One day after one of the Indianapolis Colts’ worst offensive performances in recent memory, the team fired fifth-year head coach Frank Reich.
Frank Reich : Fired | Colts head coach | Salary
Frank Michael Reich Jr. is an American football coach and former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | December 4, 1961 Freeport, New York |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 211 lb (96 kg) |
He played college football at Maryland and was selected by the Bills in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft.
Reich spent most of his career backing up Jim Kelly, although he achieved recognition when he led the Bills to the NFL’s largest comeback during the 1992–93 NFL playoffs.
Frank Reich Fired
The Indianapolis Colts have fired coach Frank Reich after another lackluster offensive performance in the team’s third consecutive loss. ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday, who played for the Colts for 13 seasons, has been named interim head coach.
The Colts announced the move on Monday, one day after the team went 0 for 14 on third down and totaled just 121 yards of offense in an ugly 26-3 loss at New England. Indy (3-5-1) have the league’s lowest scoring offense.
“Offensive performance, that’s why I was brought here,” said after Sunday’s loss. “That’s my responsibility. 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 was hired in 2018 after serving as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles. He led the Colts to the playoffs in two of his first four seasons and nearly made it again last season. But Indy lost their last two games to miss the postseason.
This is the third major move in three weeks for Indy. Two weeks ago, Reich announced the benching of longtime NFL veteran Matt Ryan, the league’s 2016 MVP.
Last week, he fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady even though Reich was the one calling plays. General manager Chris Ballard also traded running back Nyheim Hines last Tuesday, just before the trading deadline.
Frank Reich Colts head coach
Reich was a coaching intern for the Indianapolis Colts from 2006 to 2007. In 2008, he served as an offensive coaching staff assistant for the Colts.
After Tony Dungy retired following the 2008 season, former Colts quarterback coach Jim Caldwell took over as head coach and Reich became the new quarterbacks coach.
Reich switched to wide receivers coach in 2011 but was dismissed when the entire coaching staff was released after a 2–14 season.
The Colts announced a few hours after Reich’s firing that Saturday, former Colts center and current ESPN analyst, would serve as interim head coach. Saturday is not on Reich’s coaching staff, though two former head coaches, Gus Bradley and John Fox, are.
Saturday has no coaching experience at the NFL or collegiate level, which appears to be a modern NFL first. (He did coach from 2017-2020 at Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia.)
Salary
Frank Reich salary is approximately $4.5 million each year, according to sources. That is quite a lot of money.
He was named the Colts’ new head coach on February 11, 2018, seven years after being fired as wide receivers coach.
Reich won his first game as a head coach against the Washington Redskins after losing his first professional game versus the Cincinnati Bengals.