Dungy Will Return as Colts' Coach

The Indianapolis Colts kept their coach yesterday when Tony Dungy said he still wasn't ready to walk away from the job even after considering retirement for a third straight offseason.

"I'm happy about being back," Dungy said during a news conference at the Colts' headquarters. "My family is happy, and hopefully our team and everyone is happy."

Dungy spent last week pondering his future on the heels of the Colts' season-ending loss to the San Diego Chargers in the AFC playoffs. He once planned to leave coaching by age 50, but now he's 52 and still going. Colts owner Jim Irsay and team president Bill Polian formally named the club's quarterbacks coach , Jim Caldwell, to succeed Dungy when Dungy retires. But Dungy and the Colts left open the possibility that Dungy will continue beyond next season.

"He's back for not only this season, but perhaps beyond that," Polian said.

It will be Dungy's 13th season as an NFL head coach, and his seventh with the Colts after six with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dungy's family is moving back to the Tampa area and Irsay told Dungy that he can spend more time in Florida if he wants.

"Tony Dungy is still our coach, and that's something that obviously we're all excited about," Irsay said.

Dungy became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl when the Colts beat the Chicago Bears last season.

Caldwell interviewed for other head coaching jobs around the league in recent weeks but withdrew from consideration for them. Polian said that Caldwell will become more involved in the Colts' decision-making process as a precursor to him taking over for Dungy, but Dungy will retain the final say on coaching decisions until he retires.

Said Irsay, "We thought it was in our best interests to have a transition plan in place." . . .

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was photographed yesterday with what appears to be walking cast on his right foot. The Boston Herald and Boston Globe had the photos on their Web sites. A video of Brady walking with a slight limp from an SUV to girlfriend Gisele Bundchen's apartment was also on-line. . . .

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said yesterday that he had arthroscopic surgery eight days ago to repair cartilage damage in his right knee so that he could play in Sunday's AFC title game at New England. Rivers said he will need further surgery in the offseason to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. Chargers tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, who lasted only two carries Sunday, said he won't need surgery for the torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. . . .

The NFL suspended Buffalo Bills defensive end Anthony Hargrove for next season without pay for violating the substance abuse policy. . . .

The New York Giants' 23-20 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers got a 31.7 overnight rating on Fox, the highest for a conference title game since 1996.

-- Mark Maske