Ask Chicago Bears fans this simple question. Would they prefer an earlier bye week or a later bye week? To a man, woman, or child they would all say later. Fans hate early bye weeks. Not only because they don’t really serve a purpose since the season is still young and the bodies of players don’t need the rest yet. It also interrupts the football being played after just four or five weeks. This after having to wait months to see it. That’s why many weren’t thrilled the Bears have theirs after just five games. One person who won’t complain though? Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano.
It turns out that an early bye week played a crucial part in saving the coach’s life. Back in 2012, Pagano had just become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He had gone through training camp and the preseason noticing some physical issues. However, his busy schedule made it to where he couldn’t convince himself to visit a doctor. That is when a stroke of what turned out to be great fortune struck in the form of an early bye week for his team.
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times broke down what happened.
Chuck Pagano had so many deep purple bruises on his thighs and torso that his wife actually thought he was tackling his players during the Colts’ training camp in 2012. He felt so tired that he might as well have been.
He pressed on, though, because that’s what coaches do in the first year of a job they’ve dreamed about their whole life.
Pagano would have continued marching on, too, if it weren’t for a quirk of the schedule. The Colts had complained all offseason about their early bye week, a Week 4 break that left them with 13 consecutive games to end the season.
It might have saved Pagano’s life.
Chuck Pagano understands how lucky he was
Pagano himself is under no illusions. He understands how close things actually came seven years ago. A few more weeks of waiting and he could’ve ended up being too late to beat the cancer. Instead, he conquered it and returned in time to guide the Colts into the playoffs with a big assist from offensive coordinator and good friend Bruce Arians. Pagano ended up having an underappreciated six-year run in Indianapolis which included three playoff berths and only one losing season.
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While he never was able to get that championship ring, he took nothing for granted. Pagano was and remains extremely grateful for all the love and support he received there. That’s why he got a bit emotional thinking about his return to the city with the Bears for their third preseason game on Saturday. The man uses those experiences as a reminder to live every day to the fullest and not hold anything back.
