Michael Tillery.com

Driving while Black

December 28th, 2005
by Michael Tillery

Opportunity: 1: a favorable juncture of circumstances 2: a good chance for advancement or progress According to Merriam Webster's dictionary.
This one is for you, Art Shell.

Opportunity is one word that could first and foremost be associated with Blacks. The aforementioned definition of the word has had less than stellar results when it has been used to characterize Black NFL coaches. It's a word that has been passed through the generations almost as much as the historically negative n-word. How many times have you ever said to yourself, "If I can just get the opportunity?" How many of you have gritted your teeth as passion afire is blazoned through your bloodstream. You can taste it. Go get it! Make the most of your opportunity Tony Dungy, Marvin Lewis and Lovie Smith. You may have your detractors, but the opportunistic soul of hope, determination, and undeniable success you all seem to possess, vastly outweighs the primitively thin albeit destructive, veins of evil. They apprehensively fight to keep prospective Black coaches "manning" the chains instead of hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy. Hypothetically, you can hear them say, "Let them stay in their place and motivate. We want all the greatness of victory. Don't they enjoy being on the sideline coordinating? Our record is so much better this year because of his defensive play calling. Isn't that enough for them for Christ's sake? The offensive coordinator we have is also Black. Why isn't he complaining?"

The deep, dark and cold NFL tunnel that Black coaches have had to crawl through has been awash with rats, cavernous cracks and vindictive pick pockets. You can still hear the bellowing drip echo throughout your soul that is most associated with caves, tunnels, and sewers. Listen! Tony, as you victoriously lead the numerous coaches crawling, scratching and clawing behind you. Put your hand in the muck, close your eyes and try to visualize where the sickening drip originates. Oh, that isn't relevantly important? Move on! Fight! Teach! Win! Never relax! Marvin, can you see a flash momentarily of the hungry kid with the frozen snotty nose? Do you see her wiping her breath off the storefront window clamoring to get a true glimpse of your keen coaching eye? Her dad is not permitting her to play football, so her youthful and vicarious eyes are on you coaching deep into January. She is destined for 300 wins. Will she join you? Will you be the first? Can you stand the heart quenching metaphysical victory rain as well as the spirit aching, dismal losing pain? You are the epitome of her love futuristic. Seek for her. Lovie, document all. Remember the depressing thoughts after a Super Bowl loss as well as the child like smiles in victorious locker rooms of camaraderie after a meaningless September win. These memories are yours, embrace them. Burn them in your souls so your grandson's unborn child can consciously sense them the day he or she is born.

Fritz Pollard became the first Black coach in the NFL in 1921. He was also the first Black to play in the Rose Bowl, leading Brown to their only appearance in 1916, and was the first Black quarterback to play in the NFL. What else did a brotha have to do to burn a path for his race's future? He coached until pressure and insecurity sought to rid the NFL of any affiliation with Blacks. We are all at a loss because we didn't get the opportunity to see this great pioneer play and coach. There were no blacks allowed in the NFL from 1934 to 1946. The drought lasted until 1989, when Hall of Fame offensive lineman Art Shell became the first Black coach of the modern era, guiding the Raiders to a 56-41 record and three playoff appearances. Art was a victim of black scrutiny, period.

This year, Tony Dungy is poised to become one of the legendary coaching superstars regardless of race. His team is one of calm, disciplined and streamlined coolness. With the exception of Dwight Freeney's sheer power and unbridled ferociousness, his team's personality belies that of its stoic leader. Coach Dungy has to welcome the timely historical position the Colts organization has deservedly put him in. This has become Tampa Bay's loss. Taking nothing away from Gruden's coaching acumen, Tampa has lost the swagger that has recently elevated them from a perennial doormat to a respected champion. What did Dungy do to deserve being exiled after such unmatched organizational success? Remember the media circus and the pressure for Tampa's ownership to make what had to be in hindsight such a level-lowering move? Winning a Super Bowl is a very difficult accomplishment, but Gruden's job was made easier by the tireless groundwork that Dungy and his staff laid. Peyton Manning has become one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Even when Manning was the signal caller at the University of Tennessee, he failed to win the big game time and time again. The same can be said for Tony Dungy throughout his head-coaching career. Have the spirits of football past and future finally anointed this team? Imagine a weathered, tired coal worker hitting the lottery. Every payday he plucks a dollar from his soiled wallet to play the number and dreams of December sugar plumbs. If Dungy and his team win the Super Bowl, he will feel the same happiness. Can you imagine the strength and numbers of young coaches that will be spawned from such an accomplishment? Can you see and feel the groundswell and accompanying roar? Goosebumps. You know, like the ones you still feel when you see Jordan's tiptoed, outstretched shooting hand in Utah, like he was historically posing for kid and kid alike. Will the confetti rain on Dungy historically? The Colts have to regroup after suffering their first lost. Dungy is a coach that has learned from his mistakes. His eyes are on the ultimate prize. Two coaches might stand in the way of a championship season. Imagine the irony.

