Former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy was effusive in his praise of new Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich.
Via Mike Wells of ESPN.com, Levy spoke highly of the former Bills backup quarterback whom he spent nine years coaching in Buffalo.
“I was pulling very hard for him to get the job,” Levy said. “This guy is not only a great teacher and coach, he’s such a great guy that he’ll work so well with everybody in the organization. He’s a high-character individual. He will study like you can’t believe and his preparation will be incredible. I’m thrilled that he is there.”
Levy said he never thought of Reich as a possible head coach until he saw him in action coaching Peyton Manning and the quarterbacks of the Colts during his first stint in Indianapolis as an assistant.
“He was working with Peyton and as I watched I noticed how good of a teacher he was and how on top of it he was with things,” Levy said. “Every time I studied Frank, the more and more I thought, ‘This guy has it.’ I thought he has [coaching traits] for so many reasons.”
Reich was already with Buffalo when Levy was hired as head coach in 1986. Reich backed up Jim Kelly for nine seasons and led one of the most improbable comebacks in NFL history, rallying the Bills from a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in the 1992 NFL playoffs.
The Colts hired Reich as their new head coach on Sunday after an agreement with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels imploded last week.