The Indianapolis Colts (0-1-1) endured one of the worst losses for the franchise this century in 24-0 shutout against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1), but head coach Frank Reich doesn’t seem concerned about the direction of the team.
Of course, Reich isn’t going to come out to the media and express his concerns. He’s going to put on a brave face and do whatever he can to keep morale high. When a team loses the way the Colts did Sunday in Jacksonville, that’s all a coach can do to keep his job.
But it also leads to quotes like this one when addressing the issues across the entire roster:
“So, one of the things I said to the guys in there — and it doesn’t make anybody feel any better, but I think I’ve been around long enough to know that as pathetic as that was today, where that is and where we need to be, the distance is not that far. It’s not that far because we’ve got the guys, the players, and coaches to do it,” Reich said after the game Sunday.
If what the Colts showed on Sunday was “not that far” from where Reich believes the team needs to be, then this team is nowhere near ready to compete for a playoff spot.
The Jaguars certainly looked like a different team under Doug Pederson than they did last year. But the Colts were still supposed to be the better team on paper. Even without Michael Pittman Jr. and Shaquille Leonard, this team isn’t expected to lose by 24 points while crossing midfield just three times during the entire game.
But Reich, after saying the team isn’t far away from where they need to be, also said they will continue to do what they’ve always done.
“I know that doesn’t play in the outside world, and I’m fine with that. We’ll take our medicine. I’ll take my medicine, and we’ll just keep doing what we do,” Reich said.
This is part of the problem. Even the biggest supporters of Reich realize that the Colts aren’t going anywhere if they “just keep doing what we do.” They wind up right back where they started.
After all of the talk this offseason about getting revenge on the Jaguars, who ended their playoff hopes in 2021, nothing really changed. The roster changed. The faces changed. But it still brought them the same result.
That’s why so many fans and analysts are questioning the process. Something has to give. As long as they keep neglecting positions of value, it’s going to be hard for them to break through as an elite team.
The Colts will have a chance to right the ship in Week 3 when the Kansas City Chiefs come to town for the home opener at Lucas Oil Stadium, and we’ll see how much closer they can get to where they need to be.
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