Frank Reich: 'Offensively It Starts with Me'
The Indianapolis Colts were in need of a spark to keep their fleeting-playoff hopes alive. Instead, their hopes were dashed in a 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
UPDATE 11:40 a.m. EST: Frank Reich has been fired by the Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger was inserted into the starting lineup two-weeks ago in hopes his mobility could help protect an offensive line that had been giving up an alarming number of sacks.
Ehlinger was sacked a whopping nine times by the Patriots.
Head coach Frank Reich fired his offensive coordinator last week and took full responsibility of the offensive duties.
Sunday after the game, he took full responsibility of the offensive performance, or lack thereof, against the Patriots.
"It was a poor performance, especially on offense," Reich said after the game on Sunday.
"Starting with me, right?"
"That's what I said in the locker room. The offensive performance, that's why I was brought here. That's my responsibility. So we got the players. We've got the players that are plenty good enough."
"I have to do a better job."
"It starts with me on offense. I need to do a better job getting the guys ready to play, putting guys in a good position to win and having answers when we face problems."
Reich took time to praise the other units of his team.
"You know, I thought the defense played well. Special teams has been great all year. Obviously, had the blocked punt. That was a big play so maybe not the best day there."
"But overall for the year, special teams has been good. But, ultimately, all you can do is go back and look at each play, play-by-play. Obviously, I haven't seen film yet. Obviously, it's going to be hard to comment too much on the specifics."
"But offensively, it starts with me."
The Colts fell to 3-5-1 after their loss to the Patriots. The Tennessee Titans lost on Sunday night to the Kansas City Chiefs, but still lead the division by two games.
Indianapolis has lost three in a row and are trending in the wrong direction.
How much longer can Reich hold on to his job in Indianapolis? He sounds like a man resigned to his fate.
