Will Frank Reich Succeed with a Fresh Start with Panthers?

This week, former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich was hired by the Carolina Panthers for the same position in which he was dismissed by the former’s owner, Jim Irsay.

Reich coached Indianapolis for four-and-a-half seasons, compiling a 40-33-1 record, two playoff spots (2018 and 2020), and a whopping five day-one starters at quarterback (a different one each season). Reich had a roller coaster coaching tenure in Indianapolis.

So, let’s discuss the good and bad of his coaching with the Colts and how he can succeed with a new beginning in Carolina.

The Bad (with the Colts)

Reich was ineffective with much of his offense in 2022. The Colts were dysfunctional and predictable with veteran quarterback Matt Ryan under center. With no ability to move out of the pocket mixed with a curious decision to make Matt Pryor (Left Tackle) and Danny Pinter (Right Guard) day-one starters with no offseason competition was a head-scratcher, to say the least.

This decision to trust what they saw in camp was from none other than Reich. This choice led to a brutal beginning to Ryan’s time in Indianapolis, with much of it being with his back on the turf from getting hit and sacked from the lack of blocking from Pryor and Pinter. After Reich was gone, the offensive line improved week-by-week with rookie Bernhard Raimann at the tackle and Will Fries at guard. Was this improvement because Reich was gone? It’s impossible to tell now, but it’s possible nonetheless.

Reich also made decisions to not utilize rookie tight end Jelani Woods throughout his nine games in 2022. It’s one position, but the fact that Woods wasn’t more active (especially considering fellow tight end Andrew Ogletree was out for the season) had many Colts fans confused as to why.

Later in the year, post-Reich, we’d see more of Woods, but the question will still resonate, unanswered, as to why Woods didn’t see more action to get his development underway earlier.

The Good (with the Colts)

As mentioned before, Reich finished with a winning record, and he did it with five day-one starters at quarterback, the most important position in the game. This means that he would start year after year with a new mind, a new skillset, and new set of strengths/weaknesses to adjust to, a new set of good/bad habits to continue/break, etc.

This had to have been maddening to have no consistency at quarterback. It didn’t help with the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019, whom Reich was likely seeing as a five-to-10-year solution. What also didn’t help was general manager Chris Ballard and Co. not drafting a quarterback or signing a younger talent. Instead, choosing to go with an aging veteran, albeit in a great season, in Philip Rivers in 2020, who would retire after that season, and then with an inconsistent Carson Wentz via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.

Reich was still able to have a consistent enough offense to work with names like Jacoby Brissett and the aforementioned Wentz, with the former being a league backup and the latter being benched in 2022 on two separate occasions for the Washington Commanders. The fact that Reich was able to still stay competitive with a lack of consistency in a position he is a master of coaching shows his prowess and just how great he can be going into Carolina. Speaking of the Panthers and Reich...

How He Can Succeed in Carolina

Now that he’s with the Panthers, Reich has a chance for the first time to grab a consistent quarterback for the future in the upcoming NFL Draft. Currently, Carolina is sitting at No. 9 in the order, but with there being four highly-discussed quarterbacks (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson), Reich can honestly work with any one of these players. So, it will be up to Carolina if they want to trade up or take a large risk of sitting back and hoping a QB falls into their lap at No. 9.

To match a rookie quarterback, Reich also has a young, talented roster with the Panthers. Even with the departure of Christian McCaffrey, the combination of D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard showed promise to end the season. Also, wide receivers D.J. Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr. can be great weapons for a new system, especially a quarterback-friendly one.

It’s worth mentioning that Foreman's contract is expiring, so the Panthers must decide if he’s worth keeping or if they will try addressing the running back position in free agency or the draft. Certain Colts free agents, like Parris Campbell, might also be linked to signing with the Panthers to be a part of Reich’s new regime.

With Reich joining an NFC South division that is ripe for the picking to take, it seems that everything can line up for success in Carolina. He will have the most important position secured for four or five years ahead, something he never experience at all in Indianapolis.

Reich is a great offensive mind and can help shape a rookie signal-caller into a legitimate star in the NFL.

We’ll see if he has the magic touch in Carolina in 2023.

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