When the Indianapolis Colts moved on from Carson Wentz, there wasn't a definite successor immediately lined up.
The Colts were able to get Matt Ryan on the cheap from the Atlanta Falcons who soured their relationship with their all-time leading passer, and many of their fans, by fruitlessly pursuing scandal-plagued quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Colts head coach Frank Reich feels incredibly fortunate to have been the beneficiary of the Falcons ineptitude, and he is also pleased to have added a backup with the credentials of Nick Foles.
"After the transition from quarterback, it was like 'OK, what are we gonna do,' then it was almost like the skies opened up, and we got Matt," said Reich to the media earlier this week.
"That was a miracle."
"It was like 'Wow... Matt Ryan just got dropped into our laps.' We weren't expecting that to happen."
"We almost feel like that happened again. Honestly we were happy with Sam [Ehlinger]. Think Sam is developing well. Think Sam has a bright future."
"But our responsibility, Chris [Ballard] and I, is to make the roster as strong as we can. We believe we have a really good team. We both, and you can appreciate how I value the backup quarterback position, especially when you feel like you have a really good team."
"You've got a guy in Nick Foles who's proven it. That he can do it at the biggest level on the biggest stage."
"Sometimes there are backups who can come in and manage a game, squeak out a win or two. Then there are some who can throw for 500 yards and win a game."
"That's what Nick has proven he can do."
On paper, Wentz had a relatively good season in 2021 with 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions, but it's obvious Reich feels good about the potential upgrades to his quarterback room.
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