USATSI

Frank Reich's tenure in Indianapolis came to a close this week as the head coach was fired after four-plus seasons on the job. This dismissal came after a lifeless 26-3 loss at the hands of the New England Patriots that pushed them to 3-5-1 on the year. Speaking of his departure, Reich expressed "disappointment and hurt" with how things ultimately panned out. 

"It hurts," Reich told CBS 4 Indy. "It hurts to have it happen in the middle of the season. But I understand the business side of things. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Irsay and I've come to trust his instincts and his knowledge of the game. I just know he's doing what he thinks is best for the team. I can live with that. I gave my heart and soul to the job, to the guys, to everything I did there. I didn't take anything for granted."

Reich said that he got a call "at about 10:45" on Monday morning from Colts owner Jim Irsay, who delivered the news. Reich didn't say whether or not he saw his firing coming, despite the club riding a three-game losing streak and the offense regressing. During an introductory press conference for interim coach Jeff Saturday, Irsay said that he had seen things "go from bad to worse and I thought it was time and it was necessary to make the change."

Over the course of his tenure, Reich went 40-33-1 during the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs. While Indy did put together some respectable clubs, quarterback was the position that plagued them the most. Reich had a different Week 1 starting quarterback in all five of his seasons and the Colts were more recently rolling through veteran retreads to try and stay above water. 

"To fall short of those goals of winning championships, starting with a world championship, is very disappointing when you're the head coach,'' Reich said. "You have mixed emotions. You feel like, 'OK, there were different circumstances and dynamics and challenges that you faced.' But as a coach and as a player and as a competitor, you say, 'That doesn't matter. We've still gotta obtain our goals.' When Mr. Irsay and Chris (Ballard) hired me, I had no misrepresentations. Those were the expectations."

From here, Reich plans to spend time with his family but a return to the NFL could be in the cards down the line. 

"I think you keep all your options open,'' he said. "Obviously my desire is to be a head coach. I love the game. I love everything about the game, so you keep all of your options open.''