Colts GM knew Reich was 'the right guy' after failed 4th down vs. Texans

The Indianapolis Colts looked to be in danger of missing the playoffs after head coach Frank Reich's failed fourth-and-4 call from his own 43-yard line set up an easy game-winning kick for the Houston Texans in Week 4, dropping Indy to 1-3.

After the game, Reich didn't back down from the criticism, saying "I'm not playing to tie. I'll do that 10 times out of 10." For Colts general manager Chris Ballard, that was when he knew he'd hired the right man.

"Looking back, I knew in that moment, and I knew in the press conference after when he owned it, that we had the right guy," Ballard told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. "He owned it. Like, 'I went for it, and I'd do it again.' He had that conviction. So many times, you see people try to spin it or make excuses. But real leaders don't blame others no matter how hard it is or even if it's not their fault. They just own it and move forward. That's when I knew, that's when the guys in the locker room knew, we had the right guy."

Reich quickly proved his GM right, as Indy went on a 9-3 run following the heartbreaking loss, propelling them into a playoff spot and a matchup against the Texans in Saturday's wild-card game.

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