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The Indianapolis Colts made Frank Reich the first midseason fired head coach for the organization since Jim Irsay became primary owner in 1997.
The move reportedly left the Indianapolis locker room stunned. One player that, in particular, is taking the news hard is left guard Quenton Nelson.
In his first opportunity since Reich’s firing to speak in front of the media, Nelson thanked the only head coach he’s ever known in the NFL and blamed himself for Reich losing his job.
“Love him as a coach and person, and appreciate everything he’s done for the Colts and my success,” Nelson said. “A lot of that is because of him.
“I feel like there’s times this season I let down coach Frank and contributed to his firing.”
Nelson Became a Fixture of the Reich Era in Indianapolis
The left guard will always hold the distinction of being the first ever player drafted in the Reich era with the Colts. Indianapolis selected Nelson sixth overall in the 2018 NFL draft.
He immediately made an impact, earning a first-team All-Pro nomination as a rookie. The second draft pick of the Reich era, linebacker Shaquille Leonard, also made first-team All Pro in 2018. Nelson and Leonard quickly became pillars for the Colts to build upon in the coming years.
The Colts struggled up front on offense from 2014-17, but with the arrival of Nelson, that changed. Indianapolis developed one of the best offensive lines in the league starting in 2018 with Nelson at the forefront.
It peaked in 2021 with a rushing title for second-year running back Jonathan Taylor.
Nelson made first-team All Pro in each of his first three seasons from 2018-20 and then second-team All Pro in 2021. With that success, which Nelson credited a lot to Reich on November 9, Nelson signed a 4-year, $80 million contract on September 10.
The Collapse of Indianapolis’ Offensive Line
As quickly as the Colts offensive line came to prominence, it just as quickly declined.
Through the first nine weeks of the 2022 season, Indianapolis has allowed the most sacks (35) and quarterback hits (82) in the NFL. That pressure on the quarterback is a big reason why the Colts also lead the league with 17 turnovers and are last in air yards per attempt (6.0).
Add that all up, and one gets an offense that will struggle to score. The Colts have averaged 14.7 points per game this season, which is the lowest total in the NFL.
Advanced statistics tell the same story for the Indianapolis offensive line. Pro Football Focus has the Colts line ranked 29th in run blocking and pass protection.
Nelson has continued to earn high marks in pass blocking from PFF, but he hasn’t been as dominant at creating holes in the ground game. Through nine weeks, PFF has Nelson ranked 33rd in run blocking out of 60 offensive guards who have played at least half of their team’s offensive snaps.
PFF has the Colts left guard rated 24th overall among the same group. While that’s not bad, it’s not the ranking expected from the highest-paid guard in the league.
Nelson is still one of the better members of the Colts offensive line, but that’s the other issue. The unit will only be as good as its weakest leak.
Regardless of his teammates, though, Nelson is apparently aware of his own shortcomings and made them public with his comments on Reich’s firing.
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