Tribune Reader's Poll: Best coach in Bay area history

[Triple B]

as much as i love Leavitt....you cant deny it is Tony Dungy.  its a disgrace that Jon Gruden is actually mentioned on t here.

When you talk "best" you usually need to include criteria that includes reaching the pinnacle of their profession. With that criteria, there's no way Gruden is left off that list.

[Triple B]

What about Brandon High's wrestling coach, Russ Cozart?

Another oversight, along with Marcum if it's just about caoches in general ....

[RegretaBull]

I love CJL, but there's no doubt it's Dungy.

I like Dungy as much as anyone, but get a clue.

Why is it undoubtedly Dungy?

Dungy- Made the playoffs 4 of 6 years, no titles, no super bowls, 2 total playoff games won

Now look at Tort- Made the playoffs 4 of 5 years, one cup

How can people say that Dungy is without a doubt better than Tort?

And that's just John. Now let's look at the obvious answer, Tim Marcum. He won 3 titles in 12 years, and 6 10-win seasons (out of 14 games, most years) Half of his seasons were 10-win seasons, and he's only had two losing seasons.  Oh, and he's in this little thing called the Hall of Fame....nobody else comes close to that.It's a joke that he's not even on the poll.

My vote is for John Tortorella.  The Lightning were terrible when he took over.  At least Sam Wyche got the ball rolling in the right direction for Dungy & Gruden.  The Lightning were on the verge of contraction or relocation. 

[Bullpride08]

as much as i love Leavitt....you cant deny it is Tony Dungy.  its a disgrace that Jon Gruden is actually mentioned on t here.

It's a disgrace Gruden is mentioned on there?

DUNGY - 56-46, made playoffs 4 of 6 years, two postseason wins, one division title, zero NFC titles, zero championships

GRUDEN - 51-50, made playoffs 3 of 6 years, three postseason wins, three division titles, one NFC title, one championship

After looking at the stats, I see your point....I can't believe TBO put Gruden in the same poll as Dungy!

A bit unfair, if you want to truly compare Gruden and Dungy then you must compare their records since Dungy took over at Indianapolis...

Both inherited playoff caliber teams with super stars, but what did both of them do with it?  Ahhhh, now we're talking.

Dungy took over a perpetual losing franchise that he was forced to turn around at Tampa Bay, Gruden just inherited a team here that had 8 pro bowlers.  Dungy came in during turmoil over a new stadium, new owners in Tampa.  Dungy was forced to build a program here not maintain it.  That's A HUGE MONUMENTAL DIFFERENCE, so it's unfair to simply compare them as coaches based on what they accomplished in Tampa.   

Not to mention, albeit somewhat trivial, but Dungy was forced to play in the NFC North, against GB, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit....during his years GB made two super bowls, Minnesota was a heartbeat away from one, and Barry frickin Sanders....Gruden, got lucky spending most of his career at the Bucs in the newly formed NFC South, where he got to beat up on teams that have joined the Bucs in the annals of NFL history as perpetual losers....Atlanta, da Ain'ts, only Carolina's newness kept it from obscurity.

Nope, to fairly compare Dungy and Gruden then you must compare what they've done since DUngy moved to Indi since both inherited nearly identical opportunities.  BTW, once you do that the comparison is almost laughable- DUNGY HANDS DOWN BABY!

[Bullpride08]

BTW, anyone that gives Gruden credit for winning a division title this year is kidding themselves...they won a war of attrition as the only team in the division with a winning record.   They got a gift making the playoffs and it fooled everyone to believing they were good....here's a stat some should think about, Gruden beat one team with a winning record this year and lost to all playoff caliber opponents by at least a TD.  If it wasn't for Atlanta being riddled with controversy, Da Ain'ts finding ways to lose, and Carolina losing half their offense to season ending injuries he wouldn't have gone 6-0 in the pathetically bad NFC South.

If Wyche got the ball rolling then remind me to never allow you to bring your ball to a pick-up game.  Sam did a decent job in the draft, but personnel moves (salary cap issues), controversy, and bad attitudes with players that hated Sam plagued the Bucs when Dungy arrived.  Hardly a point and click situation and it would be crazy to suggest otherwise.  Of course Dungy was lucky enough to arrive in Tampa when the owners were embroiled in controversy and also trying to get a new stadium- NOT. 

