NBC football analyst Tony Dungy, 58, who won Super Bowl XLI as coach of the Indianapolis Colts, in an exclusive interview The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, discussed the Atlanta Falcons and the problems they face after starting the season 1-4.
Dungy visited the Martin Luther King Jr. recreation center in Atlanta Monday in his role as the national spokesman for Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which provides Internet services for low income families at a reduced cost on Monday.
Dungy told a story about how he was fortunate enough that his family could afford encyclopedias when he had a school project. He said kids today without Internet service are like the kids whose parents couldn’t afford encyclopedias.
“I looked at our kids and they just take for granted going on the Internet and doing their homework on the Internet,” Dungy said. “They asked me if I could help get the word out to the parents and to let people know that this is available.”
Before the program started, Dungy talked about the Falcons, who were considered Super Bowl contenders when the season started.
Q: How can the Falcons deal with the injuries that are mounting?
A: In this league, there is such a fine line. If you lose some players and some really, really good players, it's not devastating. It's not like you can't overcome it. Other guys have to step up. The line is so fine. You look at Atlanta. You look at Pittsburgh. You look at the Giants and they dropped off a little bit. Then you look at a team like Kansas City and with a couple of (minor) additions they are now undefeated. That tells you, even though (you've) lost some guys, (you) can still play well enough to win. The mental approach to it is that you don't get down. You can be OK.
Q: How has Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan played thus far?
A: What has happen is that losing Steven Jackson really hurt. Because now you're not a balanced team and it all falls on the quarterback. Like it has all fallen on Eli Manning in New York. He's still the same player, Ryan is. Manning is still the same player, but they've got to do a little bit more and that becomes tougher. I think if they can get Steven back, that will help them. Matt has just got to understand that he doesn't have to do it all. I know it seems like it he has to do more. He'll just have to follow his reads and do what he's supposed to do and he'll be fine.
Q: What’s your assessment of the Falcons defense?
A: What they don't have is those one or two guys that can put that pressure on the passer. That's what this league is all about now. Protecting your passer and rushing the passer. When you have to blitz to generate a pass rush, now that gives the quarterback an advantage. If there is one thing that they are missing, it's that one guy who can create that pressure. That could make all of the difference in the world.
Q: What should the Falcons fans look for over the rest of the season?
A: There is enough there. They've won a lot of games with Mike Smith and this group. They'll continue to play. I think they'll play themselves out of this (slump). All it takes is getting hot at the right time. You look at the Super Bowl winners the last few years. Green Bay when they won it, they were the last team in. The Giants needed somebody to lose and they were the last team in and they won the Super Bowl. They just have to keep going with the idea that 'if we can get on a three-game winning streak, we can get back in this.' They have enough firepower to do that.
Q: Is it too early to tell if last season was a missed Super Bowl opportunity for the Falcons?
A: It was a missed opportunity, but that doesn't mean you aren't going to get them again. Our team in Indy, I was there seven years. Our Super Bowl team was probably number five as far as talent out of those seven teams. But that's the year that everything fell right for us. Our best team was in '05. We started out and won 13 in a row, but we didn't win (the Super Bowl). Everybody was (like), 'Oh the door is closed' and all that stuff. The door doesn't close when you've got a good organization.
Q: The Falcons tried to model their roster after the Colts after you all signed Peyton Manning to the largest contract in the league. How tough was that?
A: That's part of the game. That's what you have to do with the salary cap. You have to have a good quarterback. They have one. They are going to build it around him. They have Julio (Jones) and Roddy (White). They've got weaponry. That's the way there are building the team. They'll find guys. We had to find guys like Robert Mathis. A fifth-round draft choice who could rush the passer. Antoine Bethea, who went to the Pro Bowl, was drafted in the sixth-round. You have to count on finding those guys, because you do have to pay the quarterback.
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