CANTON, Ohio – Chuck Pagano and Andrew Luck know full well why the Colts have five preseason games on their 2016 slate.
It's because of what came before them.
A foundation of winning, that Pagano and Luck have pointed to so many times in their five seasons in Indianapolis, is now Canton bound.
Hall of Fame caliber work was done before Pagano and Luck ever joined the Horseshoe.
Before the Colts commence their 2016 preseason on Sunday, they will see Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison on the field, a day after those two became Pro Football Hall of Famers.
Pagano's Colts will then try and deliver such a performance on Sunday.
"To go out and try to win a football game and represent this organization and represent the two guys, Coach (Tony) Dungy and Marvin (Harrison) who are going in (to the Pro Football Hall of Fame) in the right fashion," Pagano says.
Even though the paths of Pagano and Dungy never crossed on a coaching staff, the current head man in Indianapolis knows why the other will be calling Canton home.
"His résumé obviously speaks for itself and what he's done to this point in his professional career as a player, as a coach, it's second to none," Pagano says of Dungy.
"The wins that he stacked on top of each other year after year after year (and) the program that he built, sustained success, I think seven seasons with 12 wins or more, a Super Bowl championship and just the human being that he is, the person that he is, the man of character. It's unbelievable and obviously an honor that's well deserved."
Luck's time in the NFL began four years after Dungy and Harrison left the game.
No one needs to remind Luck of the impact Dungy and Harrison had on the Colts' franchise.
"I obviously admire Coach Dungy a lot. I've had the chance to talk to him a couple of times. You realize pretty quickly how much he means to the city of Indianapolis and the Colts' organization," Luck says.
"As a kid growing up watching Marvin Harrison, he's like the teach tape for how to run routes as a wide receiver.
"They're both incredibly impressive."
