Colts coach Reich goes against former team
A second consecutive trip to play an NFC East team has a different wrinkle for the underdog Indianapolis Colts, considering first-year head coach Frank Reich was offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in February.
But while Reich answered the numerous expected questions about his Philadelphia connection on Monday and Wednesday, he didn’t say anything to players about his return to Lincoln Financial Field for Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff between 1-1 teams.
“No, he literally hasn’t said a single thing about the Super Bowl, him being there, anything,” rookie running back Nyheim Hines said Wednesday. “He hasn’t said anything to the team about it and he hasn’t made it seem personal at all, but just as a player and knowing where he came from, I know it probably means a lot.”
That Reich knows the Eagles offense and quarterback Carson Wentz, who is expected to make his season debut, is considered a non-factor because the opponent is so familiar with Reich, too.
The Colts gained a large measure of confidence in a 21-9 win at Washington, where they were six-point underdogs. It’s the first time the Colts haven’t allowed a touchdown in a game since 2016.
But the team realizes that playing the reigning Super Bowl champions will be an even greater challenge. And they’re facing the Eagles after they lost 27-21 at Tampa Bay.
“I just think they have depth,” Reich said. “They are good up front on both sides of the ball. Obviously great play at quarterback, whoever is in there (Nick Foles or Wentz), but they got depth up front on both sides of the ball. That was the key to their success last year and what’s so good about this team.
“They are an extremely well-coached team. I know from the offense looking at the defense, I think Jim Schwartz is one of the better defensive coordinators in the NFL. The guy is brilliant, smart, really good in-game adjustments. I feel like he has a great feel for the game. I learned a lot coaching with him, watching how he coached the defense and seeing how he prepared his guys.”
That Wentz is finally back in the lineup after being lost in the 13th game to a knee injury a year ago will also provide an emotional boost.
“It’s going to be an electric atmosphere,” Reich said. “Carson is a rising, young superstar in this league. That city has really embraced him, he has embraced the city. So it will be like when (Colts quarterback) Andrew (Luck) ran out here (in Week 1). It will be something like that.”
Luck, who missed all of last season due to shoulder surgery, has thrived in Reich’s offense. He’s spread the ball around and thrown more short-range passes to move the chains. The Colts have converted a league-best 60.6 percent of third downs.
“We are anticipating a great crowd,” Luck said. “It’s Philly, ‘The City of Brotherly Love.’ They are going to be really happy and excited. It’s always fun to go on the road and play against a really good team. That’s fun.”
The Eagles have the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense against the run, so the Colts are sure to throw an array of passes to running backs to get them in open space, especially if the yards are hard to come by on the ground. The Colts have been utilizing three backs in Hines, leading rusher Jordan Wilkins and Marlon Mack.
“They all have a different flavor or a different flair,” Luck said of his backs. “That certainly goes for everybody in this locker room. Everybody brings a great personality and sort of their piece to the puzzle. Certainly they do some things maybe a little better than others and the accent of their game. So, having all three of them is a fun arsenal.”
But Tampa Bay’s ability to exploit mismatches with big pass plays against the Eagles also suggests Reich will turn Luck loose at times to throw the ball down the field against the league’s 28th-ranked pass defense.
Pro Bowl wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Eric Ebron, who are among the best at stretching the field, have caught touchdown passes in each of the two games.
What Reich is also mindful and wary of is the Eagles’ offensive penchant for big plays. He knows Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz is one of the game’s best with a team-high 142 yards receiving. Ertz is one of those rare tight ends who, like Ebron, can run deeper patterns and stretch defenses.
“That guy is a playmaker,” Reich said. “You’ve got to know where he is at all times. We know he is a favorite target of Carson’s and they are going to find ways to single him up, put him on the back side of formations, move him around a little bit, find ways to get him the ball.
“So the key is he is going to get some catches, I mean he is just too good of a player. You’ve just got to minimize them. I think a big key against this team, against any team really, is just eliminate or minimize the explosive plays. Make them go the long road.”
SERIES HISTORY: 19th regular-season meeting. Colts lead series, 10-8. The Eagles won the previous meeting, 30-27, in 2014 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts lost 26-24 in 2010 in their only other previous trip to Lincoln Financial Field. That defeat snapped a four-game series winning streak. The teams have split 10 career games in Philadelphia.
