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鈥?The Indianapolis Colts’ second choice for head coach could turn out to be even better than the first.And Frank Reich has the Super Bowl championship gear to prove it.Five days after New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reneged on a deal to take the Colts’ job Authentic Matt Adams Jersey , Ballard hired Reich, the man who outwitted McDaniels last week and helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to their first NFL title since 1960.“Frank is a leader of men who will demand excellence from our players on and off the field,” Ballard said in a statement released Sunday. “I look forward to working with Frank to deliver a championship-caliber team to the city of Indianapolis.”Terms of the deal were not immediately available, but Reich is expected to be introduced at a news conference Tuesday.Colts officials posted a photo of Reich signing the deal on the team’s website.The move ends a search that spanned 41 days, included two coaching announcements and the embarrassment of McDaniels changing his mind Tuesday night just eight hours after telling the Colts he’d take the job.On Wednesday, Ballard answered questions for nearly 20 minutes before finishing with “the rivalry is back on.”By hiring Reich, another touted offensive coordinator and a potential leading candidate next season, only added another chapter to the long and bitter series.Exactly one week after backup quarterback Nick Foles executed an exquisite game plan to beat Tom Brady and the favored Patriots, the Colts brought back a longtime assistant who spent two seasons working with Peyton Manning.But this wasn’t just about sending a message.“Frank has all the ingredients of a successful head coach: intelligence, innovation, character, organizational and leadership skills, and a commanding presence,” team owner Jim Irsay said. “He also has a stellar reputation, and his myriad of life experiences and the people he has worked with make him the perfect fit for us and our fans. I feel extremely fortunate and could not be more excited for Colts Nation and the future of our franchise.”It sure didn’t take long to make the decision.Ballard interviewed the 56-year-old Reich on Friday, the day after Philadelphia held its victory celebration.He replaces Chuck Pagano, who was fired hours after finishing the season with a 4-12 record and missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year.Reich takes over a franchise that appears to have some key pieces in place 鈥?especially if Andrew Luck is healthy.Luck missed the entire 2017 season after having surgery for a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. He went on injured reserve in November because of lingering pain in his right shoulder after he had started throwing a football.On Wednesday, Ballard said Luck still hasn’t thrown a football since October.“He’s going to do everything right to get himself ready to play and I’m very confident, he’s very confident Seahawks Shaquem Griffin Jersey , that he’s going to come back and prove a lot of people wrong,” Ballard said.The Colts also have a defense that showed steady improvement throughout the season, the No. 3 overall draft pick in April, nearly $80 million to spend in free agency and a promising backup quarterback in Jacoby Brissett, who started 15 games in 2017.And the Colts already have three assistants on Reich’s staff 鈥?probable defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Mike Phair and Dave DeGuglielmo. All three agreed to join McDaniels’ staff in Indy and have been promised by Ballard that they will remain on the staff.Reich, meanwhile, returns to the franchise where he started his coaching career as an intern in 2006. He was named an offensive assistant in 2008, succeeded Jim Caldwell as quarterbacks coach the next season and became receivers coach in 2011.In 2012, he coached the receivers in Arizona and then was hired as San Diego’s quarterbacks coach in 2013. The Chargers promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2014 where he stayed until joining the Eagles in 2016.Reich may be best known, however, for rallying the Buffalo Bills from a 35-3 deficit to a 41-38 overtime victory over the Houston Oilers in January 1993 鈥?the biggest comeback in playoff history.Now, in his first head coaching job, he will be paired with the architect of the second-biggest playoff comeback, Luck.“Frank Reich was with me at the end of my tenure with the Colts,” Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy wrote on . “He has a creative offensive mind. He’s a great communicator and a high quality person. The Colts are in great hands.”Reich graduated from the University of Maryland where he was a backup to Boomer Esiason. He won the starting quarterback job as a senior and spent 14 seasons in the NFL playing for Buffalo, Carolina, the New York Jets and Detroit. The grizzled veteran. The comeback kid. The hotshot rookie.

The New York Jets' quarterback competition is an intriguing mix of experience, charisma and hype with Josh McCown Youth Avonte Maddox Jersey , Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold all going for the starting job this summer.

