The Far-Reaching Impact of Frank Reich Being Fired in Indy

One day after a dismal offensive performance with overmatched second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger, the Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Frank Reich, the former mentor of Nick Sirianni.

Reich is the former Eagles offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017 under Doug Pederson and got the job in Indy after Philadelphia's Super Bowl LII victory over New England when then-Pats OC Josh McDaniels, now an embattled head coach in Las Vegas after already washing out in Denver, left the Colts at the altar, forcing Jim Irsay to re-open his search.

The early returns on Reich in Indianapolis were great and he reached double-digit wins in two of his first three seasons before the wheels fell off late in the 2021 campaign when Carson Wentz imploded and ignited the ire of Irsay, something that certainly harmed Reich, who personally vouched for Wentz before the Colts made the trade for the former Eagles' starter.

The QB carousel that began with Andrew Luck's sudden retirement right before the start of the 2019 season never stopped and was ultimately Reich's downfall in Indy.

Over the past four seasons, the Colts moved from Jacoby Brissett to Philip Rivers to Wentz and finally Matt Ryan this season with a little Brian Hoyer and Ehliger mixed in.

Rivers had a tremendous season in 2020, leading the Colts to 11 wins, something Sirianni credits for getting himself on NFL head-coaching radars.

Unfortunately for Reich, the aging Rivers decided to call it a career after one season with the Colts, prompting the shift toward Wentz.

Reich's final game was a 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Colts' third consecutive loss. It came on the heels of Ryan's benching and the firing of OC Marcus Brady.

The Colts managed just 121 total yards of offense against the Pats and failed to convert even one of their 14 third-down attempts against New England, the former being the worst Indy offensive performance under Reich and the latter the worst effort on third downs in the NFL over three decades.

"Offensive performance, that's why I was brought here. That's my responsibility," Reich said "So, we've 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, 60, finished his stint in Indianapolis with his head well above water at 40-33-1 in the regular season and a 1-2 record in two playoff appearances. He also helped develop Sirianni into one of the better young head coaches in football and was the final stop for former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus en route to getting the top job in Chicago this season.

Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon and passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo also came from the Colts with Sirianni.

From an Eagles' standpoint, Sirianni and Reich remain very close and Reich recommended Sirianni to Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie in 2021. Reich was often a sounding board for Sirianni when it came to developing into a quality head coach and the unique difficulties of the Philadelphia market.

The natural inclination will be about bringing Reich back to Philadelphia because of the organization's affinity for him and perhaps that might be an option down the road, but the 8-0 Eagles aren't looking to fix what isn't broken. Current OC Shane Steichen is rapidly developing into a head-coaching candidate himself and Sirianni is very close with Patullo.

Reich, meanwhile, will be cashing paychecks from Irsay while taking a break.

What you can probably count on, however, is Reich quickly answering Sirianni's text messages before the Nov. 20 game between the Eagles and the Colts in Indianapolis.

-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 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

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