Dungy Agrees to Coach Colts

Tony Dungy didn’t need much time to get a new job.

Eight days after being fired in Tampa Bay, Dungy reached an agreement to coach the Indianapolis Colts and a formal introduction is expected today.

Colt owner Jim Irsay said the deal is for five years and will pay Dungy about $13 million.

“He was by far the best candidate out there,” Irsay said. “Tony is a proven winner and an ideal type leader who we want to represent the horseshoe.”

Colt President Bill Polian said in a statement that he and Dungy’s agent, Ray Anderson, were still working on the deal’s final details Tuesday afternoon.

Irsay said the Colts had engaged in a bidding war for Dungy with the Carolina Panthers, with whom Dungy also interviewed last week.

“We weren’t going to be outbid for Tony Dungy. He was going to be a Colt for sure,” Irsay said.

Dungy will join the New York Jets’ Herman Edwards as the only black head coaches in the NFL. Irsay said he thought it was significant that negotiations with Dungy ended Monday, while Dungy attended White House ceremonies to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration.

“What a great thing for that to happen on Martin Luther King day because he is the reality of Dr. King’s dreams,” Irsay said of Dungy. “I knew we had a coach when he started asking about Pacers tickets.”

Dungy, 46, was fired by Tampa Bay last week. The Colts fired Coach Jim Mora on Jan. 8, primarily because he refused to get rid of former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio has since accepted the coordinator’s post with the expansion Houston Texans.

Mora went 32-34 and took Indianapolis to the playoffs twice in four seasons. The Colts went 6-10 this season.

Dungy was the most successful coach in Buccaneer history, going 54-42 in six seasons. The Buccaneers were 9-8 this season, including a loss to Philadelphia in the wild-card round.

“He is a simplistic genius,” Irsay said of Dungy. “There is no question that this is the piece of the puzzle that I think is the final piece.”

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The head of the NFL’s officiating department wants to keep the rule that led to the replay decision that helped New England beat Oakland in Saturday’s playoff game.

“This wasn’t an unusual occurrence,” Mike Pereira said. “This happens several times a year. It’s not like this is a fluke that happens once every 10 years. We discussed it in 1999 and we decided to keep it just the way it is. I don’t think we should change it now.”

The play occurred with 1:47 left in regulation and the Patriots trailing, 13-10. New England quarterback Tom Brady was hit by Oakland’s Charles Woodson and the ball came loose. It was recovered by the Raiders, apparently clinching the game for Oakland.

But it was reversed on replay when referee Walt Coleman ruled that Brady’s arm was coming forward and that he had never tucked the ball completely away. Under the rules, that means it is an incomplete pass.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars showed just how intent they are on fixing their salary cap troubles when they put left tackle Tony Boselli on the expansion-draft list.

Boselli, a three-time all-pro, was the first draft pick in Jaguar history, the cornerstone of their franchise. Now, the seventh-year veteran could become the cornerstone for the Houston Texans, who will choose players in the expansion draft Feb. 18.

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Tampa Bay kicker Martin Gramatica signed a seven-year contract with the Buccaneers instead of becoming a restricted free agent. ... Dallas Cowboy linebacker Dexter Coakley was added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster, replacing Derrick Brooks of Tampa Bay, who is injured. ... The New Orleans Saints decided against keeping two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle La’Roi Glover at $5.5 million next season, so Glover, who led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2000, might become a free agent March 1.