QUOTES FROM INDIANAPOLISCOLTS MEDIA DAY
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY
(on his conversation with Lovie Smith last night) "It was really fantastic, we did a couple things, we got the keys to the city and got the welcome awards. We did a piece for the pregame show this morning. To be able to share this with him is special. We talked about it three weeks ago that we might have the opportunity and you just never think that it will happen. I am excited to be here and to be here with the Bears and Lovie and the way that their staff does it, its just phenomenal."
(on hearing from old friends this week) "It was great to see Warren (Sapp), I have seen a couple of other guys so far. Again that is the special part of it, to be able to share it with guys that you have had experiences with, just makes it that much more special."
(on the significance of Media Day and what he says on Media day) "Well, it goes with the territory. That is what I told the players. You have to come down and enjoy all this. It's just part of the process. Many teams, many organizations, many coaches, many players aren't going to get the chance to ever get here, so we are going to enjoy it and demonstrate what our football team is all about. We have some really high class individuals, we have some good people as well as good players and I think that the Bears have the same thing. I think that the country is going to get to see that this week."
(on his faith helping get to this point) "To me this is great. It's a great setting. This is where you want to be in this profession, getting to the Super Bowl is what we are all in this business for and you strive to get here. But I think that you have to know that, in the final analysis, in the long run it is not that meaningful. That is what drives me, my Christian faith, and understanding that as great as this is, we can't look at this as the end-all be-all. I think that is important especially for young people to know, and I think that they are going to get that message from a lot of our players and a lot of the Bears players as well."
(on if his mentality going in is "if it's not broken don't fix it") "We want to keep things as normal as we can, stay on the same routine. That is why we came in yesterday, because we wanted to give the players a couple of days off to be with their families and kind of simulate what we normally do during the regular season. So that is what we are looking to do and hopefully stay on this roll."
(on how he would describe his relationship with Lovie Smith) "Well we're friends number one. We were co-workers for five years. Lovie was a big part of what we got done in Tampa, and I just have so much respect for him, the way that he does things. I know the way their guys are coached, I know how they are treated. I know what goes on in their meetings and to see him go and get his team here in three years, that is just awesome. I am very proud of him, but I am very happy to call him my friend."
(on if he is surprised that he being a family orientated coach is a big story) "That is one of the reasons that I am still in this. I enjoy football, I have a passion for it. But I think that that the thing that really drives me is that I have a desire to show people that you can be successful, you can have a good team and put out a good product and still have time to take care of your family, still have time to do things away from football, and that football doesn't have to be 24/7 on your mind to be successful and again I hope that message gets out."
(on how many hours he and his staff put in on a given week) "We put in a lot of time, there is no way that you are going to be successful in this game without really devoting a lot of time. In our early part of the week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we are there as much as anybody. I go in at eight o'clock in the morning and I am going to be there until about 9:30 at night, but at times later in the week and in the offseason, whether the media is mad at us because we didn't come down on Sunday like they thought we should have, we wanted to let the guys go to church and spend some time with their families, we thought that was more important than being down here one extra day and being involved with the Super Bowl hype one extra day. We just have a way we do things and we are proud of it."