He orchestrated what was at the time (since surpassed) the greatest comeback in college football history. The University of Maryland, led by quarterback Frank Reich, overcame a 31-point deficit to beat the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl in 1984.

Eight years later, the Buffalo Bills trailed the Houston Oilers, 35-3, in the third quarter of an AFC Wild Card Playoff contest. Reich was at the helm for injured Jim Kelly. The Bills would come all the way back to win, 41-38, in overtime. It remains the biggest comeback (32 points) in NFL history.

Reich's first year as head coach of the Colts would prove to be Andrew Luck's final season in the league. And who would have thought that? In any case, general manager Chris Ballard hit pay dirt with draft choices that offseason in the form of guard Quenton Nelson, rangy linebacker Darius Leonard and reliable blocker Braden Smith.

The team would open a disappointing 1-5. But a slow start morphed into a meaningful finish as Luck and company won its nine of its final 10 games. Reich's squad knocked off the Texans at Houston in the wild card round before succumbing to the Chiefs a week later.

A year later, the Colts were 5-2 with Jacoby Brissett leading the way. But he injured his knee in a loss at Pittsburgh. The team dropped seven of their final nine games to finish 7-9. In 2020, Ballard inked a one-year deal with veteran Philip Rivers and Indianapolis grabbed a wild card berth with an 11-5 record. But the team fell at Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs.

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A Long Way To Go

This year, Indianapolis dropped its first three games and were 1-4 after five weeks of play. But back-to-back wins over the Texans and 49ers have Reich and company at 3-4 heading into Sunday's rematch with the first-round Tennessee Titans. The Colts fell at Nashville, 25-16, in Week 3. But this looks like a different team as of late, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback Carson Wentz has looked a lot more confident. Jonathan Taylor has run for 100-plus yards in three of his last four games. He's now the league's second-leading rusher behind (your guessed it) Tennessee's Derrick Henry. And Reich's team, albeit playing in one more game, is tied for the NFL lead with 16 takeaways.

A win over the Titans would move the Colts just one game behind the AFC South leaders with plenty of football left to play. This is a team that appears to be headed in the right direction.

So don't call it a comeback. At least, not yet.