Colts’ offseason plans changed when Rivers showed up
Indianapolis had initially planned on continuing to build with Brissett
Frank Reich can’t remember exactly when he first heard that the Los Angeles Chargers might move on from longtime franchise quarterback Philip Rivers. But when it was announced Feb. 10 that the team and QB were parting ways, it set off a ringing sound for the Indianapolis Colts’ coach.
“As soon as that day happened, it was a bigtime radar thing, like ding, ding, ding, ding,” Reich said.
That set in motion an offseason of big moves for Reich and General Manager Chris Ballard – including a major trade and an impressive draft haul – that has the team poised to contend for the AFC South championship after a rocky 2019.
It all started with the news that Rivers, who had worked with Reich during stints as the Chargers’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, was going to hit free agency. As soon as Reich met with Ballard about it, they realized they were on the same page: Rivers had the potential to carry the Colts back to the top of the division, but Reich first wanted to study game tape to see how the 38-year-old performed the past few seasons.
“The next thing was to go back and look at the last two years of tape to see physically where he is,” Reich said. “. . . I just didn’t see any physical decline.”
Ballard did his due diligence on the other quarterbacks who were available. That included studying Tom Brady, who would eventually leave the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and considering staying with Jacoby Brissett, who started last year following Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement and “did a lot of great things,” Reich said.
But Rivers was the choice. He signed a oneyear contract worth $25 million.
“We moved ahead, and Chris did a great job of getting it done,” Reich said.
Because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Rivers and Reich haven’t been on the field together. But in virtual meetings, Rivers has already started to win over his new coach, and teammates are remarking about how much he has taken control.
“I just got out of a meeting,” Reich said in an interview this week. “We’re in a quarterback meeting with him, and the level of football knowledge this guy knows and understands is just at an elite level. It just affords you the opportunity to do things and to make moves and make adjustments that he can make on the field. You see how quickly his mind can process all of it. I’m so very excited about that.”
During three seasons together in San Diego, Reich learned plenty about Rivers. He appreciated his accuracy. He loved his competitiveness. But what amazed him was his toughness.
“He is one of the toughest competitors I’ve ever been around,” Reich said. “Physically and mentally, you don’t always think about quarterbacks as being one of the tough guys who you’ve been around. He’s legendary for toughness. You know the story about how he played in a championship game with a torn ACL” - in January 2008, when the Chargers lost to the Patriots.
The unusual thing about Rivers is how he challenges opponents without ever using a swear word.
“He’s a real family man, and he is funny,” Reich said. “He’s living proof that you can be a fiery competitor without using bad language.”
Reich is also pleased by the work Ballard did to expand Rivers’s new supporting cast. The selections of USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor in the second round were particularly impactful. Ballard has been looking for a receiver to put on the other side of speedster T.Y. Hilton, and the 6-foot-4, 223-pound Pittman is a good fit.
“Michael has a big, strong body who’s got good feet and he’s a good route runner and that is extremely important,” Reich said. “Sometimes those big, strong guys have average feet and are average route runners. We all know Philip likes those big receivers and he has a knack of knowing when to throw it up and down the field . . . . Michael has shown on tape in college that he’s going to come down with his share of deep balls.”
Pittman’s downfield ability is important:
The Colts ranked 30th in passing plays of 20 yards or more last season.
“We need to get a little better on third down and a little bit better in the red zone,” Reich said. “The other area that we really got to get better is on chunk plays. I think Philip can do it because he’s done it his whole career. You know he can get the ball downfield, and the offensive line he has will give him the time.”
The addition of Taylor, whom Reich described as a “faster Matt Forte,” gives the Colts’ backfield a powerful breakaway threat to pair with 1,000-yard runner Marlon Mack.
“Marlon is a game-breaker with game-breaker speed,” Reich said. “Jonathan has the same thing. He’s super fast. He’s a big playmaker. He has high character. He’s a tough, physical player. So to have that onetwo punch . . . that’s important for as much as we are planning to run the ball.”
The Colts also paid attention to their defense, starting with a blockbuster trade of the 13th draft pick to San Francisco for lineman DeForest Buckner, who is slated to play the pivotal “three-technique” disruptive tackle role in Indianapolis’s defense. Reich said Buckner’s impact brings back memories of the Tampa Bay defense anchored by Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks.
“The key positions in the Tampa cover-two defense are the three-technique and the Will linebacker, so we’ve got elite players at the premier positions in our defensive scheme,” Reich said, referring to Buckner and thirdyear linebacker Darius Leonard. “That was a big-time need. DeForest has got great character . . . . You can tell he’s the right fit. We’ve been in these meetings and you just listen to him and I see how well he engages with our players.”
The other defensive addition that had Reich excited was cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who signed a one-year deal after being released by the Minnesota Vikings.
“I’ve gone up against this guy a couple of times, and I’ve always thought he was a topnotch corner,” Reich said. “I felt like this was a steal. It was the right fit for us.”
The Colts figure to face tough competition for the AFC South title in the form of the defending champion Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans, who made the playoffs as a wild-card team last season and advanced to the conference championship game. But the rebuilding effort by Ballard and Reich has put them in a good spot, and their offseason acquisitions should strengthen the roster.