The Indianapolis Colts did the right thing Monday night by re-signing head coach Chuck Pagano to a new deal. But what may get lost in the shuffle was arguably the best coaching move of the entire NFL season. The move may have saved his job, and it certainly solidified the support Pagano has from his players. It’s no secret the Colts put the emphasis on “offensive” in the offensive line. Two quarterbacks were too injured to play in the must-win season finale against Tennessee. Andrew Luck and Matt Hasselbeck were both ruled out with injuries, so Indy went and signed two quarterbacks for a week. Then Pagano and company, which included the coaching staff and the two injured quarterbacks, went to work. The smart move was to have Josh Freeman handle the main part of the offense, and Ryan Lindley the two-minute portion of the playbook. I’m not sure it would have been as effective against the league’s elite teams, but it was close to perfection in getting the Colts the win they had to have to maintain the razor-thin chance at the playoffs. The easy thing to do would have been to mail in the game. Pagano stood tall. Yes, the 2015 Colts underachieved, and Pagano is responsible for a huge chunk of that, too. But the outside-the-box thinking showed his team he still believed. More often than not, when things go sour in the NFL the coach loses the trust of the men in the helmets. With the new contract, it’s up to Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson to figure out how to protect Luck next fall. The coaching move this week bought Pagano some time, but another lackluster offensive season next fall means Jim Irsay will have to revisit Pagano’s future again this time next winter. Other things on my mind: How in the world can anyone determine who’s the No. 1 team in the land from a triple-overtime regular season game? In short, you can’t. But it was a lot of fun to watch. Monday night’s game between top-ranked Kansas and No. 2 Oklahoma lived up to the billing, with OU coming back from 11 points down in the first half, and KU recovering from a 10-point deficit in the second half. Both teams repeatedly made big shots; the “heavyweight title fight” analogy omnipresent thanks to Brent Musberger and Dick Vitale. Sooner senior Buddy Hield went for 46 points, but it felt more like 60. About the time I thought “maybe the Jayhawks ought to make someone else beat ‘em,” I realized Jordan Woodard hit yet another trey on his way to a 27-point night. Kansas countered with three players going for 20 or more, led by senior Perry Ellis’ 27-point night. In an era when so many players leave early for the riches of the NBA (and I can’t blame them) Oklahoma has four players who have started the last 81 games together. Kansas starts two seniors and two juniors. While doing on-court postgame interviews, Hield was applauded by the KU faithful, and justifiably so. Last night was the kind of big-time college basketball that made us love the game so much. I imagine it was a game worth watching even without a rooting interest, and truly it’s a shame someone had to take a loss. The season is really just getting started, but it’s hard to imagine any one game topping last night’s offering.
