Sam Robbins English 1102 Assignment 2 Revised

As an Indianapolis Colts fan, I have loved and followed the Colts since the first time I saw Peyton Manning, the future Hall of Fame quarterback, play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 6, 2003. Peyton Manning rallied the Indianapolis Colts from a 35-14 deficit with four minutes left in regulation, sending the game into overtime on Ricky Williams 1-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds to play. Marvin Harrison, who had two touchdown catches, set up the game tying score with a 52-yard reception to the Tampa Bay 5. This comeback was noted as one of the greatest comebacks of all time, and the special aspect of this comeback is that it was on Monday night which is primetime for the National Football League. The Indianapolis Colts were coached by Tony Dungy, a future Hall of Fame coach, at the time I started to observe the Colts. Tony Dungy coached the Indianapolis Colts from 2001 to 2008, and accumulated an overall record of 85-27. Coach Dungy won the Super Bowl in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts and became the first African American to win a Super Bowl in the National Football League. Tony Dungy went on to retire as a coach of the Indianapolis Colts at the end of the 2008 season which left the Indianapolis Colts community questioning who was going to take over this dynasty that Tony Dungy had started. That question was answered when Chuck Pagano was appointed as head coach after the release of Jim Caldwell. The Indianapolis Colts are a football team driven by their head coach Chuck Pagano and the Indianapolis Colts community, who has rallied behind their head coach after an 11-5 season. Paul Kruger, a defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens, claims Chuck has a leadership quality about him. He's humble but he also knows when to take the reins and take charge, (The Associated Press). Many people around the National Football League show amplitudes of respect for Coach Pagano because of his aggressive coaching style which is unparalleled. Pagano turned

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a 2-14 team in 2011 to a 11-5 team in 2012 which made the playoffs and lost in the Wild Card round to the Baltimore Ravens, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Chuck Pagano instantly proved himself as a worthy head coach for the future of Indianapolis. Given the division the Indianapolis Colts play in, Coach Pagano has the potential to take the Colts to the playoffs on a consistent basis and retire with a couple Super Bowl wins. The last head coach of the Indianapolis Colts who was invested in long term by the team was Tony Dungy, and won a Super Bowl with the Colts in 2006. Chuck Pagano is going to do a tremendous job as the head coach in Indianapolis, and it is always a plus when you can be mentioned in the same sentence as the great Tony Dungy.

Coach Pagano acquired a first pick in the first round the 2011 season and spent that pick on Andrew Luck. Andrew Luck went on to break the rookie season passing yards record in 2012 that was held by the previous first round draft pick of the 2011 draft, Cam Newton. John Clayton, a respected National Football League reporter, states Luck is lucky to have Pagano as his head coach. Having already come back with a victory over cancer, Pagano talked about how this team is constructed for winning games in the fourth quarter. He preaches grit, resilience, playing the game a play at a time and giving 60 minutes of effort. Against the Seahawks, the Colts were ChuckStrong, the phrase used last year when Pagano was in radiation treatments and away from the team, (Clayton). Pagano also shined some light on the rest of his team at the Indianapolis Colts training camp in 2013 by stating It was one of those days that makes the grind of camp in an otherwise small, out of the way factory town surrounded by corn and soybean fields, feel actually invigorating. The kind of day that would make Pagano, especially Pagano, grateful and strong, (Wetzel). Coach Pagano, in this article, talks about the

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progressions of the Colts during training camp. He talks about how Andrew Luck is improving his deep ball which will elevate the second year quarterbacks game. Chuck Pagano explains that being back on the sidelines and back in his normal coaching routine is a great plus, and that one should not take any days for granted because you are not promised anything in this life.

Out of all of the random things that could occur over the course of an NFL season, the impossible happened to the Indianapolis Colts head coach. Chuck Pagano got surprised with leukemia, and Leukemia is the tenth most common cancer in the United States, with approximately 35,000 new cases diagnosed each year, (Yamamato, and Goodman 379-90). Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia during the 2012 season and had to turn over his duties as head coach to Bruce Arians, who currently coaches the Arizona Cardinals. Due to the symptoms of leukemia Pagano is expected to slowly become anemic, lose weight, (McAlpin 37-43) which will slow down Paganos return as the Colts head coach. But even though there is not a known cure for leukemia, the discovery of new therapeutic agents, and improvement in medical and nursing care have brought hope for temporary, and possibly permanent, remissions, (Wilson and Price 379-90). Wilson and Prices article explains that Leukemia is widespread and it occurs in bird and mammals. Leukemia invokes one of the three principle white blood cells and when these white blood cells slow down, Leukemia develops. Carroll states Pagano is strong. He has some of the best doctors and care in the world. He's insured. His team and the whole league are rallying around him, (Carroll). In this article Carroll explains that Chuck Paganos journey with Leukemia is going to be a long and complicated process just like how his own experience with Leukemia was. Even though Coach Pagano knows that he will have support from others around the United States, Pagano realizes the importance of maintaining his own

