INDIANAPOLIS -- When the Buccaneers walk into the RCA Dome on Sunday, they'll look across the field and stare at Tampa's revered favorite son, Tony Dungy.
Many of the fans who watched him turn a laughingstock franchise into a Super Bowl contender, who saw the Tampa-2 become a standard NFL defense, who mourned with Dungy in his toughest moment as a parent and celebrated his greatest achievement in February still find it difficult to think of him as the opponent.
The Colts may be without a couple key playmakers in their showdown with the Buccaneers on Sunday, as RB Joseph Addai (chest) and WR Marvin Harrison (knee) are listed as questionable on the Week 5 injury report. **Full story ...**
The Colts coach feels the same way about his adopted town.
"Any time you go back somewhere where you've learned and worked, it's special," he said. "I have some very good memories from that part of it, and I think they'll always be there."
Dungy, who still owns a home in Tampa, won't have much time to mingle with old friends like linebacker Derrick Brooks or defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Instead, it's a working weekend for the man who still holds the title of Tampa's biggest winner.
Since being fired by the Bucs after the 2001 season, few coaches have done more than Dungy. No NFL team has posted a better September record (18-2), reached the playoffs more frequently (five times) or had more consecutive 12-win seasons (four).
He even eliminated the one knock against him when he coached in Tampa by becoming the first black coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. And he actually may be more popular in Tampa now that he's gone.
"Coach Dungy is a legend here and in the country as a football coach. God bless him," said Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden, Dungy's successor. "He is a very influential man in this business, and I have a lot of respect for him."
Dungy's reserved style, steadying influence and continued success has also won over Colts fans.
Indy is again off to a 4-0 start and holds its traditional perch atop the AFC South. A win Sunday would give the Colts 12 straight home wins, setting yet another franchise record and keeping them in first place heading into next week's bye.
So Dungy is tossing aside the sentimental emotions for one weekend to focus on business.
"What really matters is that we have a chance to go to 5-0," he said.
Just like they were four years ago.
Back then, the schedule-makers sent Dungy back to Tampa on his birthday. The Colts were 4-0, while the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers were 2-1.
Indianapolis shredded the league's stingiest defense to rally from a 21-point deficit in the final four minutes and eventually win in overtime. The comeback gave Dungy, then known as a defensive genius, his first glimpse into how different things would be in Indianapolis.
"We were up against the crowd and the best team in the league, and we were down three scores," he recalls. "It showed me what we could do."
To this day, Gruden remembers every painful detail of that record-setting rally including the leaping penalty that gave Mike Vanderjagt a second chance at the winning field goal.
"I think we had a 35-14 lead and Brad Pyatt returned a kickoff about 80 yards to set up a touchdown," Gruden said. "Then the sheriff -- I call Peyton Manning the sheriff -- just took over. ... What can I say, it was one of the greatest comebacks of all time, and, unfortunately, I was on the wrong end of that stick."
To avoid another loss to Dungy, the Bucs (3-1) must do more than simply stop Indy's high-scoring offense.
Running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after having surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. He'll be replaced by Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham, putting more pressure on quarterback Jeff Garcia to make more plays with his arm.
The danger with that philosophy, however, is that left tackle Donald Penn makes his first career start against one of the league's best pass rushers, three-time Pro Bowler Dwight Freeney.
"He's a great player, overall he's one of the best in the league," Penn said. "I've been watching film and stuff. That's all I can do is watch film and get ready for this week."
Tampa Bay also has a little Indianapolis help on its side.
The Bucs signed former Pro Bowl linebacker Cato June in March, a perfect fit in the scheme that made Dungy a household name in Tampa Bay.
But the outspoken June isn't planning any funny stuff.
"I don't think we will get involved in trying to steal their signals and using me as the spy, trying to figure out what they are doing in terms of signaling," he said.
The Colts may look a little different to June, too.
Receiver Marvin Harrison (bruised knee), running back Joseph Addai (bruised shoulder) and safety Bob Sanders (ribs) were all held out of practice this week and may not play Sunday.
But injuries haven't always derailed the Colts. Sanders has missed 24 of 52 career games, and tight end Dallas Clark's versatility provides plenty of other options if Harrison can't play.
Indy's players also have some additional motivation, and not just because Dungy celebrates his 52nd birthday Saturday. They'd like to send him home next week with a victory he can recount with his legions of old friends and fans in Tampa.
"Every game means a little more to someone on this team because it's their hometown or they played for them or whatever," Clark said. "But it means a little more to everyone when it's your coach."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press