Colts: Highlights from Frank Reich’s Introductory Press Conference
By Andrew Ites
Frank Reich was officially introduced as the next head coach of the Colts in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
After a long and dramatic search for a head coach, the Colts have finally found their man in Frank Reich. Chris Ballard and the rest of the front office can finally put that whole situation in the rearview mirror and focus on the future of this organization in Indianapolis.
Here are the highlights from Tuesday’s introductory press conference:
Colts owner Jim Irsay opened the press conference by saying, “I couldn’t be more excited. I can sense that our fans understand how excited we are… We’re ready to go. Ready to get things rolling.”
General manager Chris Ballard followed up Irsay’s statement by saying, “We don’t always choose what happens to us. But what we get a chance to do is choose how we react to it. And that shows what we’re made of.”
The highlight of the press conference was a question from former Colts punter Pat McAfee, who is now a member of Barstool Sports, asking Frank Reich, “Do you hate or love Josh McDaniels for what happened?”
Reich had the perfect response for McAfee’s question by saying, “The backup role has suited me well in my career.”
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Reich provided a bit of a meandering description of his offensive philosophy, “Multiple, attacking, uptempo offense. We will be aggressive. We will be multiple (in terms of) personnel groupings…. A strong element of no huddle.”
That is a great example of modern “coach speak”, so we may not know what this Colts offense will look like until they start hitting the practice field.
Reich has already hired an offensive coordinator, but he says he’ll be calling the plays next season in a collaborative effort with the rest of the offensive coaching staff.
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Reich also had some kind words for former Colts coach Tony Dungy, who was his mentor during Reich’s first NFL coaching job in Indianapolis from 2008-11, “I feel it’s meant to be. To get your start with a Hall of Fame coach … what a great role model (as a coach and man of faith) to break in with.”
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When asked about Andrew Luck, Reich said, “I believe he’s the best. I think he’s great. But this game is not built on any one player. I just came off a team that lost our QB and won the Super Bowl.” Obviously we’d all love to see Luck on the field for Week 1 of the 2018 season, but Reich has experience dealing with extreme adversity at the quarterback position.
Reich also said his information regarding Andrew Luck’s health was derived from Chris Ballard’s press conference last week.
Reich was put in a tough spot with three coaches already on the Colts’ staff for 2018 when he was hired as the next head coach. However, he put a positive spin on the situation saying, “I love this organization because of that kind of integrity.”
Reich stressed toughness and discipline in his vision for this football team, which goes along with Chris Ballard’s (and nearly every other football person’s) football philosophy.
Today’s press conference was entertaining and fun for Colts fans to see a new head coach behind the podium, but we didn’t learn a ton about what the team will look like under Frank Reich. We’ll just have to wait and see how his tenure unfolds in Indianapolis.
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