What helped lead to an Indianapolis loss Sunday will perhaps propel the Colts to some wins down the line.
It was a move rookie head coach Frank Reich made — one that didn’t work out — that might galvanize his team.
Tied 34-34 with the Texans in overtime, Reich sent a message to his players when he opted to go for it on fourth-and-4 from his own 43-yard line. Andrew Luck’s pass, intended for Chester Rogers, was low and incomplete. The Texans took possession of the ball and, a short time later, won the game with a field goal.
Reich, a former NFL quarterback and a successful offensive coordinator in the league before the Colts hired him in the offseason, made it clear to his players when he was hired that he was going to be aggressive on offense.
New head coaches talk tough all the time, making promises to their fan base. Not all of them back that talk up. Jets fans might remember the bluster coming from Rex Ryan about how his defense was going to take over the league.
Reich backed up his words Sunday. And, even though the move didn’t work, his confidence in his players likely will pay off later.
“I’m not playing to tie,” Reich told reporters after the game. “I’ll do that 10 times out of 10. That’s just the way it’s got to roll. I think that’s who we’re going to be as a team: We’re going to be aggressive. That’s a mindset that we have. That’s the only way to win in this league I think.”
This was music to the ears of his players, who all backed him.
“Love it. Love it,” Luck said. “We’re not going to play for a tie, and I think everybody in that locker room loves that. I love that. Now we have to execute. I have to throw a better ball. We all know where we have to improve. That attitude, we can get behind that. We had a discussion before the play and I agreed. We did not execute well enough. I didn’t give Chester enough of a chance to make a play, and I’m sick to my stomach about it. I know Frank’s not second guessing it.’
And he shouldn’t. Reich put the ball — and the game — in the hands of his best player. It didn’t work out this time. It surely will in the future.
Luck threw for four TDs and 464 yards, nearly 250 of which came in the second half without his best receiver, T.Y. Hilton, who was forced out of the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.
Hilton lamented not being on the field in overtime since that failed throw to Rogers likely would have been going to him.
“Supposed to have been a ball for me,” Hilton said. “[I] wanted to be out there with my team. Hurt me. Great play call. I liked it all. Frank has trust in us, and I have trust in him. We’re playing for a win. That’s what you play for.”
And that’s why Reich’s players will play for him. That’s why, even in a disappointing loss, some good came out of it for future games.
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