INDIANAPOLIS -- Chuck Pagano was officially introduced Thursday as the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, aiming to lead the franchise into a new era.

Pagano, who came to Indianapolis after a season as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, stressed that he wanted to build trust with his bosses and the team and that it would take some work to get to the level of success he expects.

Pagano, 51, got the call from the Colts organization shortly after the Ravens suffered a tough loss in the AFC championship game.

"Words can't describe the emotions that I'm going through right now," Pagano said. "The last thing I ever expected came across the table. Here I sit at an all-time high."

Pagano has been in coaching for 28 years and said it was his dream to be an NFL head coach.

"I can't tell you how excited I am. It's the next chapter, another journey, and it's going to be a great journey," Pagano said. "I can't wait to go to work and start building and recreating the excitement, passion and energy that's been here for so long."

Pagano pledged to put together the best staff in the NFL, but he plans to spend most of his first days as coach

"I want to get to know what they're all about," Pagano said. "I want to build a relationship, because I think … if you don't have that relationship and you don't have that trust, you don't have anything."

Colts owner Jim Irsay said he interviewed eight candidates and that all of them were worthy, but Pagano stood out.

"Chuck is bringing in an energy, a connection with his players, a toughness, the sort of leadership you need …for the franchise," Irsay said. "I could feel it. I could see we had a special guy."

Irsay said that he realized at the end of the year that the team was in need of a complete overhaul.

"This is something that I didn't dictate to. It dictated to me," Irsay said. My goal was to get an outstanding team … that would take us into the future. I didn't want to have a retread process."

Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson said Pagano came off in the interview as genuine.

"He has things you can't fake. He has true leadership. His style transcends age in this league," Grigson said.

Pagano deflected a question about quarterback Peyton Manning's future with the team.

"I have a text or call out to Rob Lowe, and I haven't heard back," Pagano said, referring to a dust-up created last week when Lowe tweeted that quarterback Peyton Manning would retire. "I haven't had time to get into it, but the situation will take care of itself."

Indianapolis was 2-14 in 2011 with Manning on the sideline after a series of neck surgeries.