Sam Robbins English 1102 Assignment 2 Revised health by stating So I watch my diet no sugar; cancer loves sugar exercise, getting my rest, all those kinds of things. I've still got to check in (with Cripe) every three months for the next two years, still got to take my medicine, (Kravitz). Pagano says in this article that the treatment of leukemia breaks a person down physically, and he says that there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to lose the battle which shows the mental toughness of Chuck Pagano. Coach Pagano describes the moment of coming back to coach the Colts as a major victory because he is able to be back coaching the very sport he loves. The Colts organization realizes that the best way to cope with this issue is to fight like Pagano is going to have to fight. A unianimous Colts player stated "As we talked to the players this morning, the best medicine for him is for the team to continue to fight four quarters and to show him what he said is still in existence and it will be," (Mortensen). In this article, Mortensen explains that Chuck Pagano has been hospitalized for six to eight weeks for the treatment of this diagnosis of Leukemia. Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner, believes that Chuck Pagano will still be all in as head coach and can come back as soon as his treatment is completed. Cripe, Chuck Paganos wife, was the one pushing Pagano to go to the hospital for the unusual bruising on his body. The Indianapolis Colts community mourned their head coach and created the slogan Chuckstrong to show support for Chuck Pagano and his family. People in the Indianapolis community paid their respect for Coach Pagano by wearing custom Chuckstrong tee shirts, decorating posters, and supporting Pagano and his family by spreading the Chuckstrong movement through social media. Coach Pagano was relieved to return back to the coaching staff of the Indianapolis Colts, and Pagano shows this by stating Im glad were a year removed, and feel very blessed and fortunate to be back to normal and be able to do what I love to do, (Boling).

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There are similar occurrences that have happened to other coaches in various sports in the United States and around the world. Future Hall of Fame collegiate basketball coach of the University of Connecticut, Jim Calhoun, had to take a short leave of absence due to an illness during the 2007-2008 season. The Hall of Fame coach left the bench during the second half of UConn's Jan. 8 win over St. John's, suffering from what team officials at the time said was a combination of stress and exhaustion. Calhoun, 65, traveled with the team to Washington D.C., but was too ill to coach in the Huskies 72-69 loss to No. 5 Georgetown Saturday. He ended up spending that night in the hospital and was treated for dehydration. Associate head coach George Blaney guided the team in his absence, (Eaton-Robb). Even though the UCONN Huskies lost the following game against Providence 65-77, the Huskies went on a 13-2 win streak to close out the regular season and certify themselves a spot in the NCAA tournament which is an amazing feat for any college basketball team.

Another occurrence similar to Chuck Paganos situation was in 2012 when the Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale took a leave of absence due to the death of his daughter, Sasha McHale, after fighting lupus. Golliver states, Rockets coach Kevin McHale will reportedly return to Houston and rejoin his team after a weeks-long leave of absence on Saturday The Rockets have been wearing jerseys patches and ribbons in honor of Sasha McHale and held a moment of silence for her prior to a Nov. 27 game against the Raptors in Houston, (Golliver). Teams around the NBA, National Basketball Association, showed their support for Coach McHale and his daughter by holding moments of silence before their games and by comforting Kevin McHale and his family through social media. Although the Houston

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Rockets mourned the death of Sasha McHale, the team was 9-9 before the absence of their coach but finished the season 43-37. The Houston Rockets obtained the eight seed, the last seed, in the Western Conference but ended up losing in the first round of the playoff to the first seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in six games. This appearance in the playoffs marked the first appearance by the Houston Rockets since the 2008-2009 season which portrays the amount of ambition the Houston Rockets had to rally behind their coach and make a run in the playoffs. Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks coach, Freddie Kitchens had a major health scare during the Cardinals training camp in 2013. Bradley explains the incident, Less than two months ago, during an offseason practice at the Arizona Cardinals' facility, quarterbacks coach Freddie Kitchens felt two "pops" in his chest. Then his vision turned blurry and a leg felt numb. They were the early symptoms of an often-fatal illness called aortic dissection, and had the attack occurred at any other time, Kitchens may well not have lived. "I was very fortunate in a lot of different ways," he said. Now the 38-year-old former Alabama quarterback is back at work at training camp, feeling a little tired but otherwise healthy, (Bradley). Bruce Arians, the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals described Freddie Kitchens survival of the incident as a miracle. The Arizona Cardinals are one of the teams with the most potential in the National Football League, and the loss of Freddie Kitchens as their quarterbacks coach would have decimated the chances of the Arizona Cardinals to be as successful as they want to be. Mainly because Coach Kitchens is such a big part of the Cardinals progress over the years.

