INDIANAPOLIS -- It's not often that Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano is in a joking mood with the media. But when he does crack a joke it's usually pretty funny.
Pagano was asked about the players they've added to their roster in free agency.
"We're going to have bingo night on Thursdays," Pagano said with a smile. "We've got two 40-plussers and a bunch of 30-plussers. Nothing against bingo. I love bingo."
The Colts are older, but they're also better. General manager Ryan Grigson didn't spend the first part of the offseason scanning rosters purposely looking for players over the age of 30 to add to the team.
The over-30 players the Colts signed -- running back Frank Gore (31), receiver Andre Johnson (33), linebacker Trent Cole (32), offensive lineman Todd Herremans (32) and safety Mike Adams (34) -- all play positions of need for them.
"It couldn't have been something that was planned out for too long because those guys are cap casualties," Grigson said. "The cap casualties are the guys that get thrown into the mix that weren't part of your original plan. We work at this thing 24-7. It's exciting. There's an exciting element to it when a player kind of shakes free that you didn't expect. We knew this was coming, because it always happens around that time of the year."
Grigson is right. Gore and Adams were the only free agents. Cole, Herremans and Johnson were all released by their teams.
The common theme from the group of free agents the Colts signed is that they're all at the point of their careers where winning is more important than money because they've made millions already.
They were all looking for a team that has the potential to make a run at a Super Bowl with quarterback Andrew Luck leading the way.
"You factor in the age, but you factor in a lot of different things," Grigson said. "When we watched the film, we all felt collectively that they're all still playing at a very high level. Didn't see any indications of it or we wouldn't have come as strongly as we did. So yeah, we feel like these are the type of players. Every year is a little bit different. We've evolved as a team and just our mindset, based on where we're at or where we feel we're at. We think those guys can help bridge a gap. We were one game away, but you don't want to also just get there to get there and then breathe a sigh of relief, you want to get there and win it."
With the age and wear and tear on their bodies, you can expect the Colts to be careful in how they handle those players in practice and in games.
"You worry about health and guys making it," Pagano said. "It's a long season, 16 games and the playoffs if you're fortunate enough to make it. You've got to be smart. You've got to take care of guys, and there's things that you can do from a practice standpoint and a preparation standpoint week-in and week-out to help those guys manage that."
For as good as players like Luck, receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener are, they're all just heading into their fourth seasons. Between the youth and losing veterans such as Reggie Wayne and Cory Redding, the Colts had to add more veterans in the locker room.
"We just tried to look at who are the best players available and try to go after those guys who best fit our system offensively and defensively," Pagano said. "Really age wasn't a factor. It's great to have veteran guys. It's great to have guys that you know. It's great to have those guys as far as the leadership aspect goes. You lose some guys in the locker room that are great veteran leaders: a Redding, a Wayne, those type of guys. It's always good to be able to add some veteran guys that have years under the belt into the locker room to help with that leadership."