Tony Dungy is, as you know, a Hall of Fame coach turned NFL analyst. That makes sense, of course. He knew enough to beat other teams consistently and also win a Super Bowl. Dungy also still knows the Indianapolis Colts well, and recently gave the lowdown on Daniel Jones becoming QB1.
Jones, as you also know, is having a terrific season so far. It is far too early to assume he will be successful for the remainder of the season. Three games do not a season make. A team can go 3-0 and easily end up 8-9.
But the Colts have some things in their favor. One is that the AFC South is not overly difficult. The Tennessee Titans are terrible, the Houston Texans have yet to win a game (surprisingly), and the Jacksonville Jaguars are, well...the Jaguars. Indianapolis could run away with the division.
Indianapolis Colts icon Tony Dungy breaks down Shane Steichen's big decision
But would any of this have happened has Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard not taken a big risk and signed Daniel Jones in free agency. If Anthony Richardson were still the team's starter, would Indy be 3-0? Likely not. The Denver Broncos would probably have won in Week 2.
Head coach Shane Steichen knew what he wanted to do, according to Dungy, during training camp, but he fretted about the decision. After all, the Colts would be benching a healthy Anthony Richardson, a quarterback they chose at No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. If making Jones the starter and he failed, the team might be lost.
Moreover, Steichen's job could be at risk. He hadn't been able to turn Richardson into a decent quarterback, and Steichen was partly hired because he was supposed to be a kind of quarterback whisperer. AR5 might simply be deaf, though.
Speaking on Pro Football Talk, Dungy said, "I was there at the end of training camp and Shane Steichen, their head coach, told me, 'I've got a decision to make. Daniel Jones is playing quarterback just the way I want it played. He's making the right decisions. He's getting the ball to the right people. He knows what we want to do. Players have confidence in him. I think he's going to have a great year, and that's the way I'm leaning to go.' So he made up his mind right at the end of training camp."
The odd part is, if Steichen said verbatim what Dungy said he did, why would he feel any potential remorse about choosing Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson? The team might have gotten to know Richardson, but couldn't have believed he would lead Indy to high-end success.
In the long run, Jones might not either, but the Indianapolis Colts can only base the future on what they see now. Danny Dimes has been very good in Shane Steichen's system. The playoffs should be a realistic goal for Indianapolis this season.