The fire to remain the Indianapolis Colts’ coach burns fiercely in Tony Dungy. But so does the desire to be the best father possible to his kids.

That’s the crux of a discussion Dungy will have with his wife, Lauren, over the next few days. If they determine Dungy can effectively juggle the two tasks, he will return for a seventh season in Indy. If not, he won’t.

The clock is ticking.

“We’ll probably do a lot of praying about what we want to do,” Dungy said Monday afternoon. “We’ll probably come to some decision this weekend and be ready to move forward on Monday one way or the other.

“It’s really just making sure that I’m doing the best job I can do as a dad, and I do think that is my No. 1 job. And if I’m doing that, can I still do enough to be a good coach for the Colts? If I think I can, I’ll be back.”

He was addressing the local media less than 24 hours after the Colts’ attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champions ended with a 28-24 loss to San Diego in an AFC divisional playoff game. As stinging as the setback was, Dungy said it will have little if any impact on his decision.

He also made it clear he isn’t dealing with coaching “burnout” after completing his 27th season in the NFL, the last 12 as a head coach. He spoke of his enjoyment working in concert with Colts owner Jim Irsay and president Bill Polian, and of coaching one of the NFL’s elite franchises. The Colts will return virtually every front-line player from a team that earned its eighth playoff berth in the past nine seasons.

“I still enjoy it very much. I love coming to work,” Dungy said. “I’m not burned out at all. If there’s any place you want to work, it’s here.”

Indy, he added, will be his final coaching stop.

“I don’t see myself stepping away and coming back,” said Dungy, the winningest coach (80-28) in franchise history. “This is going to be my last job and this is where I want to work if I work.”

Dungy, 52, met with his players Monday as they prepared to head into the offseason a few weeks earlier than they had expected. He told them nothing had been decided about his future. Many approached him, expressing their wish for him to return, but wishing him the best regardless.

“You’d like to think that the guys would like you to stay . . . and I really do want to,” Dungy said. “So we’ll see. But the guys, yeah, they’ve expressed that.”

Safety Antoine Bethea’s sentiments were virtually universal in the locker room.

“Hopefully he comes back,” Bethea said. “At the same time, he has his family to take care of, so whatever decision he makes we’ll wish him well.”

Lauren Dungy and four of their five children have returned to the Dungys’ home in Tampa, Fla. Eric has enrolled at Plant High School, where he’s continuing his sophomore year. Jordan, a first grader, and Jade, in kindergarten, also are in the Tampa school system. Justin is an infant, while Tiara has graduated from college and no longer lives with the family.

When Dungy was named the Colts’ coach in 2002, his family initially stayed in Tampa so Tiara could finish high school. That again is an option.

“That is doable,” Dungy said. “The other side of the coin is I’ve (coached) for a long time (and) we’ve got some kids that I need to be a good dad to. I’ve got to make sure I’ve got the energy and everything to devote to both of those jobs.”

If Dungy opts to leave the Colts and Irsay asks his advice on a successor, he is expected to endorse assistant Jim Caldwell.

“That’s Jim Irsay’s decision,” Dungy said. “He knows how I feel about (Caldwell), and Bill (Polian) knows that.”