ANDERSON, Ind. – The weather here last week was glorious. Seriously, glorious. Mid-70s, warm yet not humid, sunny yet with a soft breeze arriving seemingly on demand.





It was blue skies, green fields and red bricks (of Anderson University, home to the Indianapolis Colts' training camp). And there was Andrew Luck leading a spirited competition against an impressive defense. It was a promising session for both sides, all to the cheering delight of a sizable crowd of fans. Can a coach be pleased with the quarterback and the cornerbacks?

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"Throwing the deep ball," coach Chuck Pagano would say affirmatively. "Big chunk plays. We're making some big plays down the field."

And yet: "We feel really good now about our situation at corner. Vontae Davis. Greg Toler. Cassius Vaughn. Darius Butler. Some of these young guys. Making plays."

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.

"Wouldn't care if it was raining," Pagano said with a laugh.





This is a camp of dreams come true for the 52-year-old, if for nothing else than the uneventfulness of the pursuit; rain, shine or incompletion. In his worse days fighting leukemia last year, after the disease stopped his first season as a head coach after just three games, he hung a Colts depth chart by his hospital bed.

It represented the hope of something like this, weeks of just football not doctors, of watching practice tape not lab reports. Pagano eventually returned last season for an emotional Week 17 victory and trip to the playoffs, but as powerful as a moment like that was, this was his goal.

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Normalcy. A day of working his passion and still getting wrapped in time for a couple hours with his family before late meetings, a few hours of sleep and the chance to do it all again.

"Really, just being back to normal is huge," Pagano said. "And that didn't happen overnight for obvious reasons. No. 1, being in remission. No. 2, going through a whole offseason healthy. Then coming back and going through another training camp."

He looks fit, tanned and healthy. He wears a huge smile and walks fast. He never seems to stop smiling or joking. He's all energy and enthusiasm. "Thanks for coming out. Great to see everybody. Another great practice, another productive day."

If it wasn't for the ChuckStrong signs around here, who would imagine what he's been through.

"The way he's bouncing around," said defensive end Robert Mathis, "You'd never know he was a sick guy last year."

If anything this camp is easier because Pagano has some experience under his belt. No, last year didn't go as planned – missing 13 weeks of the regular season, going through three cycles of chemotherapy. You make it through that, breaking in a rookie quarterback who was replacing a franchise icon to boot, and this doesn't seem so bad.

"You know, there is no handbook," Pagano said. "You get handed a head [coaching] job the first time and there is no manual sitting on the desk. OK, head coach manual, this is Day 1, Day 2, whatever.

"All those things that came across your desk that never came across your desk before, the things you have to make decisions on. It's a lot easier to deal with that. This is a seamless year two."

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