By Tom James, CNHI News Service
INDIANAPOLIS — They may be the oddest couple since Felix Unger and Oscar Madison.
But former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy and ex-New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison have formed an entertaining, and friendly, relationship since the pair were teamed together this season on NBC Sports’ “Football Night in America.”
The program, which is hosted by veteran sportscaster Bob Costas along with former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Dan Patrick, precedes the network’s “Sunday Night Football” telecasts. While Costas and Patrick form a pretty good duo in their own right, it’s the combination of Dungy and Harrison that has really enlivened the pregame show in their own right.
It’s been a nearly perfect pairing — the quiet and thoughtful Dungy along with the fiery and opinionated Harrison. That fact has never been more in evidence than this past week, as both prepared for Sunday night’s matchup between their former teams.
“From a coaching standpoint, it’s a tremendous matchup,” Dungy said during a recent media conference call.
“When you play against a team like (New England), it’s such a big challenge. It brings out the best in you and elevates your game,” Dungy said during a recent media conference call.
“It’s just a tremendous rivalry. The respect for each other is there, and it’s been a great game and one I’m looking forward to seeing for the first time from a different perspective.”
Harrison, who played collegiately at Western Illinois, agrees. But he expressed his feelings a bit more personally.
“I’ve played in this rivalry many times,” he said. “You get really excited about facing the biggest challenge of the year, which is always going to be the Indianapolis Colts. Just being a part of one of the greatest rivalries in football really gets you excited.
“I know both of these teams have a mutual respect for one another, but I also know they have a distinct dislike for one another. It’ll be exciting, and hopefully the Patriots can go out and kick some butt.”
Now, however, instead of knocking helmets with the likes of Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Reggie Wayne for three hours, he’ll be able to watch from the relative comfort of a New York television studio.
“Now that I’m covering it from a media standpoint, it gets me even more excited because now I get a chance to sit back and relax and enjoy the game and not have to really worry about being nervous or having that anxiety facing those guys,” Harrison said.
And the comments didn’t stop there. What about the classic matchup of quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady?
“I’ve been with Peyton Manning for seven years,” Dungy said. “I’ve seen him prepare, and I’ve seen what he does and how he’s lead our team. There is no other quarterback that I would want, and I might see it differently if I had been with Tom Brady for seven years. But that’s the experience I had and I can’t imagine anybody running the offense and doing as much as Peyton does for the Colts.”
“Peyton Manning is the best pure quarterback in the National Football League but Tom Brady is my quarterback with a minute left and we’re down four points and we need a touchdown because he’s done it,” Harrison said.
“Three Super Bowl rings, Super Bowl MVP, a guy whose preparation goes above and beyond anyone in that facility. It’s not very often that you find Tom Brady not prepared or ready to go. He’s my guy with a minute left.”
Or the meeting of first-year head coach Jim Caldwell and veteran Bill Belichick?
“Jim obviously has the benefit; he’s not like most first-year coaches,” Dungy said. “He’s been there for seven years (as an assistant coach). He’s seen it. He’s provided a lot of the game planning, especially offensively, for those however many games were played.
“It’s not like the new guy coming in. He’s very aware of everything that’s taken place in the last seven years. I really don’t look at this like the first year coach in the normal sense. He’s a little more emotional, a little more fiery (than himself). It was important to the team to transition well and not take a step backwards and that’s why everyone in our organization felt that Jim would be the best man for the job.”
