FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 6th, 2018

MIKE TIRICO INTERVIEWS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER TONY DUNGY ON LATEST EPISODE OF “THE MIKE TIRICO PODCAST”

“Certain people have garnered more respect than that. I thought that Coach McCarthy was in that situation.” – Dungy on Packers firing Mike McCarthy in-season

“I knew if it ever came into the NFL it would be a problem.” – Dungy on difficulty of defending run-pass option

“Their defenses are healthy and creating havoc. Look out for the Chargers and the Texans.” – Dungy

Episodes Released on Thursday Mornings – Click Here to Listen

STAMFORD, Conn. – December 6, 2018 Mike Tirico interviews Football Night in America analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy this week on the latest episode of The Mike Tirico Podcast, available now across all podcast platforms.

In this week’s episode, Dungy discusses mobile QBs and how college offenses are making their impact in the NFL, the influence a QB has on an entire organization, his reaction to the Packers’ decision to fire Mike McCarthy, and why he likes the Texans and Chargers in the AFC playoff race.

This marks the eighth episode of The Mike Tirico Podcast. Click here to listen to prior episodes which include interviews with Notre Dame Football head coach Brian Kelly and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

The Mike Tirico Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps.

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

3:30 – Dungy examines the Bears offense when it has Mitchell Trubisky in/out of the lineup

6:00 – The difficulty of trying to defend the run-pass option (RPO)

11:00 – Advice on young QBs approaching the playoffs

17:30 – Dungy on the influence and responsibility for a QB beyond the playing field

20:30 – Tirico and Dungy on the Packers’ decision to fire Mike McCarthy

25:00 – Dungy on AFC and NFC playoff pictures

Following are quotes from this week’s episode:

TONY DUNGY WITH MIKE TIRICO

Dungy on difficulty on defending the run-pass option (RPO): “I knew if it ever came into the NFL it would be a problem (to defend), when I was still coaching. I used to do high school clinics and college clinics, and you’d open it up for questions and they’d say, ‘How do you defend this? What do you do if the quarterback runs?’ And I’d say we don’t know because we don’t ever have to deal with it, I’m glad we don’t have to deal with it, and I never really had an answer.”

Dungy on how watching Saints head coach Sean Payton prior to Thanksgiving night game reminded him of Bill Walsh: “It took me back. My third year in the NFL, playing for Bill Walsh, we used to have Saturday practices and Bill was just like Sean. Minute details, wanting everyone to understand exactly what their role was on the play, and then when you see it happen on game night, it’s fantastic.”

Dungy on importance of the quarterback beyond play on the field: “It’s leadership. It’s relationships. It’s not necessarily how well you can throw the ball or how accurate you are, but can you function in a way to get everybody to be the best they can be? Can I build relationships with those receivers where I can be demanding, but they still enjoy playing with me? Can I learn how to build those relationships with those offensive lineman? Peyton Manning put his locker right in the middle of the offensive linemen…fostering all of those relationships is what makes a Tom Brady or a Drew Brees…that’s what the great ones do.”

Tirico: “When I interviewed Aaron Rodgers before the Brady-Rodgers matchup we had on Sunday night, I said, ‘What’s the difference of being an older leader?’ He said, ‘When I came into the league, guys played cards in the locker room. Now it’s guys playing Fortnite on their phone, and they’re playing against each other and they’re four lockers away.’ He said, ‘I’m not going to jump in there and do that with them, but I need to at least understand what they’re doing.’”

Dungy on mid-season firing of Mike McCarthy in-season: “At the very least, you go into him and you say, ‘Mike, this is what I’m thinking. We’re going to let you go at the end of the year, we just think it’s time, how do you want to handle this?’ And maybe he says, ‘You know what, I’m going to step down now and I think this is the right thing for the organization…’ but it should have been on his terms and should have been handled at the end of the year…certain people have garnered more respect than that. I thought that Coach McCarthy was in that situation.”

Dungy on why he likes the Chargers and Texans in the AFC: “They’re playing complete football. They’re running the ball well. They’re defenses are healthy and creating havoc…look out for the Chargers and the Texans.”

–NBC SPORTS–