Getty Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich is entering his fifth season with the team in 2022.
With one week of preseason games to go, ESPN released its newest NFL power rankings. At No. 14, the Indianapolis Colts’ position on the rankings didn’t change, but fans may perk up at the write up that was included with the team’s rating.
On the rankings, ESPN beat writers for each team named one person from each organization that is on the hot seat heading into this season. For the Colts, ESPN’s Stephen Holder named head coach Frank Reich as the member of Indianapolis’ franchise with the hottest seat.
“Now entering his fifth season, Reich does not seem in jeopardy of being fired. But the stakes are still high,” Holder wrote. “The Colts have what they believe is the best team of his tenure, and owner Jim Irsay is growing increasingly impatient, as the franchise has just one playoff victory since 2014. It’s also notable that Reich was a driving force behind last season’s failed Carson Wentz experiment.
“If the Colts fall short again, Reich will find himself on thin ice.”
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Irsay’s High Expectations
Irsay may not be Jerry Jones or George Steinbrenner, but the Colts owner definitely has his own way of raising the stakes publicly. And while Holder actually wrote that Reich “does not seem” close to being fired, which is traditionally the definition of hot seat, there’s certainly an emphasis in Indianapolis to win now.
When speaking to the media at training camp on August 17, he made a few things very clear. Irsay spoke at length about “creating a new era” of success and winning “that next Lombardi Trophy.”
He also shared what the Colts need to do to make that goal a reality.
“We know going into it, it’s about Tennessee [Titans]. It’s about winning the division,” Irsay said. “It’s about going against those guys who have been very tough.”
The Titans are expected to take a step back without star wide receiver A.J. Brown on offense, but with perennial Coach of the Year candidate Mike Vrabel, Irsay is right — Tennessee is always tough.
In the new ESPN power rankings, the Titans are ranked No. 11.
Indianapolis has lost four of the last five, including three in a row versus Tennessee. The last time the Colts swept the Titans was 2018.
Reich Aiming to End Multiple Droughts
It sounds like beating Tennessee twice for the first time in four years would please Irsay, but really, knocking off the Titans will just get the Colts closer to their ultimate goals — winning the division and the Super Bowl.
The Colts haven’t won the AFC South in eight years, which, as Holder explained, is part of why Irsay could be growing impatient.
While Reich has led the Colts to two double-digit win seasons and another winning season (9-8), Indianapolis hasn’t won the division since Chuck Pagano was head coach.
The Colts’ best record with Reich has been 11-5 in 2020. Indianapolis hasn’t posted more than 11 victories in a season since 2009, which was the last time the Colts went to the Super Bowl. Indianapolis’ last Super Bowl title came after the 2006 season.
For a lot of franchises, 15 years isn’t that long to go without a championship. But don’t tell that to Irsay.