Indianapolis Colts: Chuck Pagano Gaining Steam in Fight to Save Job

Three weeks ago, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was looking at the possibility of losing his job. 

Scratch that. 

Three weeks ago, Pagano was looking at the probability of losing his job. 

The Colts were coming off of their third straight loss, an overtime disappointment against the undefeated Carolina Panthers, which wouldn't have looked quite so bad if the team hadn't gotten off to one of its patented slow starts, getting down 23-6 before a fourth-quarter rally. 

Slow starts had been a problem in almost every game of those first eight contests, and the Colts had their worst first-half record of the Pagano era. During the week prior to the loss in Carolina, the Colts had had serious discussions about firing Pagano during the upcoming bye week, per Bleacher Report's Jason Cole: 

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A source I talked to said Jim Irsay is seriously discussing whether he's going to let Pagano go during the season. If that happens, expect that the most logical time for the Colts to make a change would be during the Week 10 bye... The hope is that the Colts are able to turn things around and prevent having to fire Pagano, but if the team continues to list the way it has so far, expect that a change will be made as they try to save the season. 

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The loss in Carolina didn't help matters, of course. 

But Pagano wasn't the first sacrificial lamb; that honor went to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. 

The players and coaches took the firing of the well-liked Hamilton seriously, particularly Andrew Luck. But a midseason change in leadership does not always go well; in fact, it often contributes to an already-chaotic locker room in a negative way. 

The Colts, however, managed to turn things around.

With a simplified game plan implemented by new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and a renewed focus, the Colts fought through remarkable distraction for a huge upset over the undefeated Denver Broncos. The team had its first complete game of the season, and the coordinator change looked to have paid off. 

Then there was news of another injury. 

Not only had the Colts lost stud rookie defensive lineman Henry Anderson, but Andrew Luck suffered a lacerated kidney and torn abdominal muscle in the win over Denver and would be out for two to six weeks. 

The Colts had already overcome Luck missing two games earlier this season, but this came at a time when Luck finally looked like he had bounced back from his rough start. It came at a time when the offense needed its leader there to help facilitate shifts with the new coordinator. It came right at the time that Pagano needed his starting quarterback to help save his job. 

But here's the thing about Pagano. 

While he has plenty of flaws that have shown through in this messy season, the Colts head coach doesn't ever back away from adversity. As a result, neither does his team. The Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer presents a notable example: 

On the road in Week 11 against a 6-3 team with a backup quarterback (and one not playing particularly well), the Colts somehow came away with a victory. It took a double-digit comeback, but it never felt like the Colts were out of the game.

Every time something went wrong from Indianapolis, another unit picked up the slack. After Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception on his first pass of the game, Dwight Lowery picked off Matt Ryan in the end zone. After Frank Gore fumbled on the second drive, the defense stiffened and forced Atlanta into a long field-goal attempt, which was missed. 

After the defense allowed an 83-yard touchdown drive that put the Falcons up 14-0, the offense responded with an 80-yard, seven-minute drive of their own to bring the deficit back to seven before halftime.

After Hasselbeck threw a pick in the red zone on a potential game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, the defense forced a three-and-out to give the ball right back. After the offense stalled, Donte Moncrief downed the ensuing punt on the 1-yard line, setting up D'Qwell Jackson's pick-six of Ryan on the subsequent play. 

The team never quit fighting, never hung their heads. And it's because of Chuck Pagano. 

For all his flaws, Pagano's ability to lead through storms of adversity is still an incredibly valuable trait, and it's been shining bright over the last few weeks in Indianapolis for all to see. 

Just ask his players, as Keefer did: 

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"We know he's got our back," linebacker Erik Walden said. "He's always going to do what's best for us. The least we can do is come out and perform and hold everything together when it was looking like a debacle." ...

Sloppy. Spirited. Never-say-die. Pagano football.

"When you have a group of guys who like each other, and who like the coaches, you have good chemistry," said punter Pat McAfee. "That's a real thing. We don't want to let each other down. You want to play for your coach, and your teammates. That's the most powerful thing in team sports."

"

Of course, none of this means that Pagano's job is safe. The Colts are still just 5-5, and there is plenty in their way on the route to another AFC South title. Even if the Colts win the division, an embarrassing loss in the wild-card round of the playoffs could still mean a change in coaching staffs.

Without Andrew Luck, however, Pagano has a chance to prove his mettle, prove that Luck isn't the only thing carrying the 2015 Colts. Maybe that was true in the past, but not this year. So far, Pagano has coached his team to a 3-0 record with Luck hurt. If that kind of success continues, Pagano might just save his job after all. His players want him to stay in Indy, as CBS Sports' Jim Rome noted: 

But right now, none of that matters. 

Pagano won't let it.

He's focused on the next game, on leading a beaten-down, battered group of men on to the next battle. They'll take their punches, but they aren't going anywhere. You won't see the mass dysfunction in the Indianapolis locker room that is so common among franchises with underperforming teams and rumors of organizational rifts.

The reason starts with the head coach, who has built a culture and isn't about to see it crumble.

Despite all his flaws, Chuck Pagano is the man for that job. At least for now.