After seeing incumbent Philip Rivers retire, the Indianapolis Colts found his next answer in position, swinging a switch to Carson Wentz. Or, more precisely, the Colts agreed with the Philadelphia Eagles to complete a switch when to Wentz when the league’s new year opens next month.
This distinction explains why Colts coach Frank Reich technically cannot speak about Wentz in public, which complicated his question and answer session with local reporters on Thursday. Because he cannot speak about Wentz specifically, Reich spoke in general about certain types of players with certain characteristics, making it clear that he was referring to Wentz in everything except the name.
For example, Reich was asked about confidence and how it might affect a quarterback’s game, a clear reference to Wentz’s loss of confidence in Philadelphia last season.
“A very relevant issue,” said Reich, for The Athletic. “The level of confidence of the players (it is important) in all positions, certainly not just in the quarterback. I think one of the big misconceptions is that sometimes fans think that these are the best players in the world, (but) everyone loses their confidence for a moment. It may be brief, but it always comes back the same way. One way to regain confidence is to get back to basics. You go back to basics and technique. You go back to the basic schemes and build them one move at a time. This is true for any of us. So, this is how we will deal with each position. “
Fortunately for Reich, Wentz and the Colts, the team’s new defender already knows the basic schemes, because Reich used to be Wentz’s offensive coordinator in Philadelphia. Reich took care of that too, through the prism of Rios. Reich had previously been Rivers’ offensive coordinator in San Diego before they met in Indy last year.
“It really accelerated (progress), especially in the unique circumstances that we are with COVID and the limited low season that we had,” said Reich of Rivers’ pre-existing knowledge of the scheme. “It just helped to speed up the learning process of the attack. The relationship that needs to be built, there is a personal aspect to the training of the players. This is not just in a vacuum. There is a personal element to that. So at any time there is a connection personal with a player and a familiarity with the attack and the terminology, and what you’re trying to accomplish and the vision of what you’re trying to do, that can help speed it up. playing the way he played and leading the attack and the team the way he did, I think it helped a lot “.
One thing that Wentz has and Rivers doesn’t have, however, is mobility. At times, he relies too much on this mobility, trying to turn each move into a home run, but Reich seems excited to turn that ability into a weapon within the limits of the system. With “a quarterback that is more mobile, you get more nakeds and more bootlegs. He’s a threat to run, so he can make the action game look a little different,” said Reich. This should work in Wentz’s favor, especially with a strong offensive line in front of him.
There is a lot of work to be done to get Wentz back to playing at an initial level, not to mention the level he reached when he was a MVP candidate in 2017. The Colts bet is that familiarity with the coach and the system will provide a line foundation for success.