The Indianapolis Colts decided to move on from head coach Frank Reich after a 3-5-1 start to the year.
There is no question the Colts were underachieving this year, but was it fair to fire Reich?
In five seasons as Colts head coach, Reich had a record of 40-33-1.
He did that despite having poor quarterback play to work with.
The QBs Frank Reich was handed in Indianapolis.
2018: Andrew Luck
2019: Jacoby Brissett & Brian Hoyer
2020: 39-year-old Philip Rivers
2021: Carson Wentz
2022: 37-year-old Matt Ryan & Sam EhlingerThe fact that Reich went 40-33-1 in Indy is actually impressive.
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) November 7, 2022
The biggest indictment on Reich was that he could not win a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last year to get into the playoffs.
That loss not only got Carson Wentz shipped out of town, but it put Reich on the hot seat.
It is hard to win in the NFL without competent QB play, but not impossible.
For instance, Mike McCarthy went 4-1 this year with Cooper Rush as his QB.
So for the Colts to tie the Houston Texans and lose to the Jaguars with Matt Ryan at QB is unacceptable.
The Irsay Factor
The owner of the Colts is Jim Irsay.
His influence on this team has reared its ugly head this season.
Irsay is known for making quick rash decisions, so seeing Reich go this soon should not be a surprise.
At the end of the day, the inability to find a franchise QB after Andrew Luck left still haunts this franchise.
Not Reich nor any other coach will be able to have much success with the current QB room in Indianapolis.
The next man up for the Colts is interim head coach Jeff Saturday.
As a man who has never coached in college or the NFL before, Saturday will have his work cut out for him.
Ultimately the lack of QB play for the Colts is the reason Reich is headed out the door.
