<em>Football:</em> Dungy Talks Vick, NFL Playoffs, Coaching
CAMDEN, NJ (CBS) - Legendary coach Tony Dungy -- who won the Super Bowl as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and who has served as a mentor for Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick -- was in Camden recently to promote the children's book he and his wife authored, You Can Be a Friend.
He also took some time to talk football.
Dungy (above and below right) says even he couldn't have envisioned the success that Vick had on the field in 2010.
"I really couldn't. When I talked to Mike in Leavenworth about two years ago, I asked him what he wanted to do," Dungy recalls. "And he said, 'Number one, I want to connect back with my family and be the type of father that my kids need. Number two, I want to show people that may have been Michael Vick fans that maybe I made some mistakes but I'm not a bad person.' And then thirdly he said, 'I want to get back and be a better quarterback than I was in Atlanta.'
"I said, 'Well, the first two I think we can do. We can help get you with your family, we can show people that you do have your life going in the right direction, you're not a bad person.' But I would never have dreamed he could come back and be better after a two-year layoff. And he really has -- and he credits that to Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg," Dungy said.
Hear the entire interview in this CBS Philly SportsPod...
Dungy says he truly marveled over some of the things Vick was able to do this season for the Eagles.
"He was calm in the pocket, he was hitting second, third, fourth receivers, throwing the ball well and just being in command of things. And then still with that ability to escape and get away from the rush and make plays out of nothing," Dungy told KYW Newsradio.
Dungy adds that Vick now thinks the sky is the limit:
"I just talked to him last week and he still thinks he's got tons of room for improvement and he's going to be even better next year."
Dungy is very confident that Vick will remain a Philadelphia Eagle even though 2010 was the final year of his two-year deal.
"He wants to come back; the Eagles want him," Dungy says. "He has so much gratitude to Andy and Jeff Lurie. I'd just really be shocked if he's not back."
As for the games this weekend, Dungy likes both home teams in the Championship Games -- the Bears and the Steelers. He also adds that while he misses the relationships that go along with coaching, he doesn't miss wearing the headset on an NFL sideline.
Reported by Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio 1060.
