Not many people gave the Colts a chance last night in Kansas City, but as he met with his team before the game, Frank Reich did.
Via Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, Reich’s final message to his team in a hotel meeting room Saturday night was one of confidence, telling his players: “The rest of the world’s gonna be shocked tomorrow night when they see this game. But we’re not gonna be shocked.”
That was likely true, considering the Colts had just lost at home to the Raiders the week before, and were faced with a number of significant injuries. But Reich was selling something less tangible.
“I’ve come to learn in the NFL that the game is about so much more than Sunday,” Reich said. “It’s about who you are and how you work Monday through Saturday, and you have to get your players to believe you are what you do during the week. . . .
“This is a crazy game. Today in the NFL told you that. But it’s what so great about the game too. It’s so human. The cumulative effect of 53 guys practicing great with a great attitude and a great plan and hunger can do anything.”
Of course, those 53 men need to be led, and Reich is as good at that part as any coach in the NFL.