Thinking about the situation he now finds himself in, Frank Reich can’t help but smile.
In fact, when he was presented with the opportunity to become the new Quarterbacks Coach for the San Diego Chargers, it seemed too good to be true.
“I looked at Coach (Mike) McCoy, 
The Chargers feel good about having that in place, starting at the top with McCoy. That’s why among a plethora of reasons, the Bolts new head coach proved to be the major selling point for Reich to come on board.
“There were a bunch of obvious reasons why this was a great opportunity,” he said. “The first is getting the chance to work with Coach McCoy. I’ve respected him and been an admirer of his work, and have gotten to know him a little bit over the last couple years. He’s a guy who has strong leadership skills. He has a very innovative offensive mind and is a winner. That was the primary reason why this was a great opportunity.”
As he noted earlier, McCoy was not the only reason why Reich was attracted to the job.
“(I was intrigued) to come to a place where there’s a quarterback like Philip Rivers,” he continued. “Philip’s reputation is that he’s a competitor. I think that’s what everybody respects most about him. When you think of Philip, you think of a guy who is a competitor and led one of the more prolific offenses for a good stretch. He at one point led the best offense in the league, and that’s not easy to do because there are a lot of good players in this league. During that stretch, he was at the top of the game. He was a legitimate MVP candidate, so I’m excited to work with a guy who is a good competitor and a great player. That combination - that’s a good combination.”
Reich isn’t the only one looking forward to his partnership with the Chargers quarterback. Rivers himself is eager to get to work with his new QB coach.
“The first thing that jumps out is everybody knows him from the famous comeback in both college and the pros,” Rivers said, acknowledging a pair of monumental comebacks Reich orchestrated in college at Maryland and in the playoffs with the Buffalo Bills. “But I think obviously way beyond that, he had a 14-year playing career, and the knowledge that he’s got from standing in the pocket and making the throws, that’s important. I’m certainly looking forward to working with him. I’m certainly looking forward to getting to know him, building trust, having a lot of fun and winning a lot of football games.”
In order to do that, Reich plans on working hard with Rivers to ensure he plays up to the elite level he is capable of attaining. Reich outlined his philosophy as a Quarterbacks Coach and explained what his role will be in working with Rivers.
“I see my job as helping the quarterback to prepare for the game on Sunday,” he said. “And not only preparing, but preparing to win. The way you do that is twofold. Number one is around the game plan, working within it to help the quarterback plug along with what he does best. But then the other side of it is the fundamental technique aspect of it. I’ve got to help the quarterback stay on track fundamentally. I’ve got to help him keep the right footwork and keep the right progression through things in the passing game. I’m there to assist him with whatever he needs. The great guys I’ve been around, everybody wants to be coached. And Philip is no different than that. But guys who have done what he’s done, it’s not like we’re developing him from scratch. He’s a guy who has played at the top of his game and led this offense, so now it will be about refining and keeping him on track.”
