By: Pierre Wilson

We’re almost there!  Less than a month away from the NFL preseason kicking off in Canton, Ohio for the Hall of Fame Game.  With the preseason quickly approaching, that also means that NFL fantasy football drafts are picking up steam.

Many dynasty and best-ball leagues are already drafting full speed ahead, and soon more redraft leagues will also begin to take place.  In case you’re not familiar, redraft leagues are the fantasy football teams that you redraft from scratch every year.  It’s the most common style, to the casual fantasy football player, but I wanted to ensure all readers understood the terminology.

One of the main positions you’ll see flying off the board early in redraft leagues is the running backs.  This is because there aren’t many “bell cow” running backs (those that handle most of their team’s rushing volume) in the NFL anymore, so those “bell cows” tend to get drafted quickly.

The likes of Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, and Alvin Kamara among others, will likely be selected within the 1^st round in most redraft formats. What I’m looking to do is provide a few running back names that you can target late, towards the end of your draft, that might be able to provide depth or upside to set you apart from your league mates.

Here are 3 of those running back sleepers to target deeper in redraft leagues (in no particular order):

1. Marlon Mack (Indianapolis Colts) – The Colts 4^th round pick in the 2017 NFL draft could be one of the best running back values in 2021 fantasy drafts. Still only 25 years old, Mack has proven he can be a top end running back in the NFL.

Mack rushed for 908 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns in 2018, before following that up with a thousand-yard performance in 2019 when he rushed for 1,091 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns.  Even with the Colts selecting Wisconsin standout Jonathan Taylor in the 2^nd round of the 2020 draft, Mack entered Week 1 of the 2020 season as the lead back for the Colts against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

To begin that game, Taylor didn’t even see the field as Mack and 3^rd down back Nyheim Hines got most of the work.  During the 2^nd quarter of the game, Mack hit the ground holding his ankle after a check down from quarterback Philip Rivers.  He was eventually carted to the locker room and diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon.

That injury is likely the main reason Marlon Mack is such a value. Achilles injuries have been kryptonite for running backs and NFL players in general.  A 2018 study published in Foot and Ankle International showed about 73% of players returned to the NFL with 27-28% having a career-ending injury. The study also showed that postoperative performance was worse in running backs and linebackers.

The Achilles injury is the main reason folks are off Marlon Mack, but the Colts seem satisfied with the healing progress and brought Mack back on a 1-year deal.  Indianapolis also took a risk on one of the guys Mack will be running behind, in offensive tackle Eric Fisher.  Fisher joined the Colts after being released by the Chiefs when he sustained his own Achilles injury in the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills.  The Colts might be more comfortable with this injury now that many doctors are using a new twist on the miniature-open technique developed by a Duke Health foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon.

The new technique only requires a 3 cm incision versus the traditional approach of 8 cm to 12 cm incision that has a higher risk of infection or the wound healing properly and keeps patients off their feet longer.

With Mack’s injury happening early into the 2020 season, he should be ready to roll and will likely be implemented right back into the Colts rushing attack to help spell Taylor, and perhaps even find himself in a bigger role if Taylor were to suffer an injury himself.

Here’s hoping for a healthy Colts backfield in 2021 and a successful “return of the Mack”.

• Darrel Williams (Kansas City Chiefs) – The undrafted running back out of LSU brings value by being the handcuff to the running back out of LSU that was the 2020 1^st round pick of the Chiefs, in Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Darrel Williams didn’t have stats that jumped off the page in 2020, only rushing for 169 yards and a touchdown during the Chiefs regular season. Williams did, however, provide some stability to the Chiefs in the playoffs due to Edwards-Helaire recovering from injury.  Williams saw 13 attempts in the Divisional and Championship games rushing for 78 and 52-yards w/a touchdown respectively.

The Chiefs are obviously a pass-first team with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce, but do lean on the run to keep opposing defenses honest.  After a failed experiment of bringing in former star back Le’Veon Bell 6 weeks into the season, Williams should have less competition behind him in backing up CEH.

We also saw a healthy CEH have some struggles punching it in near the goal-line throughout the season, so Williams could be called upon as a bigger back in goal-line packages if those struggles from Edwards-Helaire continue.

Williams has climbed from the 4th string running back to the backup in just a couple of years, while being in one of the best offenses in all the NFL.  A couple things going his way, from an opportunity standpoint, and I believe he’s worth a look as a deep running back sleeper.

