He said his team’s opening week defeat was just one game. He said it will not define his club.
Sound familiar?
Indianapolis Colts’ coach Chuck Pagano was saying the same things that most coaches who dropped their first game said. Now, his Colts have to rebound in a Monday night game against the New York Jets, which has left New York with a lot of nostalgia over Super Bowl III. The Jets won that one, 46 years ago, 16-7. Remember?
As long as viewers are thinking about history, the broadcast will celebrate the 45th anniversary of Monday night. The Jets played the Browns that night, with Cleveland winning 31-21.
The Colts, losers to New England in the AFC title game last year, figured to get off to a fast start this season behind quarterback Andrew Luck. The Bills spoiled that, however, with a 27-14 opening-week victory. Luck was sacked twice, hit three other times and threw two interceptions.
The Jets, meanwhile, easily won their opener against the Cleveland Browns, 31-10, causing some excitement under new coach Todd Bowles. With running back Chris Ivory and a good defense, New York goes into Indy with a shot at upsetting the Colts.
Luck, however, is 14-1 in games following a loss. One of his strengths has been that he doesn’t fall into losing streaks. The Colts rely heavily on Luck. Last week, they had 53 passing plays and only 14 running plays.
