Tony Dungy Thinks Super Bowl Spread Is Too Close

NFL News - February 5th, 2010 - Written by John Ritter

Just when the Super Bowl seemed like it was mundane and boring with little smack talk between teams, Tony Dungy finally came in and stirred the pot.

The former Indianapolis Colts head coach is only a year out from his retirement and isn't shy about voicing his feelings about the impending Super Bowl. When The New York Times asked Dungy about how his old team would respond if faced with a last-minute, game-winning drive, his answer was simple.

They won't even need one.

"I think they're going to be so far ahead that people are going to say, 'Oh, ho-hum, he played a good game, they won by two scores, the Colts won their second championship,' " Dungy said. "He's going to have those rings Sunday night. I don't think it's going to be close."

The Colts are favored by five, according to Bodog, and most betting has been done on Indianapolis early on.

But New Orleans hasn't been an underdog all year long and some think it may get closer than that with an offense that haven't been stopped all playoffs. The NFL Odds at online sportsbooks have tabbed this game with the highest over/under in Super Bowl history.

But Dungy believes most of that point total will have to be reached by Manning and Co. based on how the Saints performed against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship.

"Minnesota is playing in New Orleans, they turn the ball over five times, have two or three stupid penalties and still lose in overtime," Dungy told The Times. "I don't see how it's going to be close. The Colts aren't going to turn it over seven times."

His comments weren't necessarily jabs at New Orleans, but more-so complements about Manning. The regular-season MVP is in his second championship game, and has become one of the most reliable, consistent quarterbacks in the game, regardless of who lines up with him.

Manning threw for 4,500 yards and 33 touchdowns this year, and is favored by Bodog to win the Super Bowl MVP trophy.

If anyone disagrees, Dungy says, just ask Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots head coach who went for it on 4th-and-2 with the lead late against the Colts in the regular season, instead of punting to Manning and giving him a chance for a game-winning drive.

The Patriots didn't convert, and Manning did, in fact, drive down for the winning touchdown.

"Your coach wouldn't punt the ball to Peyton," Dungy said. "I would punt the ball to Tom Brady with one minute left. Your coach is the best coach in the world and wouldn't punt it to [Manning]. What does that say?"

It says that Drew Brees will have to have another big game. In his first-career Super Bowl, he is given a 300 1/2-yard over/under by Bodog, and he will most-certainly need to hang around that mark to match Manning.