Colts: It’s as clear as day Frank Reich was the main reason for Eagles’ success

It’s abundantly clear that Colts head coach Frank Reich was the main reason for the Eagles’ success.

The final week of the NFL regular season had all the makings to go down as a classic given how much playoff seeding needed to be sorted out, and it largely lived up to expectations.

In truly unfortunate fashion, however, it was marred by the night capper between Philadelphia and Washington, which featured the Eagles pulling quarterback Jalen Hurts with the game on the line and a chance to eliminate their division rival from playoff contention still well within striking distance.

The aftermath has expectedly been disastrous for the Eagles and head coach Doug Pederson, who reportedly faced confrontations from several of his players who didn’t agree with his decision to actively tank a game in primetime. For those wondering, the loss secured them with the No. 6 overall pick, three spots ahead of the worst-case scenario No. 9.

If nothing else, this dysfunction has reminded us how just how far Philadelphia has fallen since offensive coordinator Frank Reich left to take the Indianapolis Colts’ head coaching job in 2018.

This obviously isn’t to say that Pederson isn’t a good coach, but the Eagles simply haven’t been able to replicate the success they enjoyed with Reich calling the shots on offense compared to when he left for greener pastures three years ago.

Think about it for a minute. With him, Carson Wentz was an MVP frontrunner before a torn ACL ended any chance he had at winning the award. At the very least, however, he consistently looked like the quarterback that was promised when they drafted him second overall five years ago. Without Reich, he’s become an unplayable risk-taker whose mechanics look broken beyond repair. Hell, he was benched!

Reich’s importance becomes even more apparent when you take into account Nick Foles’ fall from grace with Jacksonville and Chicago. The 31-year-old vet has looked like a shell of the gunslinger that outplayed Tom freaking Brady to win a Super Bowl back in 2017 and earned him a four-year, $88 million contract from the Jaguars.

Reich’s overall value to Philly comes into play when you simply consider the current status of both franchises.

The Colts are fresh off making the playoffs with an 11-5 record and have as bright of a future as any team in the league. The Eagles, meanwhile, just put a bow on their worst season (based on record) in eight years and are as far off from competing for a championship as they’ve been with this current core of players, a handful of whom could leave in the offseason.

If you’re a Colts fan who has reservations about Reich’s ceiling as a head coach, check yourself because the Eagles’ downfall following his departure proves he’s more than capable of leading this team to the promised land.

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