Frank Reich explains why Colts aren’t fully committed to a no-huddle offense despite its success
The Indianapolis Colts had success offensively in Week 6 thanks to an up-tempo offense but Frank Reich admits that style won’t be the norm.
On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts put up 34 points as they got a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. This was an offensive explosion for an Indianapolis squad that entered Week 6 averaging 13.8 points, the lowest scoring average in the NFL. A big reason why the Colts had so much success on Sunday is that they entered the game with a plan to play fast.
Following the game, the team admitted that throughout the week, they were preparing to play a more up-tempo, no-huddle style of offense against the Jaguars. That’s exactly what happened and as a result, Indy scored 34 points and also didn’t allow a sack or commit a turnover. This comes weeks after Frank Reich admitted that the up-tempo offense is somewhat of a secret weapon for the Colts that they will utilize when necessary.
Seeing how productive it’s been for Indianapolis, it would make sense if the offense entered each game with the up-tempo approach as the base offense. However, Reich admitted on Monday it’s unlikely that happens. While the no-huddle approach has proven benefits for Indianapolis, it also has some drawbacks that prevent the Colts from using it full-time.
So, what now? It will be a week to week decision on when and how much to use the no huddle. But certainly the success they had w it yesterday will not be ignored.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) October 17, 2022
Colts won’t use no-huddle offense permanently
Reich explained that while a no-huddle offense keeps a defense on its heels, it also limits the offense in the substitutions they can make and the packages the team can run. As Reich said, that essentially shrinks the playbook. So the pros and cons of playing with a no-huddle approach are something Indianapolis has to balance.
In addition to a condensed playbook, no-huddle offenses are also known for how they tire defenses but they secretly tire offensive players as well. Both Michael Pittman Jr. and Kylen Granson talked about how they were kind of tired from the fast-paced offense but they were ultimately able to push through because they understood the advantage it was giving Indy. That’s another reason why the Colts won’t be able to play so fast regularly because it will get exhausting for Indy as well.
However, this no-huddle offense has proven to be Indy’s best strength, even prior to Sunday. Looking back at the first five games of the season, most of Indianapolis’ offensive success came when the team was playing with tempo. Surely Reich and the Colts realized that, so they need to effectively find a way to incorporate this offense more consistently. If the alternative is being the league’s worst offense, Indy needs to make the necessary sacrifices so that it can play no-huddle regularly.
