Tony Dungy learned a long time ago that practicing hard is not necessarily practicing smart. It’s a lesson that Bill Walsh first imparted on Dungy during a brief stint as a 49ers’ defensive back in 1979, but one that stuck with Dungy throughout his career as a Hall of Fame coach.
It’s a lesson Dungy shared three years ago with Adam Gase, right before Gase began his first training camp as the Dolphins coach.
“I had a chance to visit with him for about 45 minutes, and we talked about how to practice in a tropical area,” Gase told Newsday of his conversation with Dungy, who coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2001.