By Jordan Long
The Indianapolis Colts are set to take on the Carolina Panthers to open up their preseason schedule Sunday. The Colts are anticipating a better season than last year when they went 11-5 and lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round 27-24. The Colts announced they have given Head Coach Frank Reich and General Manager Chris Ballard extensions on their contracts that run through 2026.
The Colts hired Reich on February 11th, 2018. This was after they fired Chuck Pagano on December 31st, 2017. Chuck Pagano had been the Colts’ Head Coach from 2012 to 2017. He missed most of the 2012 season undergoing cancer treatments for acute promyelocytic leukemia. Even so, the Colts went 11-5, earning a playoff spot. The Colts were beaten in the Wild Card round by the Baltimore Ravens 24-9. In 2013 and 2014, the Colts finished 11-5, making the postseason. 2013 they were beaten by the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. In 2014 they advanced to the AFC Championship Game before being knocked off by the New England Patriots. From 2015 to 2017, the Colts missed the playoffs. Pagano was let go after a 4-12 record in 2018. Pagano was 53-43 as the Head Coach of the Colts, a winning percentage of .552.
Reich had never been an NFL Head Coach but had been a player and coordinator in the NFL. He played for the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, and the Detroit Lions. His career started in 1985 and ended in 1998. He was a backup quarterback but started 20 games in his career with a record of 5-15. Reich passed for 6,075 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions. He is most remembered for helping the Buffalo Bills knock off the then Houston Oilers in the greatest comeback in NFL history which happened in the 1992 playoffs. The Bills were down 35-3 before storming back to knock off the Oilers 41-38 in overtime.
Reich spent time as an offensive coordinator for the then San Diego Chargers from 2014 to 2015 before heading to Philadelphia in the same role for 2016 and 2017 before landing as the Head Coach for the Colts.
Reich has helped the Colts be a winning organization. In 2018 the Colts earned a playoff spot after a 10-6 regular season. The Colts beat the Houston Texans before falling in the Divisional Round to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-13. They missed the playoffs in 2019 with a 7-9 record. Last year they made the playoffs again with an 11-5 record. Reich’s overall record to this point is 28-20, a winning percentage of .583.
Ballard has been the Colts’ General Manager since January 29th, 2017. It has been his job to create a winning roster. He has done so to this point.
The Colts decided the time was right to give them extensions. According to CBSsports.com, Colts’ Owner Jim Irsay said, “In Chris Ballard and Frank Reich, we have as great a general manager — head coach combination as there is in the NFL, and I can’t tell you how proud I am to have them leading our franchise. I truly believe this football team is on the doorstep of great things, and that’s because of the culture both have cultivated in their time with the Horseshoe. Whether we are marching toward the playoffs or facing adversity, whether we are building our roster or making a difference in the community, we have the ideal leaders in Chris and Frank.”
The Colts know how valuable Ballard and Reich have been to this franchise. Irsay wants another Super Bowl victory. He expects it to happen with both Ballard and Reich. It is a gamble to extend both of their deals now. Irsay is expecting them to help the Colts win for a long time. It is possible that may not be the case. What happens if the Colts have a few losing seasons or are unable to reach the Super Bowl before both contracts are up? Irsay may have to let both of them go and start over. For right now, the future is bright with Reich and Ballard. The goal is to win a Super Bowl and both are working towards
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