| CHICAGO — Tampa Bay head coach Tony Dungy was one of
the numerous coaches in attendance at the two-day coaches seminar here Tuesday and
Wednesday. During a break, Dungy talked about how expectations are once again sky-high in
Tampa Bay. PFW: How was minicamp?
TD: It’s been a good spring for us. We have a lot of people working hard and some
new coaches on board, so it’s been a little hectic.
PFW: How’s the offense look, particularly Brad Johnson?
TD: The offense is a little new for everyone. We’ve kept a lot of the same stuff
from last year, and Clyde (Christensen, the new offensive coordinator) has added some new
wrinkles. … Brad has looked great.
PFW: Will you be throwing the ball more?
TD: No. We’re not looking to throw the ball more; we’re just looking to throw
the ball better. We have two good runners (Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn) and we want to
run the ball first. We just want to be more effective offensively this season. We should
be better.
PFW: Any offensive standouts in camp?
TD: We feel (WR) Reidel Anthony has a chance to do what he did three years ago (when he
caught 51 passes for 708 yards and seven TDs). And Frank Murphy (a free-agent running back
who has been switched to wide receiver) has looked good.
PFW: Is everyone healthy?
TD: For the most part. Alstott is healthy, and we had a couple of guys have surgery in
the offseason — (SS) John Lynch had shoulder surgery and (DT) Anthony McFarland had
surgery on his triceps — but they’re both doing well.
PFW: How is Simeon Rice doing?
TD: The biggest thing with Simeon is getting him grooved into our way of doing things.
He’s going to be our right end, and he’ll be a force over there with DLE Marcus
Jones opposite him. They’re both outstanding pass rushers.
PFW: Any thoughts on the NFL’s realignment? Are you looking forward to the new
NFC South?
TD: We’re very happy with our new division. It makes sense geographically, and I
think our fans will like traveling to Atlanta and New Orleans and Charlotte. … Two of
the coaches in the new division have taken teams to the Super Bowl, so it will definitely
be a challenge.
PFW: And there should be less chance of you having to travel to Chicago or Green Bay
in December.
TD: (Laughing) Yeah, that’s a good thing. But now we really want to win in Chicago
and Green Bay in our last year in the same division.
PFW: What’s the feeling among the players heading into this season?
TD: There was a feeling of disappointment after not meeting expectations last year. But
the players are stepping it up and working hard to change that. I think they’re ready
to have a big year.
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Q&A with Dolphins' Dave Wannstedt
Q&A with Redskins' Jimmy Raye
Q&A with Chargers' Norv Turner |
