NFL teams
Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Former Colts coach Chuck Pagano thanks fans in newspaper ad

NFL, Indianapolis Colts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Colts coach Chuck Pagano took out an ad in Sunday's Indianapolis Star thanking the fan base for supporting him during his six seasons coaching the franchise.

"My only regret is not being able to deliver the Lombardi Trophy to this city that deserves to hoist it once again," Pagano wrote. "Through the ups and downs of the last six years, your support for the Indianapolis Colts was unwavering and that's a testament to you -- Colts Nation."

Indianapolis Star reporter Zak Keefer tweeted a photo of Pagano's ad:

Pagano was fired Dec. 31 after the Colts finished with a 4-12 record and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. It marked Indianapolis' worst record since going 2-14 in 2011. Pagano led the Colts to the playoffs, including a run to the AFC Championship Game in 2014, in each of his first three seasons as coach. The Colts went undefeated in the AFC South in 2013 and 2014.

In Pagano's first season with the Colts in 2012 he missed Weeks 5 through 16 after he was diagnosed with leukemia. He returned for the team's wild-card playoff game against Baltimore.

"Just eight months after arriving, our journey hit a detour and I was soon receiving chemotherapy to treat leukemia that had spread through my body," Pagano wrote in the ad. "I will never forget the outpouring of strength and encouragement that we received from this community, state and supporters around the globe."

New England offensive Josh McDaniels and Houston defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel are currently the two finalists for the head-coaching position, according to a source. The source, though, warned that there's a possibility that the Colts could interview another candidate. The Colts can't interview McDaniels again until after the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 21. They'll have to wait until after the Super Bowl -- if New England advances that far -- to hire McDaniels if he's their top target.

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