• Todd Gurley (Free Agent) – Todd Gurley? Who would have thought the 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year would be considered a deep sleeper just 4 years later?

The real life 2015 1st round pick has seen quite the fantasy football draft decline.  Viewed arguably as the top running back entering the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Gurley has found himself currently without a team, which plays a big part in fantasy value right now.  Many don’t want to waste a pick on someone that may not even play.

The decline of Todd Gurley started within the 2018 season where he still rushed for 1,251 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.  Reports started to surface that Gurley was dealing with an “arthritic component to his knee”, though Gurley claimed his knee was good entering the 2019 season.  Gurley would still finish 2019 (his last with the Rams) with 12 rushing touchdowns, but only compiling 857 rushing yards.

2020 would find Gurley returning to the state of Georgia, where he had his college success, as the lead back of the Atlanta Falcons.  Once again Gurley saw his numbers decline, rushing for only 678 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns.  The rushing touchdown upside is what still attracts me to Gurley if he were to land a roster spot with an NFL team.

Even with only being a few weeks shy of his 27th birthday, we can’t expect Gurley to provide the production we saw during his glory days with the Rams.  We all know that.  However, Gurley still showed he can get into the end-zone in Atlanta, and I believe he could be a serviceable goal-line back…stealing points from your favorite neighborhood RB1 and RB2.  We’ve seen teams like the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens linked to Gurley.  This makes sense, given the role Adrian Peterson played for the Lions last year rushing for 604 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns as a goal-line back and even as the lead back in games where starter D’Andre Swift was hurt.

An output like the 600/7 that Peterson put up would be a welcome sight for fantasy rosters if Gurley were to land with another NFL team.  Making him a deep fantasy sleeper to target in redrafts.

The post 3 deep RB sleepers for fantasy football redraft appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Pierre Wilson

The 2021 NFL Draft saw five quarterbacks go in the first round. This is due in part to that position being considered one of the most important for the success of an NFL franchise.  We’ll look back at this draft class in the future and have conversations about which teams got it right with their quarterback pick.

One draft class that’s looked back on quite a bit, for quarterbacks, is the 2012 class.  This group included number one overall pick Andrew Luck, third round pick and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson, another third rounder and Super Bowl champion Nick Foles, as well the talented veteran starters in Kirk Cousins and Ryan Tannehill.  Even undrafted Case Keenum has had a serviceable career in the NFL.

The one name not mentioned in the list above was actually the quarterback that was named the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Robert Griffin III.  RGIII took the league by storm his rookie year in Washington and had many debating if he should have been the number one overall pick, over Andrew Luck.

The shine on Griffin didn’t last much beyond his rookie season, so I wanted to take a look at the top three reasons for Robert Griffin III’s decline.

1. Injuries – Let’s get this obvious one out of the way first.  After a successful rookie campaign, one that included the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and leading the Washington Football Team to their first playoff appearance in five seasons, Griffin tore both his LCL and ACL in a 24-14 wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks on January 6^th in 2013. 

RGIII was never able to gain that rookie form again.  He was struggling in the 2013 season and that ultimately led to head coach, Mike Shanahan, allowing Kirk Cousins to start the final three games, (in order to avoid injuries to Griffin) with Washington already being eliminated from the playoffs that year.  Griffin would also dislocate his left ankle during the season opener in 2014, against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

2.Team Environment – One aspect that I think went overlooked in the Griffin decline was team environment. Many felt that Washington needed to move on from head coach Mike Shanahan, which led to the hiring of Jay Gruden in 2014.  Gruden had proven himself as an offensive minded coach in the Arena League, as well as in Cincinnati as offensive coordinator of the Bengals.  Many felt that Gruden’s scheme was never a fit for Griffin and was more centered around the talents of Kirk Cousins, who has similar mechanics and pocket presence of Bengals QB Andy Dalton.  Mike Shanahan’s scheme wasn’t all that complicated to many, and Griffin was able to easily pick up on the zone-read option and heavy dose of plays designed to the “X” wide receiver.  Gruden brought in a lot of different personnel packages and route combinations that RGIII was never able to adapt to, as it didn’t fit into the quarterback that he was. 

