Known as a leader, Dungy may be a better tactician

	Tony Dungy's teams have made the playoffs eight straight seasons and nine out of 11. Al Pereira
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With Super Bowl XLI approaching, Tony Dungy will garner more positive press than Barack Obama. Count on myriad gushy stories about Dungy's grace. Nonetheless, one description that will be elusive is Dungy as genius. Despite making history to highlight his brilliant career, Dungy still hasn't overcome the maddening tendency to overlook his football acumen.

Some of Dungy's lesser counterparts get more props for their football knowledge. Meanwhile, the man with the best winning percentage among active coaches (.648), is often viewed as if his last name is Robbins -- motivational speaker instead of football tactician.

"I think people have a perception," Dungy conceded to me before the playoffs. "And that's OK."

Dungy wasn't whining when I broached the subject. Dungy -- 114-62 during the regular season -- was just being matter-of-fact. In fact, Dungy added he likes that his football acumen is overlooked. Dungy told me his approach stems from the advice of his high-school coach, who stressed making it seem like his ideas were those of others.

"I think the people inside know," Dungy said of his football intelligence, "and that's what counts. I've never been one to look for praise."

So you can argue the perception - or misperception -- of Dungy isn't black and white. Yet, we're too quick to slap the genius label on white coaches while omitting the thinking-man adjectives on Dungy. (Television announcers are the worst culprits.) It's not malicious, or maybe even a conscious thing. But it's certainly trite to focus only on the intangibles of someone who has such strong football credentials.

At Tampa, Dungy engineered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL history while reinventing the Cover 2. Dungy has guided Indy to its first Super Bowl since 1970; and he's formed a blue-chip coaching tree. Dungy -- who found success with a defensive powerhouse and now an offensive juggernaut -- has made the playoffs eight consecutive seasons. In that stretch, he has won more games than anyone -- the coaches whose ostensible ingenuity is often trumpeted: Bill Belichik, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, Andy Reid, etc.

Falcons GM Rich McKay, who hired Dungy in Tampa in 1996, believes one factor in the phenomenon is Dungy's personal qualities. "The respect for him as a human being has in some way diminished the focus on his X's and O's," McKay told me Monday. "But what made him a head coach was his success as a coordinator, which was at the highest level. Xs and Os was always a strong point.

"The perception is unlike the Belichicks and the guys whose X's and O's everybody praises. I don't think they say that with Tony. The first thing they say is great leader, great person. But they shouldn't diminish his Xs and Os."

I can understand waiting for Dungy to win at least one Super Bowl before placing him on the Mount Rushmore of coaches. Meanwhile, however, the man with the sixth-best winning percentage of all time should be praised for his cerebral nature.

During his Bucs stint, Dungy was lauded for being a defensive whiz. But these days, Dungy is viewed as a charismatic caretaker. Dungy is smart enough to give Manning the most autonomy of any quarterback since perhaps Johnny Unitas. (Remember, Dungy's predecessor, Jim Mora, clashed with Manning.). Still, Dungy -- who has final say -- deserves props for things like the masterful run-pass balance against New England while outcoaching Belichick in the AFC Championship Game.