FanHouse JimIrsay

The Indianapolis Colts have already had to replace their head coach this off-season. Now they're in danger of losing two of their most important assistants as well.

The Marvin Harrison saga in Indianapolis rolls on. Beginning Sunday night, Harrison reportedly refused to take a pay cut from his gargantuan salary, and then reportedly asked for his outright release. The discussions seemingly ended Monday evening when sources reported the Colts would grant Harrison's request and let him walk.

Tuesday morning, however, a new wrinkle was added in the ongoing Indianapolis drama. Jim Irsay, the Colts' owner, really doesn't want Harrison to leave. Thus, he's staging a last-ditch effort to retain the best receiver in franchise history.

"You dream about having the kind of relationship with a head coach that I've head with Tony." That's how Colts owner Jim Irsay described Tony Dungy, who officially announced his retirement this afternoon.

The news was hardly surprising -- Dungy has contemplated walking away from the game in previous years -- although I can't remember a more emotional press conference. It says a lot about Dungy's impact on the organization, the community, and the league. "I can't thank him enough. I know he's pushed me as a man and made me a better person," Irsay offered.

President Bill Polian, voice cracking as he read from a script, added that "We'll miss his faith, we'll miss his optimism, will miss his patience ... all of which contributes to that Dungy magic. ... What an honor it was to reach the ultimate goal with a man who did it the right way."

As for what the 53-year-old Dungy plans to do with himself:

The NFL left Los Angeles in 1995 and hasn't been back. That could change in the next decade.

After years of being a bargaining chip for franchises to get new stadiums built in their cities, Los Angeles is close to bringing the NFL back for at least one game: Super Bowl L (that's 50 to you and me).

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, a member of the league's Super Bowl committee, raised the possibility of L.A. playing host to that landmark game.

"In L.A., it's there for the taking," Irsay, who spends a lot of time here and is a member of Riviera Country Club, said in a telephone interview.

"People there are going to have to make it happen, make it work. But I know right now people are ready to put their time and effort into making this work."

There is some historical significance to hold the 50th Super Bowl in L.A. After all, the first Super Bowl was played in Los Angeles Coliseum in 1967. Since then, the Colisem hosted another Super Bowl while Pasadena's Rose Bowl has played host to five more games.

Colts coach Tony Dungy is expected to reveal today whether he will return to coach the Indianapolis Colts, or whether he will retire. Colts owner Jim Irsay says he believes Dungy is leaning toward returning to the Colts:

"I'm hopeful, I think he's leaning our way, but he hasn't committed to anything," said Irsay, who spoke with his coach on Sunday. ...

"I'm optimistic but I really don't know that Tony will [return]. I can see him coming back for one, maybe two years, but he has to find peace with that."

Irsay confirmed to ESPN that assistant head coach Jim Caldwell is the Colts' next head coach, and will take over when Dungy retires. "Two things that are clear right now: One, if Tony comes back, he will come back full time and, two, Jim Caldwell will be the coach if Tony steps down," Irsay told Chris Mortensen.

Caldwell, a longtime Dungy assistant who has a good relationship with Peyton Manning, would likely make no major changes to the Colts. But losing Dungy would, in and of itself, be a major change.

After talk surfaced this week that Colts coach Tony Dungy could be on his way out of Indianapolis after the season, ESPN is reporting that Colts owner Jim Irsay is willing to offer various perks to get Dungy to stick around.

Those perks could include the use of Irsay's private plane to allow Dungy to fly back and forth between Indianapolis and Tampa. Dungy's children recently left their schools in Indiana and enrolled in schools in Florida. ESPN also reports that the team could be willing to give Dungy up to four months off after the season, an amount of time off that is unheard of for NFL coaches.

Irsay would probably do just about anything to keep Dungy around for at least another season, as in 2008 the Colts are moving into a new stadium and Irsay wants to make sure everything goes right. Realistically, though, Dungy doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would ask his assistants to run the team all spring and then just swoop in to take charge again in training camp.

So will Dungy retire after the playoffs? No one -- not even Dungy -- seems to know for sure. But talk has emerged that if Dungy leaves, assistant head coach Jim Caldwell will take his place. Caldwell is also said to be a candidate in Baltimore and Atlanta, and this situation bears watching.

You would think Baltimore would be over it by now.

After all, it's been almost 24 years, and since then, the city convinced a different team to move to their city, and that team just happened to win Super Bowl XXXV. You would think that would be enough.

Trust me, it's not. The indelible image of that Mayflower moving truck pulling out of Baltimore Colts HQ and headed for Indianapolis still bothers football fans in that city. Neither fans nor media alike can let that image go -- which is why the boys at NBC will probably drag it back out tonight when the Colts play the Ravens in Baltimore.

Jim Irsay (pictured), son of the man that most Baltimore fans still call "Rat Bastard Irsay," wanted you to let it go back in January. Jilted sports fans, however, take longer to heal than jilted lovers, so you can be sure that every Ravens fan wants their team to hammer these Colts, just for old times sake -- much the same way Browns fans want to hammer the Ravens every year.

Point being, if you're creating a drinking game around Sunday Night Football tonight, take two drinks every time NBC shows that Mayflower truck. You probably won't remember the 4th quarter.