When Frank Reich began his tenure as the Colts head coach in 2018, the team had Andrew Luck at quarterback and the plan was for that to remain the case for years to come.
It didn’t take long for that plan to change, however. Luck retired after Reich’s first season in Indianapolis and the rest of his time with the team was spent chasing a starter who would be a long-term answer at the position. The Colts never found one, however, and Reich was fired in the middle of the 2022 season.
Reich is now the head coach of the Panthers and there’s no plan in place at quarterback this time around. The Panthers used three starters en route to a 7-10 record and Reich said he knows he has to come in “with a vision” of what the team will do at a crucial position. He also knows that he may have to shift that vision due to unforeseen circumstances and that he thinks his time with the Colts prepares him for that.
“I’ve had to work with the young, the old, the pocket passer, the guy who moves,” Reich said, via Darin Gantt of the team’s website. “And I think even though it wasn’t always an ideal scenario, like in Indy having a different quarterback every year, I did learn a lot through it because you’re forced to adapt and evolve your offense around different styles of quarterbacks. So I just think that bodes well. I’m always learning and growing as a coach; I’m able to better articulate how things do change, depending on the style of quarterback that we have.”
Reich noted that there’s been a move “more to the movement-type quarterback” in recent seasons, but that he also knows “we’re going to have to be good from the pocket.” Finiding someone who can handle those responsibilities will have a heavy hand in determining where things go for Reich in Carolina.