Frank Reich Opens Up on Colts Firing: 'There’s Disappointment and Hurt'

The Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday following a brutal 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots, and he recently opened up about the disappointment he felt following the firing.

Reich said, via Mike Chappell of Fox 59 in Indianapolis:

“There’s disappointment and hurt. It hurts. It hurts to have it happen in the middle of the season.

“But I understand the business side of things. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Irsay and I’ve come to trust his instincts and his knowledge of the game. I just know he’s doing what he thinks is best for the team.

“I can live with that. I gave my heart and soul to the job, to the guys, to everything I did there. I didn’t take anything for granted."

The Colts entered the 2022 campaign with slightly higher expectations than they had in 2021 following the additions of quarterback Matt Ryan, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

However, Ryan has since been benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger, and neither Gilmore nor Ngakoue have lived up to expectations. That said, the Colts as a whole have been disappointing, particularly on offense.

The team's passing offense ranks 12th in yards per game (228.4), but the rushing offense ranks 30th in yards per game (86.7). In addition, they are averaging an NFL-worst 14.7 points per game.

Reich was hired as head coach of the Colts ahead of the 2018 season. The 60-year-old went 40-33-1 in the regular season and 1-2 in the postseason. Indy was never seriously in contention for a Super Bowl title in his tenure, and that bothered Reich:

“To fall short of those goals of winning championships, starting with a world championship, is very disappointing when you’re the head coach. You have mixed emotions. You feel like, ‘OK, there were different circumstances and dynamics and challenges that you faced.’ But as a coach and as a player and as a competitor, you say, ‘That doesn’t matter. We’ve still gotta obtain our goals.’

“When Mr. Irsay and Chris [Ballard, the general manager] hired me, I had no misrepresentations. Those were the expectations."

Reich isn't fully to blame for the issues in Indianapolis. The Colts have struggled to find an identity in the post-Andrew Luck era, and the franchise's unpreparedness for his retirement has left lasting effects.

The Colts named former center Jeff Saturday their interim head coach, and he will serve in the role for the remainder of the season, but a full-fledged head coaching search is expected to get underway.

Indy is second in the AFC South with a 3-5-1 record and will face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.