Peyton Manning may no longer be a member of the Indianapolis Colts' organization, but that does not mean the Colts don't respect his opinion.
General manager Chris Ballard told Kalyn Kahler of Bleacher Report that he consulted with Manning before hiring Frank Reich as the club's new head coach in 2018:
“I just wanted to see what kind of man [Reich] was, what kind of teacher, and I got a very strong recommendation from Peyton,” Ballard said. “Peyton has been a really good asset in terms of just guidance when I've got a question. He's got a brilliant mind, a beautiful mind when it comes to football.”
Reich was originally a member of the Colts' coaching staff from 2008 through 2011, including serving as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2009 and 2010.
Manning was still a member of Indianapolis at that time, as he did not depart for the Denver Broncos until 2012.
Between his two Colts stints, Reich also served on the staffs of the Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers and, most recently, the Philadelphia Eagles, where he helped lead the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title as offensive coordinator during the 2017-18 campaign.
Over the course of his first two seasons back in Indy, Reich has experienced moderate success, going 10-6 and making it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs in his debut year.
Then, this past season, the Colts went just 7-9 and missed the playoffs entirely, although that was largely due to Andrew Luck suddenly deciding to retire a couple of weeks before the 2019 campaign began.
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