Griffin also didn’t necessarily have the offensive talent surrounding him.  The oft injured Jordan Reed didn’t have his breakout season until 2015, when Kirk Cousins had already been given the keys in Washington.  Alfred Morris broke out with Griffin in 2012 rushing for over 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns, under the Mike Shanahan scheme.  He would rush for over 1,000 yards three straight seasons though declining each year leading up to 2015, where he only rushed for 751 yards and a touchdown.  You then toss in some of the dysfunction and scandals that have been reported out of Washington with owner Dan Snyder, former GM Bruce Allen, and even photos of former head coach Jay Gruden himself enjoying the nightlife a little too much and you have to believe the team environment played a part in Griffin’s decline.

3. Pride – I want to start this by saying I can’t speak to Griffin’s character.  I wasn’t there and Robert Griffin III has always come off as a humble and well-spoken individual.  However, I believe pride impacts us all.  We all have moments in life where we feel a great deal of satisfaction in our own achievements and accomplishments.  This isn’t a bad thing.  We should 100% celebrate the wins in our lives, as they can be few and far between, but we can’t allow those to change us as a person.  It would be extremely hard as a young man coming out of college to be thrown into the spotlight of the NFL.  Many of your dreams as a child are now fulfilled in one moment.  We’re talking individuals that often come from very little, fighting and clawing their way to something.  Something better for themselves.  Something better for their family.  A life they never truly knew could be a reality…and that’s simply making it to the NFL.  When you then toss in first year success, after already breaking so many barriers, and the sky’s the limit.  You’re the man.  You’re the franchise.  You now have family, friends, teammates, coaches, agents, and endorsement companies all in your ear about who you are and what you can become.

For anyone, that would be something to feel prideful about and I believe that pride may have gotten to Robert Griffin III.  I feel pride led him to rush back from major injuries before he was ready.  I’m sure the organization played a big part of this too, but as an athlete you need to ensure you do what’s best for yourself, family and your own career first.  Something that I think athletes today do a better job of and receive a lot of scrutiny for.  I think pride also led RGIII to believe he was bigger than the team at times.  He thought he was more polished in the pocket than he was.  He felt he was the main reason for the franchise’s success.  A former teammate and NFL wide receiver, Santana Moss, had an interesting quote to a reporter back in 2014 when he said, “No one who ever played this game can do it on their own or can’t be helped by good coaching.  I know everything this game gave to me I got because of what I did and what my coaches and teammates did to help me.  And no matter how much talent you have, it can change quick in this game.  You gotta know that.  You gotta remember that.”

I think that’s something we all can remember in our own lives.  None of us are bigger and better than those that helped us get to where we are along the way.  All of the major accomplishments in our lives aren’t just because of us as individuals.  It’s about who helped us along the way.  Who kept pushing us to keep trying?  Who helped us along the way when we stumbled?  Who encouraged us to keep fighting towards our goals?  Who cheered for us through ups and downs?  Pride often leads to us forgetting those people and focusing solely on ourselves.  I, personally, feel that played a part in the decline of Robert Griffin III. 

The good news for him is that he has still been able to live out his dreams beyond Washington, spending the last few seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before being waived in January of this year.  I truly hope his time was well spent in Baltimore, as they have a franchise quarterback themselves, to whom RGIII should have been the perfect mentor for…as long as he didn’t let his pride get in the way.

The post 3 reasons Robert Griffin III Lost his Spark appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Pierre Wilson

During this time of year, we see a lot of NFL rankings circulating.  The draft is over and a majority of free agency and trades have happened.  Now it’s time for folks to look at rosters and depth charts to try to predict outcomes on the season.  Power rankings for the teams themselves, fantasy football rankings for dynasty, redraft, and superflex type leagues.  Positional rankings, standard and PPR, you name it. 

With this piece we’re going to tackle the newcomers under center – the rookie quarterbacks – and how I see “Offensive Rookie of The Year” falling for these gunslingers.  Here we go…

6) Davis Mills (Houston Texans) – Starting off the beaten path a bit with Davis Mills out of Stanford.  This award is often about opportunity and Mills could be provided just that, given the Deshaun Watson situation. 

The Texans selected Mills with their first pick in the NFL draft.  A pick that didn’t come until the 3^rd round but seemed to speak volumes for that quarterback room.  With only journeyman Tyrod Taylor in front of him, it’s possible Mills could impress the Texans brass and get an early opportunity.  His selection got a boost from Texans QB Coach, Pep Hamilton, who has ties to Stanford and their head coach David Shaw.

