Frank Reich: Playing the Colts is not personal
Frank Reich spent 4 1/2 seasons with the Colts, going 40-33-1 in the regular season and twice making the postseason. Almost exactly a year to the day since the Colts fired him nine games into last season, Reich faces the Colts as the coach of the Panthers.
"I don't want to stand up here and make this a personal thing, because it’s not,'' Reich said this week, via David Newton of ESPN.
Colts owner Jim Irsay fired Reich, who had 4 1/2 years left on his contract, and Irsay later said he "reluctantly gave" Reich an extension in August 2021.
Reich said he holds no animosity toward the Colts and maintains he left with "positive emotions."
"There's always disappointment over moving on, just like anybody who moves on in a job,'' Reich said. "You love the people you just left. You respect them. Then, you move on and you're focused on the next chapter in your life and your career.''
While Reich won't have a revenge pregame speech, he likely will get a game ball if the Panthers win. They won their first game last week with a victory over the Texans.
"He is as steady as they come as far as being the same guy, win or lose," said Panthers passing game coordinator Parks Frazier, who joined Reich with the Colts in 2018. "Always looking to get better, but at the same time having convictions about how you do things and sticking to that regardless of the results.''
