Chuck Pagano gives emotional postgame speech to Colts

Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

INDIANAPOLIS -- "It's already beat."

Those were the powerful words from Chuck Pagano that placed football inside the perspective of life as they resonated through an emotional Indianapolis Colts locker room during a postgame speech following Sunday's 23-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins.

MORE: Luck's record day helps Colts improve to 5-3

Pagano — the first-year Colts coach who will begin a second round of chemotherapy this week as he battles leukemia — attended his first game since leaving the team in early October. He came armed with two speeches that packed punch.

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"You can't measure how much that lifts a team," Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "To see the look on his face, especially before the game and definitely after the game, was priceless. It's bigger than football."

Before the game, Pagano told the Colts, who are 5-3, that they were living a vision after many projected them to be the worst team in the NFL this season.

Afterward, Pagano talked of his vision for himself.

"I've got circumstances," he said. "It's already beat. My vision is to see two more daughters get married and to hoist the Lombardi Trophy."

Watching from team owner Jim Irsay's suite and another private box at Lucas Oil Stadium, Pagano was hardly disappointed by what he saw from the emerging team guided by interim coach Bruce Arians. Andrew Luck passed for an NFL rookie-record 433 yards as Indianapolis continued momentum with a third consecutive victory.

Said receiver Reggie Wayne, "As a team, we know that probably his best medicine is for us to continue to win."

According to the team, Pagano wasn't expected to speak to the team before the game as a precaution to limit his exposure. Apparently, he felt well enough to break from that plan — twice.

"Forget the game," Freeney said. "It was just good to see him on his feet."

While undergoing treatment, Pagano has stayed plugged into his team, watching videotapes of each practice and the games. He has routinely text-messaged players, and has frequent conversations with Irsay, general manager Ryan Grigson and coaches. A whiteboard, used to chart personnel moves and other information, is in his hospital room.

Last Monday, he visited coaches at the team headquarters.

Arians said the goal is to "make sure we make the playoffs because he's got a great chance to be back at the end of December. We need to make sure we extend the season so he can be back on the sidelines with us, healthy."

Freeney knew something was special about Sunday, when the team expected Pagano would show up. The surprise was to see him in the locker room just before kickoff.

"Your adrenaline goes from whatever it was to through the roof," Freeney said. "That will last you a quarter, two quarters, until you get your bell rung. But it's definitely a lift."