5) Mac Jones (New England Patriots) – Mac Jones comes in at number five due to a few question marks surrounding the Patriots and their offense.  For starters, it’s likely he’ll begin the season behind Cam Newton.  The recent signing of Brian Hoyer has some wondering if that could be a sign of Newton being released.  My guess would be “No”, as Brian Hoyer has been bad in recent years.

I expect Cam Newton to still get the first crack at the starting job.  With that, I believe the offense will be more focused on the run game and quick passing attack.  The Patriots really focused on adding weapons in the offseason with the addition of tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, as well as wide receiver Nelson Agholor.  Agholor brings some deep threat abilities, but many of the targets in New England appear to be bigger bodies across the middle and blocking, when looking at the tight ends and wide receivers like N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers.

It’s possible we see Mac Jones later in the season, because clearly the former Alabama quarterback has some talent, given his college resume.  It’s also quite possible that Alabama head coach Nick Saban convinced his friend Bill Belichick of this talent, but I’m not confident we see him enough in year one or with the right team offensive mindset to be offensive rookie of the year. 

4) Trey Lance (San Francisco 49ers) – Similar to Mac Jones, I’m just not sure when Trey Lance will actually take the field.  Some analysts are saying a year or two and I think that makes sense. The 49ers haven’t traded incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo and he’s still only a year removed from leading San Fran to the Super Bowl.  The Niners dealt with a plethora of injuries last season to big time starters like DE Nick Bosa, TE George Kittle, CB Richard Sherman, RB Raheem Mostert, and even Jimmy G himself who had a bum ankle most of the year.

Allowing Trey Lance (who just turned 21 this month) some time to learn the offense behind a veteran like Garoppolo makes a ton of sense. The likely lack of snaps is what brings him in at number four.  The 49ers have a good offensive line and some nice weapons on the roster like Kittle, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.  If it was a known fact that Lance would be the day one starter, he’d be higher on this list.

3) Zach Wilson (New York Jets) – Zach Wilson comes in at number three and it’s not for lack of opportunity, as has been the case leading up to this point.  Wilson should have every opportunity, from the start, to be the franchise quarterback for the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.  The number two overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft will be thrown right into the spotlight.

Wilson threw for over 3,600 yards, 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions during his junior year at BYU.  The level of competition is put into question, due to the Cougars biggest win coming at Boise State back on November 6^th of 2020.  Their only other ranked opponent was a late season loss at Coastal Carolina, which stopped their run at an undefeated season.

One big question is how we feel about the talent and coaching staff surrounding Zach Wilson. One likely bright spot is new head coach Robert Saleh, who was hired after his stint as 49ers defensive coordinator.  I say “likely”, as it will be extremely hard to come in and underperform based on the expectations that were set by previous head coach Adam Gase.  What we should find out is how much of the Jets issue was, in fact, Gase.

The team shipped off, who many assumed would be the franchise quarterback of the future, in Sam Darnold.  Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers to make way for Wilson.  The attention will turn to Wilson now to determine if Darnold was the issue.  Many believe Wilson is surrounded by good young talent with a receiving corps that includes Denzel Mims, newly acquired free agent Corey Davis, highly touted rookie Elijah Moore, and solid veterans in Jamison Crowder and Keelan Cole.  How much better this group is, when compared to a younger Crowder, healthy Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, and aging vets Demaryius Thomas and Le’veon Bell, will likely be the telling sign of how successful Zach Wilson will be in New York.

2) Justin Fields (Chicago Bears) – Now before you jump on me about lack of opportunity in comparison to Trey Lance and Mac Jones, I think Fields is in a different situation.  Andy Dalton was signed by the Bears this offseason as QB1, but those plans quickly changed when the Bears had the opportunity to trade up in the draft for Fields.

Cam Newton showed some signs early in the season last year for the Patriots before his case with COVID. Jimmy G led the 49ers to the Super Bowl and was five minutes or so away from winning it.  Dalton doesn’t have that in Chicago and was merely serviceable in Dallas, once Dak Prescott went down. 

This situation paves the way, in my opinion, for Justin Fields to make his starting debut early In the season.  If he does, Fields is in prime position to make a run at OROY.  Of the potential candidates, he has the most talented wide receiver in Allen Robinson who had 1,250 yards, 6 touchdowns and 102 receptions with Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky under center last year. 

