Frank Reich on Nick Sirianni: 'He's Going to be a Great Head Coach'
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Frank Reich has had plenty to do in Indianapolis this offseason with the Colts moving on from Carson Wentz after one disappointing season and shifting toward the fifth quarterback in five years since the former Eagles' offensive coordinator moved to the midwest after winning Super Bowl LII.
This time around Reich will be building an offense around long-time Atlanta star Matt Ryan, who was acquired by Indianapolis from the Falcons this week.
Appearing on JAKIB Media's National Football Show on Tuesday, Reich took some time out from his own concerns to discuss his old team, which hired Reich's right-hand man Nick Sirianni to be the head coach before the 2021 season.
A virtual unknown to most, Sirianni was arguably the best rookie head coach in the NFL last season, leading the Eagles to a 9-8 record and a playoff berth resulting in a Wild Card weekend loss to Tom Brady and Tampa Bay.
The immediate success of Sirianni was no surprise to Reich, who was Doug Pederson's top lieutenant in Philadelphia before getting the top job with the Colts.
"I love Nick. He's like a bother to me," Reich said. "I think he's such a good football coach, I'm not ashamed to tell people all the time, we worked together for six years [in San Diego and Indinapolis]. It's a two-way street. We taught each other a lot. We grinded through. We put a lot of hours into developing passing games, game plans, play-action, RPOs, evaluating players, systems, how are we going to make the most out of players?
"We got a lot of blood, sweat, and tears together. I think we see things very similar in the pass game and the way we see the game and so just a real brotherhood between us. ... [Sirianni's success is] no surprise to me whatsoever. He's going to be a great head coach for a very long time."
Sirianni quickly developed Jalen Hurts from first-time starter to Pro Bowl alternate with the Eagles and Reich liked what he saw from afar when it comes to the now third-year signal-caller.
"I interviewed Jalen coming out. This guy's got all the intangibles," the Colts coach said when discussing Hurts. "He's a leader. He works at it. The sessions that we had, I really put him to the test mentally when I interviewed him and he passed with flying colors. ... We did this protection thing and man, he was just bam, bam, bam, bam and he just spit it back to us.
"Thought he saw it well in the pass game, he's got a strong arm and I think what he did this year with the slow start they had, he's a playmaker. ... I really like Jalen's game. [The Eagles] are in the NFC, right, so I don't get to see them that much so I can't evaluate how [Hurts] is working through all the progressions and that stuff. I don't watch all the tape but from what I've seen is really good."
Reich did offer a more in-depth look into one player he's very familiar with in receiver Zach Pascal, who signed with the Eagles on Monday after four years with the Colts.
"Zach is one of my favorite guys," Reich noted. "He's tough, tough as nails, gritty player, really talented, excellent route runner but with how well Philadelphia runs the football, Zach is just one of those receivers that is a force.
"He's gonna do the dirty work. He'll block for us and he'll be the enforcer. He brings an attitude but make no mistake about it, he's a talented receiver as well. It crushes me in one respect he's not gonna be back here but I understand this side of the business and he and Nick were super close."
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
