“This is absolutely the best day of my life”, Pagano said in a Monday night news conference with team owner Jim Irsay and general manager Ryan Grigson.
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The team announced Monday evening that there will not be an announcement on his status until Tuesday at the earliest.
Just like Coughlin, Pagano’s players actually got emotional in the locker room after their win over Tennessee with linebacker Robert Mathis handing Pagano the game ball and many other players defending their coach, according to the Indianapolis Star.
A rift between Pagano and Grigson supposedly added strain throughout the organization – players said the conflict was a distraction – and then a season with Super Bowl expectations ended at 8-8 and no postseason. In the first four years of the Pagano/Grigson era, the Colts are 44-26 overall with three playoff appearances, including a trip to the AFC Championship game in January. That being said, led by the play of quarterback Marcus Mariota, the team is showing some upside going forward.
Said Pagano: “We agree to disagree, but at the end of the day you leave every meeting with a handshake and a hug and you say ‘OK, look, it’s about one thing and one thing only”. While the team is obviously coming off a disappointing 8-8 season and missed the playoffs, it appears the Colts are willing to give it another shot with their head coach-which is the right move.
This team remains the NFL’s poster child of almost constant change, unable to stick with a plan long enough to see if it will work. “I owe it to Jim for believing in me”.
All season, speculation and reports have been rampant about the disconnect between Pagano and Grigson. “We’re united and have our eyes set on championships”.
Pagano admitted that the two men have had their issues, but he also made it sound like they’ve buried the proverbial hatchet.
“It was a trying year for us”, Grigson said. Players left the team facility on West 56th Street in the dark, uncertain whether Pagano would be back or they’d be playing for someone else next season.
On Sunday, fourth- and fifth-string quarterbacks Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley each threw a touchdown pass, leading Indianapolis to a 30-24 victory against the Tennessee Titans, but it was not enough to extend the Colts’ season. Both are still fairly new at their jobs and can get better each year.
“What we went through this year and that adversity, I believe from Andrew Luck to myself to coach Pagano, that adversity is what’s going to springboard us to greatness because that’s life”. Words can’t describe how I feel.
“I think it’s important to be thoughtful and to lean on continuity when you can”.
Chuck Pagano was on the hot seat for most of the second half of this season.
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“He told us he’s going to fight his tail off to be our coach, so we’re behind him 100 percent”, Hilton said.
