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After Ken Whisenhunt departed for Tennessee to become the new head coach of the Titans, quarterbacks coach Frank Reich was promoted to the role of offensive coordinator. He has never called plays before, so we've been left to wonder what his play-calling style will be. Today, he spoke a little about it and those tired of the conservatism of Mike McCoy and Whisenhunt will probably enjoy what he had to say:
Reich: "I think you gotta be an aggressive playcaller. Situational football, knowing what to do and how to take advantage of it." #chargers
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) January 15, 2014
Now, saying you want to be aggressive and being aggressive aren't the same thing (see: every new defensive coordinator ever describing their desire to produce an attacking, aggressive defense. That said, it's encouraging to hear a San Diego Chargers coach actually expressing that desire on offense rather than just giving us the incredibly tired "whatever gives us the best chance of winning" line. But what does aggressive mean?
Reich "I like everything about the no huddle. I've always looked at it like a prize fight...you've got to dictate the pace of the fight."
— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) January 15, 2014
Woo! If you watched the Chargers this year, it was impossible not to notice how well the offense ran in the hurry up, no huddle. Dictating the pace of games is one of the more important and more underutilized aspects of pro game. It's no surprise that Frank Reich, who played for the Buffalo Bills during the K-Gun days, would espouse this philosophy, but it's thrilling to actually hear it. So, is everything roses at this point?
Reich said he & McCoy haven't talked specifics of play calling : "If Mike wants to call every play, he'll do it; call some, he'll do it."
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) January 15, 2014
Well, not necessarily. At this point, it sounds like we don't know if Reich will be calling any of the plays at all, but I, for one, am excited to see what he brings to the table if given the chance.