And any of the three could end up under center when the regular season begins in September.

"It's a fun room to be a part of," McCown said Tuesday as the Jets' three-day minicamp began. "Just personally because of the character of those guys, but also professionally because of how they approach their job and what they bring to the table."

McCown is the incumbent starter, so he entered offseason workouts as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart.

All three got work with the starting offense Tuesday. McCown, who turns 39 on July 4, got the bulk of the snaps with the starters in team drills. But he's also well aware that he's not the future of the franchise. That label would go to the 21-year-old Darnold, who was the No. 3 overall pick out of USC.

Darnold got the most overall snaps during the team periods and showed his usual quick release, including a terrific pass that zipped past defenders and into the hands of tight end Eric Tomlinson for a touchdown. He was also nearly intercepted by rookie Parry Nickerson on a throw intended for tight end Jordan Leggett.

Some really good moments and some not-so-great moments for Darnold. But he has shown steady improvement in the short time he has been with the Jets.

"Every day, I feel like he goes out and gets better," McCown said. "I think for all of us, but particularly young players, you're discovering something new every time you step on the field. ... Being that's the stage he's in, he's learning a lot about these plays and the ins and outs of them, so he's done a good job with that."

Darnold will certainly have the chance to win the job, but he insists that's not his focus at the moment.

"That's not up to me," Darnold said. "It's really a coaching decision. I'm going to come in here and work every single day. I'm just going to work and grow to be the best quarterback I can be and help this team do well."

When asked if he believes that opportunity is within his grasp, the rookie said all the right things 鈥?again.

"Yeah, I mean, I would say anything is possible Youth Dontae Johnson Jersey ," Darnold said. "I think I'm capable of a lot of things. But, again, that's not up for me to decide."

Coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates certainly will have plenty to consider in two months, when the competition really shapes up.

McCown is the wise, old sage 鈥?a veteran leader whose even-keeled approach and overall positive vibe played key roles in keeping New York's locker room a united group despite a 5-11 season. If McCown, who is also coming off a career-best season, is the best of the three quarterbacks, the Jets will have no problem starting him against Detroit on Sept. 10.

But if Darnold continues progressing at this rate through training camp and the preseason, and shows he's at least even with the veterans, it could be him from Week 1.

"His learning is outstanding," Bowles said. "The process and the steps which he's taken, he's been very steady. We're very pleased with him."

Bridgewater can't be ruled out, however, especially with the way he has looked throughout the offseason.

The 25-year-old quarterback who signed a one-year deal with the Jets is still working his way back from a severe knee injury that threatened his career nearly two years ago. But he has shown no ill effects or limitations in the non-contact practices while wearing a brace on his left knee. Bridgewater has also looked good commanding the offense, including making some throws on the run.

That very fact seemed almost impossible on Aug. 30, 2016, when Bridgewater 鈥?then with the Vikings 鈥?went down with a non-contact injury to his knee. He had torn the anterior cruciate ligament and had other structural damage, including a dislocated knee joint.

"It was scary," Bridgewater recalled. "But at the end of the day Authentic Dontae Johnson Jersey , I was still breathing."

Minnesota teammates took knees and prayed on the field when the quarterback was hurt that day, but Bridgewater was proud of himself for keeping his emotions together. Last November, he was back on the sideline with the Vikings and in uniform, and he couldn't control his emotions that day.

"This game means a lot to me," Bridgewater said. "I've been playing football since I was 5 years old, and it brought tears to my eyes because it showed me that you're never out of it. You're never out of the fight."

The comeback continues with the Jets, who have had quite a few quarterback competitions over the years. This one, however, could set the franchise up for years to come.

"We're all at a little bit different stages in our career," McCown said. "But we're all wanting the same thing. And that's, A, for the quarterbacks of the Jets to play productive football and play good football. But also for each guy individually to do so, and I think we root for that. ... We know that when we compete and a guy's playing well, it's going to bring the best out of the other two guys.

"Ultimately, that's great for the quarterbacks room because the other two guys get better, but also it's better for the Jets."

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