[BJ]

as much as i love Leavitt....you cant deny it is Tony Dungy.  its a disgrace that Jon Gruden is actually mentioned on t here.

It's a disgrace Gruden is mentioned on there?

DUNGY - 56-46, made playoffs 4 of 6 years, two postseason wins, one division title, zero NFC titles, zero championships

GRUDEN - 51-50, made playoffs 3 of 6 years, three postseason wins, three division titles, one NFC title, one championship

After looking at the stats, I see your point....I can't believe TBO put Gruden in the same poll as Dungy!

A bit unfair, if you want to truly compare Gruden and Dungy then you must compare their records since Dungy took over at Indianapolis...

Both inherited playoff caliber teams with super stars, but what did both of them do with it?  Ahhhh, now we're talking.

Dungy took over a perpetual losing franchise that he was forced to turn around at Tampa Bay, Gruden just inherited a team here that had 8 pro bowlers.  Dungy came in during turmoil over a new stadium, new owners in Tampa.  Dungy was forced to build a program here not maintain it.  That's A HUGE MONUMENTAL DIFFERENCE, so it's unfair to simply compare them as coaches based on what they accomplished in Tampa.   

Not to mention, albeit somewhat trivial, but Dungy was forced to play in the NFC North, against GB, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit....during his years GB made two super bowls, Minnesota was a heartbeat away from one, and Barry frickin Sanders....Gruden, got lucky spending most of his career at the Bucs in the newly formed NFC South, where he got to beat up on teams that have joined the Bucs in the annals of NFL history as perpetual losers....Atlanta, da Ain'ts, only Carolina's newness kept it from obscurity.

Nope, to fairly compare Dungy and Gruden then you must compare what they've done since DUngy moved to Indi since both inherited nearly identical opportunities.  BTW, once you do that the comparison is almost laughable- DUNGY HANDS DOWN BABY!

I guess it depends on how you perceive the question. How I perceive the question is the coach that did thee best WHILE he was here. For example, say we had a coach who was a perpetual loser that just so happened to luck into two championships here.. I would consider him one of the best coaches in Tampa history, even though when you look at his career as a whole, he would not be too great.  If you think of it as the best coach in terms of who was the best over their whole career that happened to coach in Tampa at some point, then you would be correct to look at Dungy in Indy.  I don't consider Steve Young to be the best QB in Bucs history because of what he did in San Fran. When I talk about the best whatever ever of a team, I think of it in terms in what that person did for that team, not what they did over the course of their entire career.

Now, I'm not a huge Gruden fan, and I really like Dungy.  However, saying that it's disgraceful for Gruden to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dungy is just clueless. And it's an interesting point you made regarding Gruden inheriting a team full of 8 pro bowlers. Because Gruden took those 8 pro bowlers and won a championship his first season, where Dungy took those 8 pro bowlers and won 2 playoff games in 6 years.

[Bullpride08]

as much as i love Leavitt....you cant deny it is Tony Dungy.  its a disgrace that Jon Gruden is actually mentioned on t here.

It's a disgrace Gruden is mentioned on there?

DUNGY - 56-46, made playoffs 4 of 6 years, two postseason wins, one division title, zero NFC titles, zero championships

GRUDEN - 51-50, made playoffs 3 of 6 years, three postseason wins, three division titles, one NFC title, one championship

After looking at the stats, I see your point....I can't believe TBO put Gruden in the same poll as Dungy!

A bit unfair, if you want to truly compare Gruden and Dungy then you must compare their records since Dungy took over at Indianapolis...

Both inherited playoff caliber teams with super stars, but what did both of them do with it?  Ahhhh, now we're talking.

Dungy took over a perpetual losing franchise that he was forced to turn around at Tampa Bay, Gruden just inherited a team here that had 8 pro bowlers.  Dungy came in during turmoil over a new stadium, new owners in Tampa.  Dungy was forced to build a program here not maintain it.  That's A HUGE MONUMENTAL DIFFERENCE, so it's unfair to simply compare them as coaches based on what they accomplished in Tampa.   

Not to mention, albeit somewhat trivial, but Dungy was forced to play in the NFC North, against GB, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit....during his years GB made two super bowls, Minnesota was a heartbeat away from one, and Barry frickin Sanders....Gruden, got lucky spending most of his career at the Bucs in the newly formed NFC South, where he got to beat up on teams that have joined the Bucs in the annals of NFL history as perpetual losers....Atlanta, da Ain'ts, only Carolina's newness kept it from obscurity.

