The Chuckstrong Colts

Andrew Luck's inspired play has the Chuckstrong Colts making serious moves towards a playoff run

The Colts had a tumultuous offseason full of drama surrounding their excessively publicized breakup with star QB Peyton Manning. They took a chance by trading away Manning and giving the full reigns over to Andrew Luck. It also didn't help that they were coming off one of the worst seasons in NFL history, a season that shouldn't be completely pinned on the Manning injury. There may have been excitement around Luck and the future of the Colts, but honestly, things were not looking up in Indianapolis.

Then the season started and the Colts were shellacked by the Bears on opening night. Their future, Andrew Luck, tossed three picks and it looked as if this team was headed for a tough "learning experience" type of 3-13 season. Entering their Week 4 bye week, the team sat 1-2 after losing a tough game to the lowly Jaguars. Things were getting ugly, and they were about to get much uglier. Head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia and it just looked like the world was crashing down on the Indianapolis Colts. Football didn't even matter, they just hoped their coach could make it through the year.

But instead of packing it in and calling it a season, something no one would have blamed them for, they rallied around their embattled coach and turned it into a motivating factor. They beat the Packers with what many saw as Luck's first memorable moment. A Peyton-esque game-winning drive from the rookie sent the Colts crowd into a frenzy and the Chuckstrong Colts were born. The motivation from Pagano was pouring out of every player on the field, and they simply willed their way toward victory.

While they did go out and get crushed by the Jets in that next week, they've now reeled off four straight victories including an emphatic, all-around dominating win last night against the Jaguars. While Luck is growing into a bonafide leader before our eyes, the Colts haven't necessarily been the best team in the last four weeks, but they've won and that's all that matters. They don't run the ball particularly well, their defense is mediocre and aside from the Luck-Wayne connection we haven't seen anything to get us excited about the rest of the season. Yet, they're still 6-3 and have the AFC's third best record. On paper their no better than 4-4, but that paper has been burned up by the inspiration they've received from their coach.

Trust me, we've seen this before. Athletes rally around things like this all the time, it's why sports is so beautiful. Remember when Brett Favre's father died on Sunday and then he went out and destroyed the Raiders on that Monday night? Or when Mike Piazza hit one of the most sensational go-ahead home runs in the Mets first game after 9/11?  The Colts are winning because their will to win is just too great, because they don't want to let down their coach, who has showed an immense strength by forcing his cancer into remission. A bunch of the players shaved their heads, others have been rocking their #Chuckstrong shirts, but most importantly they're 5-1. 5-1 for Coach Pagano.

The question remains? Will they make the playoffs? We should hope so, but it'll be tough. They play the Patriots, Texans twice and have to head to Detroit to play a Lions team that I think still has playoff aspirations. Either way everyone should be rooting for the Colts. They're a team on a positive, uplifting mission and watching Andrew Luck blossom in front of our is a beautiful thing.

No matter what happens to this team in their last 7 games, they've done some impressive things so far. This is a phenomenal inspirational sports story and I just hope it doesn't end too soon.