The Colts will be featured Thursday night on NFL Network against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a trap game if there ever was one. Jacksonville’s only win this season came at Indianapolis in Week 3, which occurred just a few days before head coach Chuck Pagano learned he had leukemia.
Since then, the Colts have won four of five games, with the victories coming by a total of 16 points. There was the almost miraculous come-from-behind win over Green Bay, 30-27, which was the team’s first game with Pagano in the hospital.
The Colts beat Cleveland by four, Tennessee by six (on the road and in overtime) and Miami by three. They scored a late touchdown to tie the game against the Titans before winning in overtime. The one mishap was a crushing 35-9 loss to the Jets on the road.
Of the 13 teams in the NFL with a winning record, the Colts are the only one that has been outscored in cumulative points (191-159).
So it is that they take their emotional show to Jacksonville in a week where Pagano’s leukemia has been declared to be in remission (although he still faces another round of chemotherapy), and after around 25 players shaved their heads Tuesday in support of their battling coach.
The players included quarterback Andrew Luck, kicker Adam Vinatieri, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and safety Antoine Bethea. Joining in were interim coach Bruce Arians and several of the club’s equipment managers.
Said punter Pat McAfee, who also went with the bald look, “It’s all for Chuck. We all don’t look good. I’m not built to have a bald head. I’ve got a huge sniffer. But we all love our coach so much that we want to show unity and let people know we’re all in this together. It’s a really cool thing.”
The shaving started after practice Tuesday when the players left the practice field for the locker room. A barber, brought in by director of player engagement David Thornton, was there waiting for the players. Defensive end Cory Redding and McAfee were some of the first players to participate.
McAfee said, “Then it kind of caught on like wildfire. By the time Thursday comes around, I think you’re going to see a very large number of bald-headed people playing for the Indianapolis Colts, all in support of our coach.
“We haven’t been around each other very long. Our team was forced after all the changes to really build camaraderie and Chuck was that steadying piece. He motivated everybody. He was the guy that was pushing everything. We have grown to have a very close relationship with him in a short period of time. We’re a family and the coach is almost like a father figure. When something happens, you want to rally behind him.”
Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted, “Buzzed heads abound in our locker room right now in honor of Chuck!”
The “Chuckstrong” theme is also nationwide. While on NFL Network Monday, analyst Steve Mariucci was wearing a blue “I am Chuckstrong” T-shirt. As Mariucci was talking, he noted that he had just received a text from Pagano, who wrote, “Thanks Mooch. You look good in blue.”
The shirts are available on www.colts.com and raise money for leukemia research.
Pagano attended this past Sunday’s game against Miami, and then delivered a stirring talk in the locker room to the team.
Asked how Pagano’s presence inspired them, Arians said the team’s recent success has led to a realistic goal. Arians said, “Well for me, it’s to make sure we make the playoffs because he’s got a great chance to be back at the end of December. We need to make sure we extend this season so he can be back on the sidelines with us, healthy. That’s our goal.”