Nope, to fairly compare Dungy and Gruden then you must compare what they've done since DUngy moved to Indi since both inherited nearly identical opportunities.  BTW, once you do that the comparison is almost laughable- DUNGY HANDS DOWN BABY!

I guess it depends on how you perceive the question. How I perceive the question is the coach that did thee best WHILE he was here. For example, say we had a coach who was a perpetual loser that just so happened to luck into two championships here.. I would consider him one of the best coaches in Tampa history, even though when you look at his career as a whole, he would not be too great.  If you think of it as the best coach in terms of who was the best over their whole career that happened to coach in Tampa at some point, then you would be correct to look at Dungy in Indy.  I don't consider Steve Young to be the best QB in Bucs history because of what he did in San Fran. When I talk about the best whatever ever of a team, I think of it in terms in what that person did for that team, not what they did over the course of their entire career.

Now, I'm not a huge Gruden fan, and I really like Dungy.  However, saying that it's disgraceful for Gruden to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dungy is just clueless. And it's an interesting point you made regarding Gruden inheriting a team full of 8 pro bowlers. Because Gruden took those 8 pro bowlers and won a championship his first season, where Dungy took those 8 pro bowlers and won 2 playoff games in 6 years.

I see your point, but Dungy took the program from worst to first, Gruden was given a ship that was already filled to the brim and just needed some tooling with the rutter.  Given this scenario Tortorella is the obvious top dog.  He not only built from worst to first, he also won the championship and maintained the program (tough year so far though).

[Orlando Bull]

as much as i love Leavitt....you cant deny it is Tony Dungy.  its a disgrace that Jon Gruden is actually mentioned on t here.

It's a disgrace Gruden is mentioned on there?

DUNGY - 56-46, made playoffs 4 of 6 years, two postseason wins, one division title, zero NFC titles, zero championships

GRUDEN - 51-50, made playoffs 3 of 6 years, three postseason wins, three division titles, one NFC title, one championship

After looking at the stats, I see your point....I can't believe TBO put Gruden in the same poll as Dungy!

A bit unfair, if you want to truly compare Gruden and Dungy then you must compare their records since Dungy took over at Indianapolis...

Both inherited playoff caliber teams with super stars, but what did both of them do with it?  Ahhhh, now we're talking.

Dungy took over a perpetual losing franchise that he was forced to turn around at Tampa Bay, Gruden just inherited a team here that had 8 pro bowlers.  Dungy came in during turmoil over a new stadium, new owners in Tampa.  Dungy was forced to build a program here not maintain it.  That's A HUGE MONUMENTAL DIFFERENCE, so it's unfair to simply compare them as coaches based on what they accomplished in Tampa.   

Not to mention, albeit somewhat trivial, but Dungy was forced to play in the NFC North, against GB, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit....during his years GB made two super bowls, Minnesota was a heartbeat away from one, and Barry frickin Sanders....Gruden, got lucky spending most of his career at the Bucs in the newly formed NFC South, where he got to beat up on teams that have joined the Bucs in the annals of NFL history as perpetual losers....Atlanta, da Ain'ts, only Carolina's newness kept it from obscurity.

Nope, to fairly compare Dungy and Gruden then you must compare what they've done since DUngy moved to Indi since both inherited nearly identical opportunities.  BTW, once you do that the comparison is almost laughable- DUNGY HANDS DOWN BABY!

I guess it depends on how you perceive the question. How I perceive the question is the coach that did thee best WHILE he was here. For example, say we had a coach who was a perpetual loser that just so happened to luck into two championships here.. I would consider him one of the best coaches in Tampa history, even though when you look at his career as a whole, he would not be too great.  If you think of it as the best coach in terms of who was the best over their whole career that happened to coach in Tampa at some point, then you would be correct to look at Dungy in Indy.  I don't consider Steve Young to be the best QB in Bucs history because of what he did in San Fran. When I talk about the best whatever ever of a team, I think of it in terms in what that person did for that team, not what they did over the course of their entire career.

Now, I'm not a huge Gruden fan, and I really like Dungy.  However, saying that it's disgraceful for Gruden to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dungy is just clueless. And it's an interesting point you made regarding Gruden inheriting a team full of 8 pro bowlers. Because Gruden took those 8 pro bowlers and won a championship his first season, where Dungy took those 8 pro bowlers and won 2 playoff games in 6 years.

