By Chuck Pagano on Peyton Manning: “I am going to try to reach out to all these guys and he certainly is one of them.”
January 27, 2012 – 10:15 am by Steven Cuce
Chuck Pagano may have been surprised that the Indianapolis Colts hired him as their new head coach this week, but the former Baltimore Ravens defense coordinator is walking into a situation that may be extremely uncomfortable given the current climate between Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay.
The Colts are tearing their organization down from the top and completely rebuilding from the bottom up. Everyone looks to be expendable, including the franchise quarterback who helped bring the organization out of obscurity and into prominence starting in 1998.
Pagano may be an innocent by standard of this whole situation, but he sure has some tough decisions ahead of him.
Chuck Pagano joined 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis on The Ride with JMV to discuss his first order of business as Indianapolis Colts head coach, looking to the outside for an offensive coordinator, the type of coach he will become in Indianapolis, bumping into Peyton Manning at the Colts facility and attending Super Bowl XLVI next weekend.
What’s first on the list for you as the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts?
“Well like you said we are trying to keep a lot of balls in the air right now. I think first and foremost we are trying to put together one of the best staffs in the NFL, so we gotta get busy in contacting guys and getting people in here and try to put this staff in place.”
Is the offensive coordinator position going to remain the same? Are you looking out of house for that?
“Again this thing has happened so quick it wouldn’t be fair to me or anybody else to even comment and say where we are at on that. I just haven’t had enough time to sit down with Ryan Grigson and Jim Irsay and we’ve got a pool of names and certainly there is quality people that have come through here and that are still here and everybody will have an opportunity. We’ll just go about our business and due diligence and get some guys in here and we’ll find a great offensive and defensive coordinator and great special teams coach.”
What type of coach do you feel you will be here?
“Well I am a high energy, emotional, passionate type of guy. That’s just how I have always been. As hard as I try to remain calm and keep that to a minimum I am really going to have to do a much better job now cause I gotta stay one step ahead of the game as far as being the next football coach now. I’m a high energy guy and I love having fun with these guys and getting in the fire with them and so there will be some moments down there that may raise a few eyebrows I guess, but they’ll all be good once [JMV laughs]. They’ll be entertaining I guess you might say. [JMV: I’m first in line for entertainment] Well I hope it’s based on our football teams play more than it is the coach.”
In the couple of minutes you have been out there have you bumped into Peyton Manning yet?
“No I have not. [JMV: You haven’t bumped into him?] No I haven’t. [JMV: Is that in the plans short term?] I am going to try to reach out to all these guys and he certainly is one of them.”
Are you planning on going in and around the area for the Super Bowl too?
“We’ve got so much to do here. I don’t even know if I will have time to watch and maybe they are going to make me go to the game. I don’t know, but we got a lot of work to do, so if something happens? It happens. I foresee myself locked down in this building.”
Listen to Chuck Pagano on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here
Tags: 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis, Chuck Pagano, Chuck Pagano named Colts head coach, Indianapolis Colts, NFL, The Ride with JMV
Comments