Any given Saturday for Colts as Reich is fired
The Indianapolis Colts made two shocking moves on Monday, firing Frank Reich and replacing him with a man who has zero experience coaching in either college or the pros.
Long-time Colts center Jeff Saturday, who has only coached at high school level, is the new interim HC after Reich’s four-year tenure at the helm was brought to a painful end.
3-game losing skid puts paid to Reich
The firing came on the back of a disastrous 3-game losing skid which saw the team slump to 3-5-1 on the season. An embarrassing 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Foxboro on Sunday was the last straw for owner Jim Irsay.
Indianapolis had been tabbed as Super Bowl contenders before the 2022 season began, with the move to replace Carson Wentz with Matt Ryan at QB expected to get a talented roster over the hump.
Misfiring offense is league’s worst
It hasn’t worked out like that though, with Indy having the league’s most anemic offense through nine weeks - averaging a little over 14 points per game. Ryan himself was benched two weeks ago, leaving 2021 sixth-round pick Sam Ehlinger to struggle in his place.
The dire start to this season followed swiftly on from Indy’s late-season implosion in 2021 which saw the team lose its last two games to somehow miss out on a post-season berth. That led them to move on from Wentz and again look for the elusive answer under center.
Saturday, despite his lack of experience, will have fan goodwill at least to start with in his new role. He snapped the ball for Peyton Manning for more than a decade and won a Super Bowl ring in early 2007. He reached six Pro Bowls and is now in the Colts Ring Of Honor.
The first assignment for Saturday’s Colts will be a trip to Las Vegas on Sunday to face the Raiders - Indy is trading as a 6.5-point underdog in the early going.
Contending for Super Bowls and playoff berths now appears to be a world away, and instead much focus will be on where the Colts pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and whether they once again swing for the fences by selecting a quarterback.
