The Indianapolis Colts trailed the Green Bay Packers 28-14 at halftime this past Sunday. Aaron Rodgers was in complete command of the Green Bay offense and had thrown touchdown passes to three different teammates, including Davante Adams. Things did not look good for the Colts.
But then the second half happened. The Colts outscored the Packers 17-3 in the third and fourth quarters to force overtime, where they eventually won on a 39-yard field goal from Rodrigo Blankenship.
The Colts (7-3), who are atop the AFC South, have now won four of their last five games. Head coach Frank Reich is a big reason why.
“He’s a student of the game,” Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Reed said on The DA Show. “I think [players] see not only how he coaches, but the mentality he brings to the game as far as a head coach. He was under Doug Pederson in Philadelphia as a quarterback coach, he was here in San Diego – so he’s been through the wringer as a coach to become a head coach in the league, and I knew someday he would.”
Reed and Reich were teammates in Buffalo from 1985 to 1994. Reich, who served as backup to Jim Kelly, famously helped the Bills overcome a 32-point deficit in a Wild Card win over the Houston Oilers in January 1993.
“Frank was a student of the game,” Reed said. “He knew everything. He knew more than Jim did, bottom line. Those guys were just perfect together because Frank would tell him what’s up, and he was a student. They did extra work. They did all kinds of things after practice. Those are the little things – and they were very tedious when it came to little things – and I’m sure that’s how Frank coaches there in Indianapolis.”
Perhaps that’s why the Colts, who rank second in total defense and fifth in scoring defense (20.8 points per game allowed) don’t seem to get rattled against elite competition. Take this past Sunday for example.
“The Packers were rolling. With that offense, with Aaron and Davante Adams, they got some good players over there,” Reed said. “But the Colts got some good players, too. I really like [Michael] Pittman Jr., that wide receiver they have. They’re sneaky. They’re a sneaky team. You just don’t know what’s going to happen with them. Frank is one of those guys, I’m sure he dials in a lot of Marv-isms with his team to help get [those] guys ready every single Sunday.”
The Colts host the Titans (7-3) this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.