Over the last several seasons, the Indianapolis Colts' overall success on the field has been largely dependent on the play of Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck.
However, during his introductory press conference on Tuesday afternoon ,new head coach Frank Reich said they must shift their philosophy so that the burden is placed on the entire team's shoulders instead of mostly Luck's.
Per Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central:
Reich: Andrew Luck. Key to make Andrew Luck magical? It's a team game. I believe he's the best. But i came off a team that we lost our starting quarterback and we won the Super Bowl.
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) February 13, 2018
Reich has first-hand experience of just that, as the Philadelphia Eagles had sustained success in 2017 despite the loss of second-year quarterback Carson Wentz, winning their first Super Bowl with backup Nick Foles under center. It's impressive that losing an MVP candidate didn't sink the team's Super Bowl hopes by any measure. Instead, Foles put together a heroic stretch of games in the playoffs that was capped by a Super Bowl MVP performance that was instrumental to the Eagles topping the New England Patriots.
Meanwhile, the Colts struggled tremendously in 2017, as they floundered to the second-worst record in the league with Luck sidelined due to a prolonged rehab from shoulder surgery. It also further emphasized that major upgrades are needed on the the roster to get back on track to becoming a winning franchise instead of the one that has missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
At the same time, they need Luck on the field performing at a high level. Reich doesn't want to be dependent on one player, but the 28-year-old is a game-changing quarterback that has been quite successful when healthy. There is clearly much work to do this upcoming offseason, and Reich is committed to the task of reshaping their roster as well as their culture.
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