Something to Play for

After an off-season that saw the release of future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and the drafting of phenom sensation Andrew Luck who was taken with the no. 1 overall pick, the Indianapolis Colts were dealt a blow just three games into their season when the team received tragic news that first year head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. Putting a damper on the Colts locker room, the news added to the team's 1-2 start. In a situation in which most teams would feel lost without their coach and leader, the Colts instead used Pagano's fight with cancer as motivation to fuel their will to win. Proving just that was their miraculous win against Green Bay in their first game after it was learned Pagano had cancer.

After a difficult bye week which left more than football on the minds of Colts players and personnel alike, QB Andrew Luck led Indianapolis to an 18-point, second half comeback over the reigning MVP Aaron Rogers and the Packers. Following their 30-27 victory over Green Bay, interim head coach Bruce Arians delivered the game ball to the 52-year old Pagano's nearby hospital bed. On Sunday, Pagano who has since progressed in his fight against cancer, made his first trip to Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium since being diagnosed with leukemia and witnessed his quarterback make history by throwing for an NFL single-game rookie record with 433 passing yards, surpassing the previous mark of 422 yards set last year by Carolina's Cam Newton. Watching from a far, Pagano's Colts improved to 5-3 on the year with their 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins. The best part of all, however, would be Pagano's emotional post-game speech following the win which sent chills down the spine of any true sports fan.

Though Pagano returned to the hospital on Monday to undergo his second of three chemotherapy treatments, he'll be with his team in spirit in week 10 when the team travels to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. And in case you aren't convinced just yet that the Colts are the feel good story of 2012, on Tuesday players and coaches did the deed of shaving their heads in support of Pagano, proving that the group of guys Indianapolis has is more than a team, they're family. And after appearing to have started the season in the rear-view mirror of Washington's Robert Griffin, Andrew Luck has since leapfrogged RG3 in the race for the  Rookie of the Year Award and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Not to mention he's already paved his path to become a pretty darn good QB having already surpassed Peyton Manning's win total who finished 3-13 in his 1998 rookie campaign with the Colts. All of this has quickly made the Indianapolis Colts one of the teams to watch in the NFL once again and for undoubtedly many years to come. Get well soon, coach! 


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