NFL notes

— COLTS

Pagano in remission

INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis Colts Coach Chuck Pagano is winning his battle with leukemia.

On Monday, Dr. Larry Cripe, Pagano’s physician, told The Associated Press that the illness which has sidelined the coach for more than a month was in “complete remission.” Cripe said a morning exam showed Pagano’s white blood cell count and bone marrow tests were normal as he prepares to start a second round of chemotherapy.

The doctor explained patients typically undergo three rounds of treatment to wipe out any potentially lingering cancer cells. The second round of chemo is scheduled to start later this week and will last four to six weeks, Cripe said.

“His [blood cell] count was great,” interim coach Bruce Arians told reporters after Pagano visited the team complex Monday. “He knows that this next one [round] is going to be really tough and we’re praying for him, and he’s going to be fine.”

The latest medical update came less than 24 hours after Pagano returned to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since he was diagnosed with a form of leukemia Sept. 26. Pagano spent most of the next month in an Indianapolis hospital, watching two Colts games from his room. On Oct. 21, he returned home where he watched the next two Indianapolis games. Doctors wanted to keep him in primarily sterile environments to avoid any risk of infection.

On Sunday, Pagano cleared yet another hurdle when doctors allowed him to attend the Miami game in person. He watched the Colts win their third consecutive,23-20, from the coaches’ box and provided inspirational messages to players before and after the game.

“I’ve got circumstances. You guys understand it, I understand it. It’s already beat. It’s already beat,” Pagano said during Sunday’s post game speech, hesitating to catch his breath a couple of times. “My vision that I’m living is to see two more daughters get married, dance at their weddings and then lift the Lombardi Trophy several times. I’m dancing at two more weddings and we’re hoisting that trophy together, men. Congratulations, I love all of you.”

Pagano’s appearance Sunday was a clear indication things were going well. Cripe confirmed that in his comments Monday.

On the field, things have gone well for the Colts, too. Indianapolis (5-3) is 4-1 since Arians, also a cancer survivor, was made interim coach and the sudden spate of success has put the Colts back in the playoff discussion.

It’s unclear whether Pagano will return to full coaching duties this season, though Arians made it clear he hopes that happens.

“Once he comes back from Round 2 and is about to head into Round 3, our goal is for him to be on the sideline Dec. 30,” Arians said, referring to Indianapolis’ regular-season finale against Houston.

CHIEFS

Crennel makes change

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Chiefs Coach Romeo Crennel relieved himself of duties as defensive coordinator on a day of massive changes that included the waiving of cornerback Stanford Routt and the signing of defensive tackle Shaun Smith.

Crennel had been juggling head coaching and coordinator duties since taking over on an interim basis when Todd Haley was fired last December. Gary Gibbs will take over as defensive coordinator and Crennel plans to spend more time withthe rest of the team.

“We have a young team, you know? And some guys, their perception, all right, may be that I’m a defensive coach, or a defensive coordinator, and I don’t care about other parts of the team, which is not true,” Crennel said Monday. “They will see I’m concerned about the whole team.”

The Chiefs fell to 1-7 with Thursday night’s 31-13 loss at San Diego, their fifth consecutive defeat. They still have yet to lead a game in regulation this season.

They play Monday night at Pittsburgh.

Routt was one of the Chiefs’ notable free-agent acquisitions, signing a three-year, $18 million deal to fill in after Brandon Carr left for the Dallas Cowboys.

The longtime member of the Oakland Raiders has struggled mightily in Crennel’s defensive scheme, though. He’s been routinely beaten for long pass plays, including two weeks ago against his former team, and missed last week’s game with what the Chiefs called a hamstring injury.

VIKINGS Harvin day to day

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin’s status is day to day with a sprained left ankle, and Coach Leslie Frazier says he’s hopeful the wide receiver won’t miss Sunday’s game against Detroit.

Frazier said Monday that Harvin did not have a high sprain, which takes longer to heal. But he says “it’s too early to tell” whether Harvin will play this week.

Harvin already had a strained right hamstring when he hurt his ankle during a tackle in the third quarter Sunday at Seattle. Harvin returned, but he was limping.

NFL Colts-Patriots time moved

NEW YORK - Baltimore’s game at Pittsburgh will remain on Sunday night Nov. 18.

Week 11 is when flexible scheduling kicks in, allowing the NFL to move a more appealing match up into prime time if need be. But with the rival Ravens (6-2) and Steelers (5-3) again battling for the AFC North title, NBC is keeping the game.

The league said Monday that the Indianapolis Colts’ trip to play the New England Patriots, matching quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Tom Brady, would move from noon to 3:25 p.m. Central on CBS that weekend.

RAIDERS McFadden sprains ankle

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Oakland Raiders have been struggling to run the ball with a healthy Darren McFadden.

Now that McFadden (Pulaski Oak Grove, Arkansas Razorbacks) and backup Mike Goodson are both dealing with high ankle sprains, the Raiders could have even more concerns.

Coach Dennis Allen said X-rays and a magnetic resonance imaging on McFadden came back negative and Goodson was undergoing an MRI on Monday. But he did not rule them out for Sunday when the Raiders (3-5) play in Baltimore against the Ravens (6-2).

McFadden hurt his right ankle on the first or second carry of the game and tried to play through it before leaving for good just before halftime. McFadden had 7 carries for 17 yards and caught 2 passes for no yards in the loss.

“Darren wanted to be back out there, so that wasn’t a case where you risk any further injury,” Allen said. “Darren is a competitor, he wanted to be back out there, so we put him back out there. Then came in at halftime, he just wasn’t going to be able to do it, so we kept him out the rest of the game.”

Sports, Pages 20 on 11/06/2012

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