Frank Reich Finalizing Deal to Become Colts Next Head Coach

After a hard, enduring head coaching search that involved a coach agreeing to a deal and then backing out at the last second, the Colts finally found their head coach: Frank Reich.

Reich was the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles over the past two seasons, and won the Super Bowl this past season after a phenomenal 41 point offensive onslaught against the New England Patriots. Reich previously served as the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers in 2014 and 2015 and was their quarterbacks coach in 2013.

Reich got his start in coaching with the Colts in 2008 as an offensive assistant, and then spent a couple years as a quarterbacks coach and then one season as a receivers coach. Reich had a relationship with then general manager Bill Polian, whom Reich played for in the early 1990s when he was a member of the Buffalo Bills.

Peyton Manning was always a big fan of Reich as well.

Reich spent 14 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback, mostly with the Buffalo Bills as Jim Kelly’s backup. He also spent time with the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Detroit Lions.

Reich is known for orchestrating the greatest comeback in NFL history, a 35 point comeback against the Houston Oilers in the 1993 NFL Playoffs. He will now be coaching a quarterback who has established himself as a comeback player, with some well known double digit comeback victories.

As offensive coordinator of the Chargers in 2014 and 2015, Reich’s offense ranked 17th and 20th in scoring offense, respectively. Both offenses did rank in the top 5 in passing offense.

As offensive coordinator of the Eagles in 2016 and 2017, Reich’s offense ranked 16th and 3rd in scoring offense, respectively.

Reich will be taking over a team with an established, young quarterback coming off an injury, a very talented #1 receiver and some young, talented skill players with minor impacts last season. The Colts have a lot of cap space, so Reich will have the opportunity to put his stamp on the team immediately.

Reich’s offense involves a lot of different concepts. It’s a combination of a pro style, under-center offense, with shotgun-based spread concepts and a ton of run-pass options (RPO). There is an emphasis on getting the ball out quickly and making second level reads (linebackers and nickelbacks) in the passing game.

It is a balanced offense, with the Eagles ranking 3rd in rushing yards per game in 2017. They had a three running back rotation last season, and the way the Colts are set up in their running game, I expect him to implement something similar in 2017.

Reich is expected to fly to Indianapolis tonight and sign a five year deal, according to Tom Pelissero. We learnt from the McDaniels ordeal that nothing is official until a signature is made on the contract, but by most measures, this seems like a done deal.