AP

Colts coach Chuck Pagano doesn’t have a contract beyond this season, but he’s not sand-bagging his way into the year either.

Via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, Pagano mentioned for the second day in a row that he loves his roster, and thinks his team is the best one he’s coached there.

“Our roster is probably better right now than it’s been at any point,” Pagano said.

It’s been OK previously, enough to get him to a 33-15 record. But that also undersells how good a deodorant quarterback Andrew Luck is, since there are areas of the roster which have been comically thin in recent years. But Pagano seems to think that’s been addressed.

“Like I’ve said before, we’re going to have some tough decisions to make,” Pagano said. “I told the team we’ve got to get to 75 [players] after Week 3 [of the preseason] and then down to 53 after the preseason. That’s the nature of the beast. It’s the hardest reality in the National Football League.

“We’re going to say goodbye to a lot of good players.”

Of course, acknowledging that puts the onus back on himself and his staff, since a good coach wouldn’t waste such riches. While Colts owner Jim Irsay has said Pagano isn’t in a “Super Bowl or bust” situation, he also hasn’t given him a contract extension, either.

Pagano’s come back from cancer to coach in the NFL, so it’s unlikely this challenge is too much for him. But acknowledging the talent on hand also puts a bit of a bull’s eye on him entering a lame duck season.