Fields also has some up-and-coming weapons that many are excited about in WR Darnell Mooney and TE Cole Kmet.  The Bears also have some talent in the backfield that’s capable of catching the ball in David Montgomery, a healthy Tarik Cohen, and the addition of Damien Williams who sat out for the Kansas City Chiefs last year (due to COVID) after helping them win the Super Bowl the year prior.

Toss in, whom many believe to be a good offensive coach in Matt Nagy, and Justin Fields (who I felt was the second-best quarterback in the draft) has a lot of good parts around him for an OROY run.

1) Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Surprise, Surprise!  The number one overall pick in the NFL Draft comes in at number one.  In the eyes of many, the Clemson product comes in as the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck.  Lawrence threw for over 10,000 yards, 90 touchdowns and only 17 interceptions during his three seasons at Clemson…only losing 2 games in his career.

Lawrence will likely get used to losing in Jacksonville, joining a team that went 1-15 last season to earn the opportunity of selecting him as their franchise quarterback.  He’s joined by new head coach Urban Meyer, who had a lot of success in his college coaching career, mostly in the spotlight at Florida and Ohio State. 

The Jaguars and Lawrence are in a similar situation as the Jets and Wilson are.  Both guys drafted one and two as franchise quarterbacks, new head coaches, young offensive weapons – as the Jags run out DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault, James Robinson, and Clemson teammate Travis Etienne.  They also added veteran wideout Marvin Jones Jr which gives Lawrence solid talent around him.

The hype around Trevor Lawrence also gives him a leg up on the competition.  Like it or not, if it’s a close race, Lawrence will likely be given the nod because of who he is.  Unlike Zach Wilson he’s well known to even the casual fans, due to the big stage in college football.  He played in the college football playoffs all three of his seasons at Clemson, going up against the best of the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC.  The marketability is already there, and he will be given every chance to be the “Offensive Rookie of the Year”.

Add in the fact that he’ll get to play the Houston Texans twice a year, and I believe Trevor Lawrence is the odds-on favorite quarterback to win the Offensive Rookie of The Year award.

The post Ranking QB rookie of the year candidates appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Pierre Wilson

The AFC South is one of the most polarizing and mysterious divisions in the league. The figures leading the AFC South teams match the reputation of the AFC division. In this bite, I’m going to rank the coaches and dive into the profiles of each outlier. Let’s begin.

4) David Culley – The new head coach of the Houston Texans kicks us off.  This is mostly due to the unknown surrounding what type of head coach Culley will be.  This will be Culley’s first head coaching opportunity, but he does come with 25+ years of NFL coaching experience.  Most of Culley’s coaching experience has come as a wide receiver’s coach.  His most recent position combining WR coach, passing game coordinator, and assistant head coach title with the Baltimore Ravens last season.

Culley’s big chance was met with a big blow, as he was hired during a time of turmoil with the team’s franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson.  At the time, the situation was simply Watson wanting out of Houston due to the state of the team.  This has since evolved into a much more serious situation, leaving Culley with a QB depth chart of Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Finley, and recently drafted rookie Davis Mills. 

Hitching his first head coaching opportunity to the Tyrod Taylor wagon, likely isn’t the start David Culley envisioned for his head coaching career.  He may want to steal a play from the Chargers playbook and keep the team doctor on standby.

3) Urban Meyer – Now I’m sure the college critics from Columbus and Gainesville will roll their eyes here, as Urban Meyer is one of the winningest coaches in college football history.  Winning over 85% of your collegiate games as head coach is quite the accomplishment.   Add in 3 National Championships and Urban Meyer brings quite the pedigree to the NFL.

My main concern is how Meyer will make the transition to the National Football League. The example that comes to mind is Nick Saban, during his time in Miami.  However, back in 2005 when Saban took the Dolphins head coaching position, he didn’t have the pedigree that Urban Meyer has to start his NFL tenure.  Saban does now, but back then it was just the good run he had at LSU carrying him. 

Urban Meyer is more comparable to Pete Carroll, in my eyes, who spent many years with USC and had a win percentage of 80%…along with a couple of National Championships.  Carroll has found success in the NFL winning a Super Bowl and being one horrible coaching decision away from a second championship with the Seahawks.  Carroll did have coaching experience in the NFL, prior to Seattle, which is something Meyer lacks heading into his first professional opportunity with the Jaguars.

