Indianapolis Colts Football

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE ‘INVALUABLE’ DOWN THE ROAD

It’s one thing to explain to younger players what the playoffs is all about but actually taking part in the postseason is an invaluable experience that will ultimately pay dividends down the road for the Colts.

Over half of the Indianapolis roster got their first taste of life in the NFL playoffs last weekend and even though the result wasn’t what they wanted, their head coach took a look at the big picture.

“Now they got one under their belt and they know what to expect. We tried to paint as clear a picture as we could going in,” Pagano said on his season-ending radio show.

“We had 28 players on this football team that had never participated in a playoff game, haven’t been part of the atmosphere, the electricity, the energy. The venue we played in (Sunday) is one of the toughest to play in so moving forward it’s invaluable.”

This year’s playoff experience lasted just one week and with the end of the season coming on Sunday, players have dispersed across the country to prepare for the offseason.

Pagano and his staff were hoping to spend this week game planning for the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs but instead the focus has moved to next season while acknowledging the successes had in 2012.

Before embarking on his first complete offseason as an NFL head coach, Pagano wanted to thank his coaching staff for coming together during his time away from the team and help the Colts earn a spot in the postseason.

“Everybody needs to rest, recharge, reacquaint themselves with their families, their significant others, their wives, all those types of things,” Pagano said.

“Nobody deserves the time off more than these coaches.”