Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich knows the routine like the back of his hand at this point.
Over the course of his time with the Colts, Reich has become no stranger to getting a new quarterback up to speed in the offense. Ryan will be the fifth starting quarterback in as many seasons, but his experience in the league has allowed the transition to take place smoothly.
In addition, Reich has been impressed with how quickly Ryan has commanded respect in the locker room and on the field.
“Matt (Ryan) was unbelievable, did a great job, great command – really, A-Z. He did everything right – just great leadership, great play,” Reich told reporters at minicamp. “I mean the whole way he took command, great collaborating as an offensive staff with him to kind of work in and nuance some of the things we do to kind of suit him and his style.”
Several of Ryan’s teammates had praise for the 37-year-old throughout the offseason. From his leadership qualities to his on-field performance, Ryan quickly made an impression on his new teammates.
Part of the process isn’t just getting Ryan to learn the offense from Reich’s perspective. It also includes getting to know Ryan as a player and adding elements to the scheme that he’s been successful with.
“Kind of get to learn a few things about him, pick his brain about some of the things he did and what are the favorite things he did in Atlanta,” Reich said. “Let’s see if we can incorporate a few of those things and kind of fit with us. So we got a lot of that done over the last number of weeks.”
Ryan echoed those sentiments about Reich from the duo working together over the last few months.
“I think it’s been great. I’ve really enjoyed spending time with him in the meeting room, getting a feel for his philosophy as a coach and the things that he believes in,” Ryan said. “Getting to know him as a person, you’re not going to find a better person than him. I really feel like we’ve made a lot of good strides in the last two months in terms of getting on the same page and communicating.”
The Colts appear to be in a solid spot going into training camp and, naturally, everything looks rosy this time of year. But it’s at least encouraging that everyone appears to be on the same page going into training camp.
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