Twitter, Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star has crafted a compelling case for blaming the team’s current struggles on the son of Vice Chairman Bill Polian.

Based on interviews with several unnamed former Colts employees conducted in recent weeks, Kravitz writes that G.M. Chris Polian is a “toxic force who has brought this franchise to its knees for reasons other than Peyton Manning’s injury.” Apart from Chris Polian’s decisions as the man in charge of personnel, Kravitz explains that damage was done as Chris Polian stood on his father’s shoulders to leapfrog others on the organizational chart.

“ince he started moving up the organizational ladder in the early 2000s for no apparent reason other than being a Polian,” Kravtiz writes, “he has been instrumental in hastening the exits of scouts and assistant coaches who led the Colts to previous greatness.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/06/chris-polian-catching-more-blame-for-the-state-of-the-colts/

[dos poptarts]

Polian does seem to let his ego run the org and not what is good for the team.

I still remember Polian saying Howard Griffith was not worth the money as a FB. Well he leaves for Denver & then begins blocking for Terrell Davis and gets his SB rings.

And the Kevin Greene fiasco in 1997. And Kevin heads to SanFran to get a ton of sacks there as well.

I haven't kept up with Indy, but there's no telling how he has damaged that Organization. They seem to have only OLD talent. Is there any young talent on that team at all?

[Nicbsbll2]

Luckiest GM ever? Manning, Dungy and now Luck..

[rayzor]

Luckiest GM ever? Manning, Dungy and now Luck..

thoughts are irsay will cut him loose. i know there are people pulling for that.

[charlotte49er]

When Bill Polian and Tony Dungy met, Polian (or maybe it was Jimmy,) told Dungy flat out.

You are going to have to coach and are expected to win, with a team where we will pay to keep Peyton Manning an Indianapolis Colts. The Offense will always be number 1!

(Defense may win games, but the Offense is what fills the seats and sells the season tickets and merchandise!)

You will have to win with minimal talent on Defense.

Can you live with that?

Tony said he could.

Many people after the 2004 season, (probably THE best Season the Colts ever had with the most talent) thought that Tony Dungy couldn't win the big game! (Me included.) (John Gruden comes in with a Tony Dungy team and wins the Super Bowl!)

Now Dungy is saying to trade Peyton Manning and let Luck start next season. (And Kravitz is a Jeff George ball washer! He's still mad at the Colts for ever letting him go! How he keeps his job, is beyond me.)

I don't doubt that Bill Polian is a dictator. But he has build some darn good teams. (7 Super Bowls, tells you something.) However, my opinion of Tony Dungy has gone down since he left. Keep in Mind, that Caldwell was Tony's hand picked successor!