Getty Former NFL head coach Frank Reich had a strong reaction when answering questions about his time with the Indianapolis Colts.
Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich returned to Indianapolis for the first time since his firing on November 7. Colts insider Joel A. Erickson reported he was back in the city with his wife, Linda, to work on their foundation.
If giving back to a city who’s most well-known organization fired him wasn’t enough, Reich also made it clear that he is not at all sour about how his tenure with the Colts ended.
“I’m not even close to bitter,” Reich told the media on December 8. “Upset, disappointed, hurt, but the one thing you learn in this business. … the bitterness pill is not a good pill to take. That’ll drag you down and eat you up and spit you out.
“I’m thankful for my time in Indianapolis, thankful to the Irsay family. … He gave me the opportunity to be a head coach. Excited about moving forward.”
Reich Keeping Track of Colts, ‘Pulling Hard for the Guys’
It’s customary for NFL coaches to “have it out” for the organizations that fire them. Mike Shanahan reveled whenever he received the chance to give the then Oakland Raiders a beatdown once he became head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Bill Belichick doesn’t share a whole lot to the media, but it’s not lost on anyone that he’s 9-2 against the team that used to employee him as a head coach — the Cleveland Browns.
But that hasn’t been the case initially with Reich. At least from his couch, Reich hasn’t had it out for his former team. In fact, when he’s watched, Reich says he’s wanted the Colts to succeed.
“The first couple of weeks, it was kind of hard,” Reich told Erickson. “Didn’t watch a whole lot, but kind of kept track of what’s going on, and still pulling hard for the guys.”
Counting Erickson’s, Reich has had two major interviews since his Colts firing. In both, he described being hurt and disappointed. When he talked to Colts insider Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 on November, Reich sounded particularly disappointed that his firing happened in the middle of the season.
But Reich has remained nothing but professional.
“I understand the business side of things,” Reich told Chappell in November. “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.”
Reich Wants to Coach Again
Despite the effort to decompress and spend more time with family, in some ways, Reich hasn’t stopped coaching. Well, at least, he hasn’t stopped evaluating.
Erickson reported that Reich has kept a notebook close by the last few weeks. While watching a game or during simple reflection since his firing, he’s written down notes on his thoughts from his tenure as Colts head coach.
“What have I learned over the past four and a half years as a head coach?” Reich said when asked about his note-taking. “What were the dynamics? What did I like? What did I do well? What can I do better?”
That’s the mind of a head coach, which Reich isn’t ready to turn off. He told Erickson that he wants to be a head coach again.
“It’s definitely in my blood,” Reich said. “I’m not presuming anything at this point. I know this: I love the game, I feel like I’m prepared to keep giving to the game and the players and the coaches.”