Just days after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels abruptly changed his mind about taking the job, the Indianapolis Colts have hired the OC that bested McDaniels in the Super Bowl (Philadelphia's Frank Reich) for their no-longer-vacant head coaching position. Reich's deal, which was first reported by NFL Network, is said to be for five years.
Following McDaniels' change of heart, the Colts reportedly went into hyper-drive, as they interviewed Reich, Saints assistant coach/tight ends coach Dan Campell, and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, over the course of three days. While there's always a chance to blow the doors off in any job interview, Reich was said to be the favorite of that trio to land the gig.
"We are extremely excited to announce Frank Reich as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts," Colts owner/CEO Jim Irsay said in a statement. "Frank has all the ingredients of a successful head coach: intelligence, innovation, character, organizational and leadership skills and a commanding presence. He also has a stellar reputation, and his myriad of life experiences and the people he has worked with make him the perfect fit for us and our fans. I feel extremely fortunate and could not be more excited for Colts Nation and the future of our franchise."
Prior to coaching, Reich had a 14-year career as a player, as he served pretty much exclusively as a backup quarterback for the Bills, Jets, Panthers and Lions between 1985-1998.
Though his NFL coaching career began in Indy in 2008, for the past two seasons he served as the OC for the Eagles, who were seventh in the NFL in 2017 in yards, but were tied for second in points per game. (Though it should probably be noted the Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is the person who actually calls plays for his team.)
Nevertheless, Reich received an undeniable endorsement from Pederson for this massive career move. "Frank is a tremendous coach and very deserving of this opportunity. He was a valuable member of our staff, and we have all benefited from working with him over the last two years," the Eagles' coach said in a statement. "As good as he is as a leader and teacher, he's an even better person. We could not be more excited for him as he takes this next step in his career, and we wish him and his family all the best."
No doubt Reich has his work cut out for him, as the Colts were 4-12 this past season after going .500 in each of the two years prior to that. In the short term, Indy's success appears to be largely dependent upon the health of former 1st overall pick Andrew Luck, who hasn't thrown a football in four months and who missed all of last year following a January 2017 surgery on his right shoulder.
Good luck.
