Frank Reich wants to be head coach again

Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich wants to return to the sidelines sooner rather than later. 

"I think you keep all your options open," Reich told Mike Chappell of Fox 59 out of Indianapolis a day after the Colts relieved the 60-year-old of his duties. "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." 

Reich explained that Colts owner Jim Irsay informed the coach of his decision via a phone call made "at about 10:45" a.m. local time on Monday. From 2018 through Week 9 of the current campaign, Reich went 40-33-1 in regular-season play and held a 1-2 postseason record. 

Irsay controversially replaced Reich with former Colts center and ESPN personality Jeff Saturday. 3-5-1 Indianapolis plays at the 2-6 Las Vegas Raiders this coming Sunday. 

"It’s hard to get fired and walk away with a great attitude and being very thankful, and I can tell you all I feel is love and respect for the Irsays, for (general manager) Chris Ballard, for the team," Reich added during his comments. "Yeah, I hurt from the results of this year. But I at least have the maturity and perspective to look at the big picture.

"I put everything I had into it. Then when it’s over, you’re thankful for it – the experience, the relationships – but in this profession, we all understand you’ve got to move on. The great thing is you don’t lose those relationships. I’ll never lose the relationship I have with Chris, with the players on that team, with the Irsays. It was a great experience." 

Reich is taking at least a few weeks off to "decompress" and visit children and grandchildren along with his wife Linda. It sounds as if he'll look to get back into coaching as soon as this coming offseason.