What are experts saying about the Frank Reich and Matt Ryan pairing?
Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts will enter the season with yet another quarterback in Matt Ryan. Will this pairing be better for Indy?
The Indianapolis Colts moved on from Carson Wentz after one season, and when they did, Indy didn’t have an immediate backup plan. Fortunately for the Colts, Matt Ryan fell right in their laps for a third-round pick. So far, Ryan in Indianapolis seems to be a perfect matchup.
Ryan has made clear that Indy was the only destination he really wanted to go to when he requested a trade from the Atlanta Falcons, and the Colts have also spoken about how Ryan is the ideal quarterback to help this team win games.
As good as this all sounds, it’s what the two parties are supposed to say. It’s unlikely that they would agree to the trade and then go to interviews and not speak highly of the move.
So the real question is how do unbiased outsiders feel about the move. Is Matt Ryan the perfect quarterback for Frank Reich’s offense? Will they hit it off running or will there be growing pains?
Ryan and Reich are one of 17 new coach-quarterback duos. Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports took the time to rank all the new duos. Benjamin ranked Ryan and Reich at No. 4 on the list.
Chris Ballard and Frank Reich with these statements on Matt Ryan: pic.twitter.com/JrUFn7KHuK
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) March 21, 2022
Matt Ryan and Frank Reich ranked fourth-best new duo
Benjamin argues, “both Ryan and Reich have straddled the line of passable production as of late, and in that way they might be perfect for each other.” He also believes the highly ranked duo can make it to the postseason.
A playoff berth should be the minimum for this Colts team with Matt Ryan at quarterback. Indy has talent on both sides of the ball and Reich has generally done a pretty good job designing offenses.
While Ryan doesn’t have familiarity with Reich’s system, his skillset pairs well with what Frank Reich likes to do. Reich likes for his quarterbacks to get the ball out fast, be accurate, and make the big throws when necessary.
That’s what Ryan has done throughout his career, even in recent years. He’s not much of an ad-liber in the pocket, he always has a high completion percentage, and he has no problem dumping the ball off to his check down.
Overall, Matt Ryan should be really comfortable in Frank Reich’s system and the pairing should benefit Indy’s offense and help the Colts achieve great success during their time together.
