NFL head coaches, particularly ones who are beginning their first tenure as a head man in the league, don't typically keep coaches from the previous staff. After all, organizations make regime changes for a reason.
But leaving after one season wasn't going to sit well with Indianapolis Colts wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne.
"I had some unfinished business," Wayne said to ESPN's Stephen Holder. "I really felt like I underachieved as a coach, and just felt like I can do better."
Fortunately for Wayne, he received the opportunity to come back. He's making the most of the second chance.
That second chance, though, wasn't going to come just because Wayne is ranked second in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in Colts history.
Holder wrote that as new Colts head coach Shane Steichen was assembling his coaching staff, he called Wayne over for a chat.
"He said, 'Hey, let me talk to you,'" Wayne told Holder. "It was two hours later and I was like, 'Was that an interview?' I really didn't know at the time. I said, 'I hope I aced this.'"
Wayne apparently at least passed the test. After a stellar Week 13 from the Colts receivers, it's safe to say he's now growing as a NFL receivers coach.
Both Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce reached 100 receiving yards and scored touchdowns in the 31-28 overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans.
It was Pierce's first 100-yard receiving game of his young NFL career. Before Week 13, he hadn't reached more than 55 yards since Week 5 of his rookie season last year.
The next step for Pierce is to repeat that performance. But under Wayne's tutelage, the Colts are growing a young stable of great receivers.
Michael Pittman Jr. is the elder statesman of the group, but he's just 26 years old. He is on pace for a career high in receptions and receiving yards.
He is just 111 yards away from his second 1,000-yard season.
Rookie Josh Downs has been more than solid too. He has 51 receptions and 580 receiving yards in his first 12 NFL games.
While it will continue to make sense for most first-time NFL head coaches to assemble their own staff, Wayne's 2023 success as a holdover from the Frank Reich era can be a lesson that teams can sometimes already have the right man in the job.
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