I do believe Urban Meyer will find success in the NFL.  Jacksonville drafted what many believe will be a franchise quarterback, for years to come, in Trevor Lawrence.  Many of your coaching success stories depend on the make-up of your roster and who’s calling the shots under center.  If Meyer and the Jags can keep adding talent around Lawrence, Meyer will climb up those AFC South coaching rankings, and Jaguars fans will be shouting “DUVAL” proudly for the foreseeable future.

2) Mike Vrabel – Vrabel comes in at number two here and ties a lot of things together in the process.  Titans fan will argue this spot as he comes in with a better career winning percentage, as head coach, than the guy at number one.

When you think Mike Vrabel, you probably think New England Patriots and rightfully so.  Vrabel spent 2001-2008 with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls. 

However, he’s not the rare success story from the Bill Belichick coaching tree.  In fact, he’s more tied to the guy that came in at number three from a coaching standpoint.  Vrabel spent his college career playing defensive end for Ohio State University from 1993 to 1996.  His first coaching opportunity would come from his alma mater, as Ohio State linebackers coach, on July 10^th, 2011.  On December 21^st of 2011 the new Ohio State head coach decided to keep Vrabel a part of his coaching staff and made him the defensive line coach.

Vrabel transitioned to the NFL in 2014 as a linebackers coach for the Texans, before getting his big break in 2018 as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.  Vrabel has led the Titans to a 29-19 regular season record over the past 3 years, including back-to-back playoff appearances with a trip to the AFC Championship in 2019 on the back of star running back Derrick Henry.

1) Frank Reich – Not a shock for anyone that knows me, but Frank Reich comes in as the number one head coach in the AFC South.  Just as some forget that Vrabel wasn’t a part of the Bill Belichick coaching circle, the Colts benefitted from someone backing out of the position and returning to that circle. 

Back in 2018 it was reported that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was set to accept the Indianapolis Colts head coaching job offered by new Colts GM Chris Ballard.  Then things got weird as McDaniels got cold feet and left the Colts at the altar. 

What happens when you’re left at the altar?  Well naturally you turn to the pastor, which the Colts did when making the call to Frank Reich.  Reich had been well known in NFL circles.  Most notably for the 1993 NFL wild card game in which he led the Buffalo Bills back from a 35-3 deficit against the Houston Oilers.  The Bills would win 41-38 in overtime and the 32-point deficit remains the largest comeback in NFL history. 

Reich wasn’t new to Indy, spending 2006-2007 as a coaching intern before serving as an offensive coaching staff assistant under Tony Dungy in 2008.  Reich would remain on the Colts staff under new head coach Jim Caldwell before being released, with the entire staff, after 2011.

Reich would come full circle and return to Indianapolis in 2018, after helping to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl Championship (as offensive coordinator) over the New England Patriot.

Reich found success early in his first season as head coach, leading the Colts to the playoffs and a wild card road win over the division winning Texans.  The Colts would lose the next week in Kansas City, and go into the offseason looking at a promising future.

Before the start of the 2019 season, that promising future came to a grinding halt as franchise quarterback Andrew Luck opted for early retirement.  This set the Colts back quite a bit, but Reich did some of his best coaching during that time. 

The Colts started the 2019 season 5-2 under QB Jacoby Brissett before a knee injury against the Steelers took their promising start off track.  Colts turned to backup QB Brian Hoyer and a less than 100% Brissett the remainder of the season and could never recover.

Going out in the offseason and getting old man Philip Rivers in 2020 proved what a coach that Frank Reich really is.  Many wrote off Rivers due to age, lack of arm strength and his poor decision making towards the end of his time with the Chargers.  During a strange time of no preseason and limited offseason work, due to the pandemic, the Colts and Reich turned in an 11-5 season – losing a tiebreaker to the Titans for the division.  They would also have an early playoff exit, losing on the road to Reich’s old team (the Buffalo Bills) in what most considered the best playoff game in 2020.

A regular season record of 28-20, two playoff appearances, with three different quarterbacks is a solid resume for Reich.  Toss in the fact that he’s being reunited with the QB that played a huge part in the Eagles making the playoffs for the magical Super Bowl run in 2017, in Carson Wentz, and Frank Reich comes in number one in my AFC South head coach rankings.

The post AFC South Coach Rankings appeared first on Pro Football Mania.