When studying the Indianapolis Colts community, I realized that this community is such a closely knit community who all share the desire for the Colts to be a successful organization.

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The way the people in the figured world of the Colts came together to show their support for their head coach with the Chuckstrong movement, reminds me of how the rest of the National Football League supports the Breast Cancer Awareness movement to find a cure for breast cancer. The Indianapolis Colts community shares many values that my school practices, because they inherently look out for the good of their peers and show respect to the leaders of the team no matter what situation or decision the leaders make. When studying the issue of Chuck Paganos diagnosis of leukemia, I realized how strength and loyalty of the people in the Indianapolis Colts Community and that this greatness rubs off on the coaching staff, ownership, and the players of the Indianapolis Colts. This explains the past successes of this Indianapolis Colts team and the path to greatness in the future.

Boling, Dave. "This is One Birthday Colts Pagano Will Cherish." News Tribune. 03 Oct 2013: n. page. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/10/03/2818592/thisis-one-birthday-colts-pagano.html>. Bradley, Bill. "Arizona's Freddie Kitchens returns to work after heart condition fixed." NFL.com. 30 Jul 2013: n. page. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000223808/article/arizonas-freddie-kitchensreturns-to-work-after-heart-condition-fixed>. Carroll, Will. "For Better or Worse, Pagano Will Forever be Changed by Diagnosis." Sports Illustrated. 03 Oct 2013: n. page. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/will_carroll/10/03/chuck-paganoleukemia/index.html>. Clayton, John. "Week 5: Unbeatens Grab Spotlight." ESPN.com. 06 Oct 2013: n. page. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/lastcall1305/nfl-john-clayton-last-callweek-5>. Eaton-Robb, Pat. "Connecticut Coach Returns to Sidelines After Illness." USA Today. 16 Jan 2008: n. page. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

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<http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/bigeast/2008-01-16calhoun-returns_N.htm>. Golliver, Ben. "Coach McHale to rejoin Rockets after leave of absence." SportsIllustrated.com. 08 Dec 2012: n. page. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://nba.si.com/2012/12/08/kevin-mchalesasha-mchale-rockets-kelvin-sampson/>. Kravitz, Bob. "Chuck Pagano's Cancer Seems Beat, But He Keeps Fighting for Others." USA Today. 26 Sep 2013: n. page. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2013/09/26/chuck-pagano-cancer-battleindianapolis-colts/2880401/>. McAlpin, Kenneth. "Leukemia." American Journal of Nursing. 33.1 (1933): 37-43. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <Kravitz, Bob. "Chuck Pagano's Cancer Seems Beat, But He Keeps Fighting for Others." USA Today. 26 Sep 2013: n. page. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. .>. Mortensen, Chris. "Chuck Pagano Battling Leukemia." ESPN.com. 01 Oct 2012: n. page. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8447831/indianapolis-colts-coachchuck-pagano-leukemia>. NFL Network, . Chuck Pagano's Emotional Locker Room Speech. 2012. Video. Youtube.com. Web. 15 Oct 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDYi5u7csJM>. The Associated Press, . "Colts Name Chuck Pagano Coach." ESPN.com. 26 Jan 2012: n. page. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7503273/chuck-pagano-hiredindianapolis-colts-coach>. Wetzel, Dan. "A Smiling Chuck Pagano a Picture of Perfection at Training Camp for Colts." Yahoo Sports. 07 Aug 2013: n. page. Print. <http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--a-smilingchuck-pagano-a-picture-of-perfection-at-training-camp-for-colts-054029671.html>. Wilson, Henry, and Geraldine Price. "Leukemia." American Journal of Nursing. 56.5 (1956): 601-05. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <Leukemia Henry E. Wilson and Geraldine Price The Amerhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3469320>. Yamamato, Jennifer, and Marc Goodman. "Patterns of Leukemia Incidence in the United States by Subtype and Demographic Characteristics, 19972002." Cancer Causes & Control. 19.4 (2008): 379-90. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/40271875>.