I see your point, but Dungy took the program from worst to first, Gruden was given a ship that was already filled to the brim and just needed some tooling with the rutter.  Given this scenario Tortorella is the obvious top dog.  He not only built from worst to first, he also won the championship and maintained the program (tough year so far though).

I am going to have to play homer and say non-existent to second is a pretty big deal as well. I don't think CJL wins it just yet, but if he gives us another 10 solid years, I think it is his hands down.

[BJ]

as much as i love Leavitt....you cant deny it is Tony Dungy.  its a disgrace that Jon Gruden is actually mentioned on t here.

It's a disgrace Gruden is mentioned on there?

DUNGY - 56-46, made playoffs 4 of 6 years, two postseason wins, one division title, zero NFC titles, zero championships

GRUDEN - 51-50, made playoffs 3 of 6 years, three postseason wins, three division titles, one NFC title, one championship

After looking at the stats, I see your point....I can't believe TBO put Gruden in the same poll as Dungy!

A bit unfair, if you want to truly compare Gruden and Dungy then you must compare their records since Dungy took over at Indianapolis...

Both inherited playoff caliber teams with super stars, but what did both of them do with it?  Ahhhh, now we're talking.

Dungy took over a perpetual losing franchise that he was forced to turn around at Tampa Bay, Gruden just inherited a team here that had 8 pro bowlers.  Dungy came in during turmoil over a new stadium, new owners in Tampa.  Dungy was forced to build a program here not maintain it.  That's A HUGE MONUMENTAL DIFFERENCE, so it's unfair to simply compare them as coaches based on what they accomplished in Tampa.   

Not to mention, albeit somewhat trivial, but Dungy was forced to play in the NFC North, against GB, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit....during his years GB made two super bowls, Minnesota was a heartbeat away from one, and Barry frickin Sanders....Gruden, got lucky spending most of his career at the Bucs in the newly formed NFC South, where he got to beat up on teams that have joined the Bucs in the annals of NFL history as perpetual losers....Atlanta, da Ain'ts, only Carolina's newness kept it from obscurity.

Nope, to fairly compare Dungy and Gruden then you must compare what they've done since DUngy moved to Indi since both inherited nearly identical opportunities.  BTW, once you do that the comparison is almost laughable- DUNGY HANDS DOWN BABY!

I guess it depends on how you perceive the question. How I perceive the question is the coach that did thee best WHILE he was here. For example, say we had a coach who was a perpetual loser that just so happened to luck into two championships here.. I would consider him one of the best coaches in Tampa history, even though when you look at his career as a whole, he would not be too great.  If you think of it as the best coach in terms of who was the best over their whole career that happened to coach in Tampa at some point, then you would be correct to look at Dungy in Indy.  I don't consider Steve Young to be the best QB in Bucs history because of what he did in San Fran. When I talk about the best whatever ever of a team, I think of it in terms in what that person did for that team, not what they did over the course of their entire career.

Now, I'm not a huge Gruden fan, and I really like Dungy.  However, saying that it's disgraceful for Gruden to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dungy is just clueless. And it's an interesting point you made regarding Gruden inheriting a team full of 8 pro bowlers. Because Gruden took those 8 pro bowlers and won a championship his first season, where Dungy took those 8 pro bowlers and won 2 playoff games in 6 years.

I see your point, but Dungy took the program from worst to first, Gruden was given a ship that was already filled to the brim and just needed some tooling with the rutter.  Given this scenario Tortorella is the obvious top dog.  He not only built from worst to first, he also won the championship and maintained the program (tough year so far though).

Yea, it's been a tough hockey season so far...hoping the bolts will turn it around.

With the whole Dungy vs. Gruden thing, here's what I think it comes down to: Gruden is a better gameday coach, in my opinion. However, Dungy is obviously better at building and managing a team.  You can't really say which is "better" or "more important", as they are post integral aspects for a good coach.

[BullyPulpit]

Gruden is not a good coach at all. He was brought into Tampa to bring his OFFENSIVE GENIUS to the table. Look at our offensive numbers since he arrived and you will see that he is not the mastermind I am sure he thnks that he is. Our offense has languished under him, just as it did under Dungy. AS far as I am concerned, Monte Kifin is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs. When HIS players play well, the team wins, when they don't, they lose.