A lot is different for Carson Wentz and Frank Reich this time around — teammates, coaches, easy access to cheesesteaks/world-class racing, etc. — but, this month, both found the relationship between quarterback and coach picked up where it left off four years ago.
"The transition back was very smooth," Reich said. "We had a great relationship, we maintained that relationship for the previous three years that I've been here and now re-connecting with him has been very easy.
"I think when it comes to football we think about the game very similarly. We have similar preferences in the passing game, we see things very much alike. So that makes it very easy and then off the field the friendship, similar value system, so it's been good."
Reich offered a glimpse into how close he is with Wentz Wednesday, saying the quarterback came into his office to talk about something related to football and the two wound up having a 10-minute conversation about their shared Christian faith. It's a quarterback-coach relationship that's strong both on and off the field.
The last time Wentz and Reich were together, of course, Wentz was an MVP candidate for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. He threw 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 13. Reich was hired by the Colts the following offseason; three years later, Wentz was brought in via a trade.
And over the last two weeks, Wentz and Reich have had a chance to put in some important work, laying a foundation for training camp and then the regular season. For Wentz, there are some differences in terminology and nuances within plays from Philadelphia to Indianapolis, but that stable relationship with Reich is very much still present.
"It's still a lot of learning," Wentz said. "I think where we picked up off is that we still totally understand each other. He understands how I see the game, I kind of know how he sees the game and I think we picked up on that right away and jumped back in. But it's still a lot of learning and understanding the offense and just some different detailed things within each play. It's been a lot of fun to work with him again and I'm looking forward to it."
