The news that Frank Reich was fired by the Indianapolis Colts wasn’t terribly surprising. Some owners stay behind the scenes and some don’t. Jim Irsay fits in the “don’t” category, so Reich’s firing a day after the Colts scored three points and had 121 yards of offense to run their losing streak to three was almost expected.
Even with a recent vote of confidence from Irsay that his position was safe, Reich was relived of his duties. It is hardly a new development for an owner to change his mind. What is new is naming an interim head coach with absolutely zero coaching experience at the NFL level. With Gus Bradley and John Fox on the current coaching staff, Irsay still named former Pro Bowl center and current Georgia high school football coach Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach.
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To say this is unprecedented isn’t quite true, as Norm Van Brocklin went from the 1960 NFL MVP with the Philadelphia Eagles to being the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in 1961 at the age of 35, but for it to happen in the modern era of the NFL is unquestionably unique, especially in the middle of the season.
The betting line between the Colts and Las Vegas Raiders for Week 10 hasn’t moved from the -6 it was when Reich still had a job and before Saturday was named the interim. The bigger problem in this whole equation is that Sam Ehlinger remains the starting quarterback for the Colts after getting sacked nine times against the Patriots with 43 net passing yards.
Whether or not Saturday’s hire amplifies the “Stink for Stroud” or “Be Bad for Bryce (Young)” campaigns remains to be seen, but the Colts are at a crossroads. Reich’s firing could be some foreshadowing for GM Chris Ballard and Irsay may be gearing up towards a complete house-cleaning going into 2023.
With an in-season win total of 6 at DraftKings Sportsbook, it would take quite an effort for the Colts to go 4-4 the rest of the way with everything that is going on to get to seven wins. That’s a bet you probably wanted to make heading into today before all the news broke, so it may make even more sense now.
