Last week, Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck formally introduced Frank Reich as their interim head coach following the firing of Troy Taylor. Below are five takeaways that I have from Reich’s press conference.
VIDEO: Stanford Football: Frank Reich Introductory Press Conference
#1. Trust a big factor: The first thing that stood out to me from this press conference is Andrew Luck wanted someone who he had a lot of trust and faith in. Given the circumstances under which Troy Taylor was fired, it was imperative for Luck to bring in someone who he could really trust. Not just trust in terms of being a good football coach but also trust in modeling the type of behavior that he wants from a head coach. Reich checks off all those boxes for Luck, which is why he was the top candidate for the job.
#2. Winning now is a priority: The second thing that stood out to me is that this is not intended to be a lost season. Luck made it crystal clear that he wants to win now. What that looks like in terms of wins and losses I’m not sure, but at a minimum I think we’re talking 5-6 wins with the possibility of making a bowl. Oh, and bringing The Axe home would be worth a lot of points.
#3. Staff is staying intact: Something that was reiterated on Tuesday is that the coaching staff is staying intact. I don’t think Luck publicly confirmed this, but I’ve received confirmation that tight ends coach Nate Byham has been elevated to offensive coordinator. Luck supported the entire coaching staff, said he has their back, and Reich in turn said Luck had great things to say about them. Given it’s an interim situation, it makes sense to avoid rocking the boat as much as possible.
#4. The playbook is staying the same: On top of the staff staying the same, Reich confirmed that the playbook will stay the same as well. There might be some wrinkles he adds to the offense, but aside from that they’re gonna be rolling with the same playbook as last year. They’re not going to go about trying to install a whole new system. Reich said he is aggressive by nature and that is something that he feels should suit the system well.
#5. This is a one-year deal: Finally, both Luck and Reich stressed that this is a one-year deal. They were asked if there was a chance this could change into a multi-year arrangement, but they were both adamant that this is just for one year and that’s it. Even in post-presser interviews, Luck reaffirmed that this is just for one year. While it’s certainly fair to wonder if things will change in the future, at least for now, they’re both firmly committed to this being a one-year operation and that’s it.
Parting thoughts: Overall, I think given the circumstances, Frank Reich is as good of a hire as Stanford could have gotten for this interim head coaching role. He’s been on a couple of Super Bowl winning teams as a coach in addition to playing in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills and just in general has a lot of football knowledge to impart. On paper, he actually has a more impressive coaching resume than Troy Taylor and on top of that, he seems like the kind of person that is going to connect well with the players given his background as a minister and all that. Early reports I’m getting from spring practice seem to reflect that. Reich’s arrival seems to have re-energized the program and that in and of itself is worth a lot.
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