Entering his fifth year as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Frank Reich has to be feeling the heat to produce some kind of winning culture.
Head Coach Frank Reich has had a bit of a rollercoaster start to his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts. After winning the Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, Reich signed on as the Colts head coach to start the 2018 season. But he could now be on the hot seat heading into the 2022 season.
Since taking the reigns, he has a combined record of 37-28 heading into the 2022 NFL regular season. For three of the four seasons, the Colts have finished above .500 but only made the playoffs twice as wild card teams.
The Colts have never won the AFC South under Frank, something most fans in Indianapolis are not used to seeing from the organization. Since 2002 when the AFC South formed, the Colts have won nine out of the 20 seasons. The last time the South was won by the Colts was in 2014.
Yes, Frank has had his challenges over the four-year stint leading up to this year. Each of those years, he had a different starting quarterback in Week 1. Does that excuse the lack of postseason play, though? He is a natural quarterback and is most known for his development in the position.
With Matt Ryan being the fifth Week 1 quarterback for the Colts in five years, Frank hopes that the biggest challenge has been resolved. The former MVP should bring stability to the Colts roster for at least one or two years. But what else could bring challenges to Reich in year five?
3. Not taking his foot off the gas
In 2021, there were too many games that should have been over, but the Colts just let up and played conservatively. There were secondary players playing zone reads 15-20 yards off the line to prevent the chunk plays. On the other side of the ball, the offense stopped scoring, allowing for teams to catch up easily
Frank’s biggest challenge heading into 2022 is knowing that he cannot stop being aggressive during games for a full 60 minutes. The Colts must score often to take the game out of the opponent’s hands.
Even more importantly, they must get to a strong start in the season, as five of the six divisional games will come within the first seven weeks of the season. Reich needs to ensure that the team takes off quickly and does not let up or the rest of the division could pass them quickly.
No more thinking about the past, just what is at stake for the 2022 season. The Colts must rise up in Week 1 and take off and never let up until the final second of their last game. Hopefully, that is in mid-February.