'We Needed Each Other,' Colts' Frank Reich Says Regarding New QB Matt Ryan
Five years, different quarterbacks to start Week 1 for the Indianapolis Colts under head coach Frank Reich.
At some point — hopefully now – that carousel needs to stop, not only for the Colts' sake, but Reich's sake as well.
Enter Matt Ryan, at 37 years old nearing the end of his career, but with some great football still in him. In fact, that's exactly what Reich and the Colts are banking on after acquiring the former NFL MVP, hoping that some stability at quarterback can lead the Colts to the promised land with a loaded roster overall.
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"I think everyone saw from the outside that this is a good fit," Reich told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero during an interview at the Annual League Meeting on Sunday. "Like, people can universally agree you got a guy who's still playing at a high level with a team and roster that is built to make some noise. We needed each other."
That need for each other didn't develop until late in the process. After trading Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for draft picks, the Colts weren't even looking in Ryan's direction, Reich said.
A bit of a fallout with the Atlanta Falcons from Ryan's camp after the public courting of maligned quarterback Deshaun Watson opened the door of opportunity for the Colts, who pounced, trading their own third-round pick to the Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft for Ryan, who has two years remaining on his contract.
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Acquiring Ryan has renewed some excitement around the Colts, especially after a disastrous close to the 2021 season, losing to the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars in back-to-back weeks to ultimately miss the playoffs, causing major changes.
Now, with Ryan in the fold, the Colts have a sense of purpose and determination back within the building.
"When you finish the season the way we did, it eats at you forever. It will never go away," Reich said to Pelissero. "I've just seen this time and time again, not only in my own career, but you just look around in sports history, it happens. It happens where you go through an epic collapse or failure, and then that actually turns out to be the very thing that sparks you to go to that next level. That's what we're believing and thinking is gonna happen in Indianapolis."
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