‘First time I’d ever blocked a punt’: Tony Dungy shared a very Bill Belichick anecdote from 43 years ago

TOPICS:
‘First time I’d ever blocked a punt’: Tony Dungy shared a very Bill Belichick anecdote from 43 years ago

Posted By: jasabacklink January 8, 2024

Morning Sports Update

“I’ve never heard that story.”

Tony Dungy on the field during a Packers-Vikings game in Dec. 2023. AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Tony Dungy’s two stories about Bill Belichick: Amid the current uncertainty over Bill Belichick’s future with the Patriots, one of the secondary effects of the discourse has been an uptick in anecdotes and stories about the longtime coach.

One of the more enjoyable versions came from former Colts head coach Tony Dungy, now an NBC NFL analyst.

Dungy, who had a short playing career as a defensive back, recalled getting personal instruction from Belichick decades before either of them were known figures around the NFL.

“Forty three years ago, I was a young defensive back for the New York Giants,” Dungy began. “Bill Belichick was my special teams coach. I played on the punt return team, and I’d always played outside holding up the gunners. He had me go try to block a punt, and I missed the ball.

“He took me out after practice and said, ‘This is what you have to do,’” Dungy remembered, offering a quick demonstration of the technique. “‘You have to focus on the punter’s foot, where he’s going to be. You never go up, you go out. You visualize the ball.’ He worked with me for about 30 minutes after practice. The next day, I blocked a punt. First time I’d ever blocked a punt.”

Belichick’s focus on “all phases” — especially special teams — has become a known component of his coaching capacity over the years. Even in 2023 as the Patriots struggled for much of the season, New England still found a way to implement a creative punt block during a 24-17 loss to the Dolphins in September.

Dungy cited a second story in which he was a young coach interviewing for a possible job with the Giants (which had Belichick on staff as defensive coordinator).

“Eight years later, I’m a young defensive backfield coach. I’m interviewing with Bill Parcells for the job. Bill Belichick’s on the staff,” said Dungy. “We’re talking about cover-three, a certain coverage. He asks me a question, ‘What if they run this route here, and how do you handle that?’ I said, ‘Well, we’ve never seen that, so I don’t really worry about it.’ He said, ‘You always have to have an answer, even if you’ve never seen it.

“It taught me two things that helped me the rest of my coaching career,” said Dungy. “Number one: You work with guys, and work on fundamentals. Number two: Have an answer for everything. So that’s 40 years ago with Bill Belichick. That’s the kind of relationship we had.”

“I’ve never heard that story, coach,” fellow NBC analyst and former Patriot Rodney Harrison admitted afterward.

“He is a special man, and what we saw him do, we’re never going to see in football again,” Dungy concluded. “Somebody winning those [many] championships, have those kind of teams. When we played against them, I always told me teams, ‘We’re going to have to win the game because they aren’t going to beat themselves.’ To me, that’s just who he is.”

Trivia: Both Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy were defensive coordinators prior to being hired as head coaches. Belichick ran the defense for the Giants before getting his first head coaching opportunity with the Browns in 1991. Dungy’s first head coaching role was with the Buccaneers in 1996. What time was he the defensive coordinator for in the season prior to that?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: It was a 1995 team led by Warren Moon.

Scores and schedules:

The Patriots lost to the Jets 17-3 in the season finale on Sunday, closing out a last place finish in the AFC East (and a 4-13 record). Attention now turns to whatever the future may hold for Bill Belichick.

The newly launched PWHL Boston team will play its second ever game tonight at the Tsongas Center against Ottawa at 6 p.m.

Later tonight, the Celtics face the Pacers in Indiana at 7 p.m.

And the Bruins will also be in action on Monday night, playing the Avalanche in Colorado at 9 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

Some excellent drone footage: Here’s a video released by the Patriots on Monday showing a drone view from the Week 1 celebration of Tom Brady.

On this day: In 2015, the United States Olympic Committee selected Boston as its endorsed pick to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Of course, the problematic bid struggled to gain public approval from the outset, mismanaging its way through a turmoil-filled six months. Eventually, the USOC pulled the Boston bid in favor of a new one in Los Angeles (which will host the Summer Games in 2028).

Daily highlight: Chris Olave’s circus catch gave the Saints the lead on Sunday, and was the first of 31 unanswered points for New Orleans in a 48-17 win over the Falcons.

Trivia answer: Vikings