Chargers promote Frank Reich to offensive coordinator

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 14, 2014, 7:11 PM EST
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The Chargers have acted quickly to replace departed offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.

Frank Reich, who spent last season as the Chargers’ quarterbacks coach, will take over as their offensive coordinator now that Whisenhunt has left to become the head coach of the Titans.

Chargers coach Mike McCoy said Reich was an obvious choice after a good season of work with quarterback Philip Rivers.

“With Frank as offensive coordinator, we will be able to maintain continuity on offense and help maximize the production by Philip and the entire unit,” McCoy said in a statement. “He has a great feel for the offense we have created and he has been a valuable asset to Philip and all of the quarterbacks.”

Prior to joining the Chargers’ staff a year ago, Reich spent a year working for Whisenhunt in Arizona, as the Cardinals’ wide receivers coach. Before that he spent four seasons as a Colts assistant coach under Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell.

Reich is best known to football fans for his years as a backup quarterback to Jim Kelly in Buffalo. With Reich filling in for an injured Kelly, the Bills overcame a 35-3 deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in a 1993 playoff game, the biggest comeback in NFL history.

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22 responses to “Chargers promote Frank Reich to offensive coordinator”

  1. I didn’t even know he was on that staff/ Good luck sir, you’ve a nice QB and a pretty good RB when healthy as well as OROY WR in K Allen.

  2. Interesting that the most famous or renowned win in Bills’ history occurred with Frank Reich at QB and not Jim Kelly. which is further proof that GREAT teams don’t need elite QBs to be successful. It was that way in 1993, and it’s that way now…

  4. I was a huge Warren Moon fan because he played at UW. In case you don’t know, the NFL basically didn’t want black QBs in those days…it took him five years of destroying the CFL record books to get a chance to play for an NFL team. The Moon led Oilers could have won it all that year just to have Frank Reich pull off the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen. I felt bad for Moon afterwards, but that was a masterpiece by Reich. Not surprised that he’s a great coach, too.

  5. I don’t know why we don’t see this more often. SD knew there was a good shot they would lose Whisenhunt, like many teams know their guy is on the radar of other teams and even being interviewed.
    But very often we see teams reacting with “umm, now what do we do?” when their coach goes elsewhere.
    Obviously SD had a plan. Good for them.

    Hopefully, for them, it turns out to be a good plan.

  6. a lot of good organizations and smart coaches would just elevate a guy from within like a Parcells, Gibbs and Landry and Walsh.

  7. I remember that game, like everyone else I thought the game was over.
    I hope it works out for him.

  8. The nfl didn’t want black qb’s in those days???? Come on. Janes Harris, Doug Williams. They just didn’t think Moon could be an nfl qb. Of course those people were terribly wrong.

  10. I was fortunate enough to attend the Fellowship of Christian Athletes annual Hall of Faith dinner, when Kelly introduced Reich as a recipient. A most interesting note I later learned is that Reich also was the QB (for Maryland, I think) for the greatest comeback in NCAA history. I have been hoping for good things for Reich since that night.

  12. I’m getting awfully tired of hearing about that playoff game.
    The Bills were playing at home , and throughout virtually the entire second half , penalty after penalty that should have been called against Buffalo , inexplicably wasn’t. As the comeback got underway , Buffalo players realized that the refs were calling a very , very loose game and , in turn , ratcheted up their manhandling of Houston’s receivers as they ran their routes. On the final interception that set up the tying touchdown , Darryl Talley was holding on for dear life right in front of the official , but like everything else in that second half that wasn’t called , that one wasn’t , either.
    This is one reason why Buffalo lost to Dallas by a 52-17 score a couple of weeks later , because everyone in America — including probably a lot of the Bills’ players and coaches — knew the Bills didn’t belong on the same field as the Cowboys.

  15. Probably a good hire and the perfect situation for SD and Rivers.

    That said, someone with time on their hands (there was an article the last couple years here at PFT about it, so…) will do some faux hand wringing and display moral disagreement, saying that the Rooney Rule should extend to OC and DC positions.

  16. Reich is a class act all the way. I still remember his comments after that game when he was asked how it felt, and his response was “the biggest thrill of my life, except for my daughters being born.” I wish him the best of success.

  18. @craniator
    Really? They cheated? An old Oilers fan… Still complaining. How about that D that got torched by Andre Reed? The Oilers were soft and everyone knew it. As a Bills fan I can admit the Cowboys punished us but at least we got there…

  19. Wow, greatest comebacks in NFL and NCAA history. I’m a Chargers fan and didn’t even know that. One comeback could be a fluke; two is a definite statement of a man’s character. Must have an incredibly winning attitude. Hopefully he will instill his perseverance, courage and tenaciousness into the entire Chargers’ offense.

  20. To all Charger fans, from what I have read in other comments, I was another one that did not know that “Frank Reich” was on S D’s coaching staff. I would just like to wish him and his family all of the best in his new coaching job, and I ‘ll be looking forward to see just what kind of coaching job that ” Mr. Reich” does in the 2014 season and see just what kind of a season he will have, comparied, to the 2013 season, just like a lot of other SD fans. Just think the Chargers could possible be in the play offs at the end of the 2014 season. Also, while I am on the subject of play offs. Just let me throw this question out there for Chargers fans. Just how many of you fans have ever stopped and wondered why S D Chargers do not make the play offs very often and when they do make the play offs they never last very long in the play offs ,correct ? Then let me ask another question and see jst what kind of answers that you can come up with then. Doesn’t anybody ever wonder why the Chargers have so many injuries to their main players year after year and always seems near the end of the season with maybe 2-3 games left to play. Just like this year,last year and going even futher back a few years. Just look at all of the main players hurt this season even before the play off’s even started. Yes, I know that all teams have injured players and near the end of the season, but that does not count for the fact that S D Chargers,have a lot of their very main players on IR or some other type of injure list. It keeps happening every year just like it did this year and it didn’t help the Chargers at all in the play offs. IMHO, I just do not beleive, that it is some kind of just a coincidence that all these main players keep getting hurt and are uselly and always near the end of the season, can anybody explain this and why it keeos
    s

  21. bobzilla1001 says:Jan 14, 2014 7:36 PM

    Interesting that the most famous or renowned win in Bills’ history occurred with Frank Reich at QB and not Jim Kelly. which is further proof that GREAT teams don’t need elite QBs to be successful. It was that way in 1993, and it’s that way now…
    _________________________________
    And you sir, don’t have a clue what your talking about.

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