The Frank Reich Dilema | December 1st, 2023 Mailbox

This question was posed by a friend of the program because he knows how to rile me up, I'm fuming thinking about the question, but I honestly feel like I will feel much better once I get it out

From @curtispdnetwork

"On a Scale of 1-10, How Much Do You Hate Frank Reich?"

Well, Curtis, let me tell you and the rest of the world, my disdain for Frank does not extend beyond the football field. I have said many things about Frank, how he is a terrorist and a bad man BUT that only pertains to his football mind. From my understanding he is a players coach and is overall a good man, he clearly has a loving family and promotes good values, while I'm not apart of one religion, he seems to promote the good Christian values that we should strive towards, I always feel that needs to be said every so often because we can sometimes get caught up in the moment of wanting to see your favorite team win, but unless you act like Ray Rice off the field, I don't TRULY dislike you, I just don't like you on the field.

Now for the good stuff, Frank Reich's resume is a Super Bowl Champion with the Eagles as the OC, he is a great locker room guy who knows how to build teams, he was "the Quarterback Whisperer" because of his development of Carson Wentz and getting pretty much everything out of Nick Foles, multiple years in a row. He had years with Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers early in his coaching career. None of this includes his time in the NFL as Jim Kelly's backup and the Panthers first starting QB ever, he engineered the largest comebacks in college AND NFL history at Maryland and Buffalo, so his resume is strong.

EXCEPT ITS BULLSHIT

The QB Whisperer isn't really a QB whisperer, he may call an offense like a QB would but he worked with Rivers, the MVP Wentz, I'll give him Foles, Manning and Andrew Luck, those guys were either good or going to be good before he came in

Now Colts fans were giving him the benefit of the doubt when Luck retired, I don't blame him for taking Jacoby Brissett and trying to make that team a playoff team, after Brissett's injury against Pittsburgh, he just wasn't the same, but that team had a fantastic defense and a dominant offensive line, which Chris Ballard engineered when he took Quentin Nelson, don't get me started on Eric Fisher. Now both second round picks in the 2020 draft were slam dunks, but knowing you have Rivers on a 1 year deal and he won't be there much longer, how can you NOT look at a QB in 2020 or 2021 to sit and learn? You know who their guys were? Jacob fucking Eason and Sam fucking Ehlinger, 2 mid-tier QB's who, under Reich's teaching did absolutely nothing. Now most of my issues with Reich are also with Ballard, the resistance to spend any form of money on a player.

Reich pleaded Irsay for Wentz who, honestly wasn't that bad, I think he did exactly what he needed to do, he was relatively healthy except for those 2 sprained ankles on the same play and he loved to shovel pass at random and useless times but he really got a bad wrap around the league. He get's the blame for that disaster in Jacksonville but the entire team came out as flat as a unused basketball in a hot garage and THAT is completely on Reich. Reich started 3-0 vs the Titans with Luck and Rivers but finished 4-6 in his career as head coach of the Colts.

All of this stuff is stuff we know, but my main gripe with him and this goes for the rest of the league, his playcalling in the most obvious situation was HORRENDOUS, for example, the Colts went into Buffalo in 2020 as a Wild Card, Buffalo was looking for their first playoff win in 25 years, Indy, major dogs, were very much in the game and winning with 2 minuets to go in the 1st half. 10-7, 1st and goal from the 4, 2 yard pass, 1 yard rush and a rush for -3, it's 4th down from the 4, you are already playing with house money, normally you kick a field goal and walk away up 6 but Frank thinks it's time to go mega-aggressive and go for it and Pittman dropped one in the end zone. Buffalo marched down and took a 4 point lead at half, got the ball back and kicked a field goal to take a 7 point lead in the 2nd half. At the end of the game, he didn't even think to put Jacoby Brissett in the game to throw the hail mary for the game. He made so many little mistakes that could have been such easy fixes that lose the Colts the game

So, as a coach, I hate Frank at a 10/10 (although he didn't get a fair shot in Carolina, fuck David Tepper too)

Oh yeah, Steichen is giving me reminders of Reich too, not great time management or play calling, the QB guru, great locker room guy, just wait Colts fans

(I really hope I am either right or I get on Cold Takes Exposed)

Alex Boyajian is the CEO of Chaotically Intolerant Multi Media Productions, Host of the Chaotically Intolerant Podcast, Commissioner of Chaotically Intolerant Table Tennis and the biggest Colts fan at Chaotically Intolerant