Marvin Lewis is one of them. If he has anything to say in this matter, which indubitably would be bittersweet in nature, he will be. His team demoralized the lions on Sunday. You can see his imprint all over his young team. He has established himself as one of the most intense and intelligent up and coming young coaches in the league. When he was defensive coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in 2000, his defense was and still is regarded as one of the most explosive and greatest of all time. They were hell-bent on crushing the opposition, they're only intent being to search and destroy any and all offensive strategies. It helps to have had a player of Ray Lewis's stature. Like a quarterback being the personality of its head coach, Ray Lewis was the underlying violent spirit, and alter ego of Marvin Lewis. The Ravens have suffered supremely since Marvin's departure. Dungy and Lewis leaving their respective franchises have left an almost insurmountable hole that almost has to seem like an abyss for each team's brass. Marvin had to frustratingly wait years before getting the opportunity to show he wasn't just a defensive coordinator. The burgeoning opportunity must have lit his fire. His team is one of the most exciting in the entire league on both ends of the ball. One can't dismiss the likeness between Indy and Cincinnati. It will be great to see these coaches square off in the AFC championship game, with the winner going on to a new and exciting challenge. Who will stand in the way?

Maybe it will be Lovie Smith and his "Monsters of the Midway." Did you see how his defense had a game Michael Vick shaking his head? Mike couldn't do a thing. Lovie has this team locked and loaded. Man, he's a good coach. Lovie, age withstanding, is the "little brother" of the two aforementioned coaches. Insecure owners have seen that Blacks can lead successfully and Lovie has capitalized on his opportunity. His current team has been compared defensively with the great Chicago Bear's team of 1985. Maybe such a bold comparison is unfair, but the city of Chicago wants a winner because of the supreme success that team amassed. Some of Tony Dungy's success in Tampa Bay can be attributed to Lovie Smith. Smith was the linebacker coach for some of Dungy's most aggressive and turnover creating teams from 1996 to 2000. Although he was 5-11 in his initial year with the Bears, there were numerous injuries to key players that had a huge hand in that failure. Lovie's team is flying under the radar this year and could position itself for regaining the ultimate prize the city of Chicago so covets.

Maybe Dungy has become the model of success that Lewis and Smith chose to mold themselves after. Dungy is a true role model in every single positive sense of the word. In an age of violent athletic rage, Dungy is the disparate. He reminds many of legendary Negro League player, Buck O'Neil, who never complained of his delayed induction into baseball's Hall of Fame. Dungy had been up for head coaching positions before he turned thirty. He may have been cheated out of 100 wins. Did he complain? No. He has achieved much success. He has become one of the coaches that most expect to win. He has a great nucleus to build a career resume upon that will be hard to duplicate in any arena. With the compliment of young talented teams, Smith and Lewis will be wildcards in the future success of pro football. It remains to be seen if their success will be consistent, but both have built strong teams that hit hard and want to pick six on every single play. Marvin Lewis has built a team like Dallas and San Francisco of the nineties that can score at will. Lovie's team still is searching for their overall personality but is definitely on the right track. Opportunity has beckoned for these Black prototypes. Pressure doesn't seem to bother them, so the media at large will have to respect their collective intelligence. The annoying drip is becoming faint. Can you still hear it? They sure can't. Neither should we. All we should see is the opportunity.