Dungy stresses putting family ahead of football

Tony Dungy spent Saturday inside a room at the Indianapolis Colts’ complex.

He wasn’t breaking down tapes of the New England Patriots. He wasn’t putting the final touches on plans for today’s much-hyped game of the year.

He was signing autographs and helping about 1,500 fathers and children enjoy the All Pro Dad Kids Experience. The program is designed to assist dads in finding balance between family and work.

“I think anybody who works and wants to be good at what they do, spends a lot of time and energy at work, and coaches are the same way,” Dungy said. “It’s really a matter of how we can maximize that time with our families.”

In the pressurized environment of the NFL, success is usually defined by wins and losses. Dungy has never viewed it that way. Unlike coaches who log long hours and sometimes sleep in their offices, Dungy insists his players and coaches go home at night to their families.

Dungy believes so firmly in the strategy he learned from Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh that he often instructs players and coaches to put their family first no matter the stakes or the public perception. On the busiest week last season, leading to the most important game, Dungy did just that.

“At the Super Bowl, I went over one day to the NFL Experience, and people were kind of looking a little funny at me, kind of like, ‘Shouldn’t you be doing something else?’ ” he said.

Police arrest two Jaguars

Jaguars rookie linebacker Justin Durant and second-year offensive tackle Richard Collier were arrested in separate incidents early Saturday.

Jacksonville (Fla.) police arrested Collier for driving under the influence, and Durant was charged with resisting arrest without violence.

The Jaguars placed Collier on the reserve/suspended list. The team said Collier and Durant didn’t travel for today’s game against the New Orleans Saints.