With Chuck Pagano Returning To Indy, Here Are My Top 5 Favorite Moments From Him (Colts Vs Bears Preview)
It's a great day for college football, but even a BETTER day for some NFL Preseason football! That's right, The Colts are playing Da Bears the same time as Florida plays The U at 7pm. You already know what game I'm watching, unfortunately. We got some key players sitting out, still don't know if Luck will be alive for game 1, and most importantly, we have the return of Coach Chuck Pagano returning to Indy for the first time since he coached in the 2017 season.
The last time Coach Pagano was in Lucas Oil was when the Colts beat the Jaguars 24-20 on January 1st, 2017. From a personality view, Chuck was and still is one of the most beloved humans in the NFL. I had the privilege of getting to be around Coach P during my ball boy years to confirm this. From battling Leukemia, to taking the Colts to the 2014 AFC championship (only to get their asses handed from the Pats) to going down a slump, his coaching career with the Colts was truly remarkable. Although he was a part of a few 11-5 seasons, a majority can say his time was coming after the Colts went down a slump from 2015-2017. In honor of Coach P returning to Indy, here are my top 5 favorite moments from him.
- Coach Pagano's press conference after losing 46-9 against the Rams
Colts fans try not to remember this game because it was just a massacre. For god sakes, we had Scott Tolzien starting at QB! We should've just canceled our flight with Delta and call in sick. So many turnovers, pick 6's, it was just a bad day to be a Boy In Blue. What put the icing on the cake was Coach P giving the San Francisco 49ers and Sean McVay credit for their performance. I mean, they both are in the same division?
- Coach Pagano's "Successful" Challenge Against The Bengals
As someone who was on the sideline for this game, I was as confused as Chuck was. Coach P challenged a fumble that popped out of A.J. Green's hands and landed into Pierre Desir's hands but was clearly out of bounds. After damn near 10 minutes of the refs scratching their balls, they started the paragraph conclusion with "After reviewing the play, it is a successful challenge." Coach P and really everyone on the sideline jumped with joy, only to hear that "But it was not recovered by the defense". The facial expressions and confusions just made this moment spectacular. Shoutout to ForTheColture Podcast, they do a great job covering the Colts and breaking down everything about the organization
- Coach Pagano's Groundhog Day Rant
Death, taxes, and choking big leads after the 3rd quarter were all certain during the 2017 season. Coach P was asked, "Is this issue similar to the movie Groundhog Day?" After that question, the season was over. Nobody had a damn clue what the hell Coach was saying, but it was amazing. This was so hard not to put a #2, but the #3 and #2 are in the same video, so this could go either way. (This ends at :56).
- Coach Paganos The Weatherman
(This begins at :57). After Coach P's Groundhog Day rant, he then turned into a weatherman talking about hurricanes, the coast of Africa, and storms. Just like the 4th quarter letdowns, you know when a storm is approaching, and Coach made it clear with his hand signals and bizarre interview. I stand by Mark on this.
Honorable Mention: Colts Vs Bills Preseason Super Bowl Post Game Speech
I almost forgot about this speech as I finished this blog and didn't want to change the order, but this could be a Top 5 selection easy! "There was coaching going on" "It was like the Super Bowl" amazing lines. If I'm correct, we only one this game because the Bills went for 2 to just go home and call it a night, but they failed the 2-point conversion and the Colts won the Super Bowl during week 1 of the preseason. How could anyone forget this big win? Shame on me.
- Coach P's Address's The Locker Room While Battling Leukemia
All jokes aside, there was nothing more powerful and touching than this moment right here. After being diagnosed with Leukemia in September of 2012, Bruce Arians took over as the head coach. It was announced in November that Coach P had entered remission and got to come back to the locker room to give an emotional speech to his boys. This was such a phenomenal story and made the 2012 season special. #ChuckStrong was everywhere in Indianapolis and the support was indescribable.
As for today, it appears Jacoby Brisket will not be playing. Coach Reich pointed out he did not want any starters playing today. He even texted Nagy this week.
With that being said, the WR competition is still the most watched angle for today. Last week, Daurice Fountain went down with an ankle injury and required surgery which makes him out for the year. This is almost like Deja vu with Deon Cain being out for the year last year during preseason week 1 against the Seahawks.
On the defensive side, the linebackers are a must watch position. There is still some competition for some new LB's to play alongside of Justin Houston, Darius Leonard, and A.J. Walker. The defense has looked solid with a bunch of new speed, not to mention E.J Speed who I am really impressed with. Be on the lookout for him.
A bunch of college football is on so this game won't be too valuable, but I'm anxious to see the ovation from the fans as Coach P will be (I'm assuming) recognized before the game. I truly hope Chuck has a successful year as the DC for Da Bears. He did great with the 2011 Super Bowl Ravens, and he's a person that's difficult not to love. God Bless Coach P and The Boys In Blue. Go Horse.