Posted by: Josh Kendall on January 31, 2013

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck credits the culture created by coaches Chuck Pagano and Bruce Arians for his year one success.

"The environment Coach Pagano created and how Coach Arians kept it going," Luck told Yahoo! Sports Radio from the Super Bowl. "It was built to let us succeed at the highest level. When you have the trust and confidence of your coaching staff and your teammates, it's easier to go out and have fun, play hard and play to the best or your abilities."

The Colts felt for, and played for Pagano, while he was out receiving cancer treatments, Luck said.

"What a tough situation at first to see your head coach go down and not be able to do what he loves. But Coach Arians did a great job of stepping in," Luck said. "Everybody in the city, the state rallied around him. The support he got and we got was unbelievable. We just tried to win games for him. If winning a game could help him out a little bit, could brighten his spirits a little bit, that's what we wanted to do. Then when he got back, it meant the world.

The Colts won 11 games and made the playoffs in Luck's first season.

"Some of me is surprised," Luck said. "I didn't know what to expect in the NFL. Just happy to win some football games."

---------------

Josh Kendall is a staff writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered the SEC for more than 15 years for papers such as the Athens Banner-Herald, Macon Telegraph, and The State. He’s the father of two boys who he’s hoping don’t inherit his wide receiver frame and offensive guard feet. Follow @EyeOnCoaches on twitter and send your feedback to josh@coachingsearch.com