Chuck Pagano says he has ‘deep hatred’ for Patriots, wants to coach again just to beat them

It’s been more than three years since Chuck Pagano’s Indianapolis Colts lost out on a chance to go to the Super Bowl at the hands of the New England Patriots.

Pagano, of course, hasn’t coached the Colts since 2017, when the team went 4-12 without Andrew Luck before pursuing Josh McDaniels and then turning to Frank Reich as Plan B.

Talk to Pagano, however, and you’d still believe the man is fighting Bill Belichick’s squad for AFC playoff seeding.

As Dana Hunsinger Benbow of the Indianapolis Star reported, the 58-year-old coach opened up about his days on the sidelines during a Boys & Girls Club breakfast Saturday. And not only does Pagano want to get back to coaching, he wants to get back to coaching mostly so that he can beat those New England Patriots.

“I’d love to be able to have the opportunity in the next couple of months … (we’ll) see what happens,” Pagano said, noting he currently works as a consultant for the NFL. “It’s a deep hatred (for the Patriots). Respect them, respect Belichick, what he’s doing. I respect Tom Brady, what a run they’ve had to be able to have the sustained success that they’ve had over the long course of time is truly amazing in today’s NFL. I think you guys know that and understand that, so I do respect that. (But) there is a deep hatred there. My No. 1 reason for trying to get back? Maybe I get another shot at them.”

Pagano’s Patriots fixation isn’t unreasonable if you look at his track record.

The former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator spent years scheming against Belichick even before becoming the Colts head coach, and two of his best seasons running Indy ended because of New England. In 2013, his 11-5 Colts lost in the AFC Divisional Round to the Pats, and in 2014, the very next season, New England bested the Colts in the AFC Championship Game.

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