Colts' Reich on McDaniels: 'Backup role has suited me well in my career'
New Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich gracefully addressed the elephant in the room during Tuesday's introductory press conference.
Asked by former Colts punter Pat McAfee if he loved or hated Josh McDaniels for snubbing Indy, Reich simply quipped, "The backup role has suited me well in my career," according to Zak Keefer of the Indy Star.
The New England Patriots offensive coordinator backed out of his deal with the Colts at the last minute, forcing the team to go after Reich, who spent 13 seasons in the NFL primarily as a backup quarterback.
Done deal pic.twitter.com/R9Is45fEB3
— Chris Hagan (@ChrisHaganIndy) February 13, 2018
McDaniels was supposed to overhaul the offensive system around Andrew Luck, bringing over the system that had helped propel the Patriots to multiple Super Bowl titles.
Instead, the Colts will look to replicate the Philadelphia Eagles' successful philosophy, with Reich confirming he'll be calling the plays, according to Stephen Holder of the Indy Star.
"Multiple, attacking, uptempo offense. We will be aggressive. We will be multiple (in terms of) personnel groupings ... A strong element of no-huddle," Reich said.
The health of Luck remains the crucial question in Indy following a lost season due to a shoulder injury. Reich showered the veteran quarterback with praise but emphasized that the Colts must be more than just one player.
"I believe he's the best. I think he's great," he said. "But this game is not built on any one player. I just came off a team that lost our QB and won the Super Bowl."