Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The Colts are the second team to fire their head coach.
The Indianapolis Colts have become the second team in the NFL to fire their head coach after it was reported on Monday morning that the team has let go Frank Reich.
It comes following an embarassing 26-3 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, in which the Colts managed to only total 121 yards of total offense en route to a 3-5-1 record on the season, which once held so much promise.
Reich took over the Colts in 2018, and immediately made an impact — leading the Colts to a 10-6 record and a playoff win, but things largely went south from there and success was never sustained. In his second season with the reins, Reich had to contend with the shock retirement of Andrew Luck, and never managed to return to success for very long. The Colts began to rotate through quarterbacks, playing Jacoby Brissett for a season, turning to Philip Rivers who brought the Colts back to the playoffs, and most recently trading for Matt Ryan — a move that never paid off.
The move comes one year after the Colts signed Reich to a five year extension, which was set to carry him through the 2026 season. It seemed like a decent decision at the time, but it quickly became clear that Reich was a fine coach at managing a team that had the talent to make the playoffs, but was unable to either win a championship with a good team — or more important, mold a young squad into a contender.
Reich made the bold move to name rookie Sam Ehlinger as starter for the remainder of the 2022 season in Week 7, a sign that he wanted to move past Ryan and try to usher in a new era, but the move has been disastrous. Ehlinger effectively lost the Colts his first start by fumbling in the red zone, leading to a 17-16 loss against the Washington Commanders — and followed up by looking completely lost against New England, attempting 29 passes for a paltry 103 yards and throwing an interception.
The Colts have not made an announcement on who their interim coach will be for the remainder of 2022, though it’s likely defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will fill the role. Bradley has previous head coaching experience in Jacksonville, and is the most logical choice to take over until a permanent answer is found.
Reich leaves the Colts with a career coaching record of 41-35-1, including a 1-2 record in the playoffs.
