INDIANAPOLIS — After being left at the altar by their top coaching candidate, the Colts should feel head-over-heels about Frank Reich following their shotgun wedding. During his media appearances in this newlywed phase, Reich has whispered sweet nothings about the football fixes Colts fans have longed to hear. The positive vibe was sorely needed after New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled his Runaway Bride act and reneged on taking the position.
But the newlywed phase between an NFL team and its new head coach is typically one of unadulterated bliss. As the seasons pass, it becomes obvious that not all honeymoons are meant to last.
If the Colts founder again this season, Reich will get a pass because of his late arrival and the roster deficiencies second-year general manager Chris Ballard is trying to correct. After that, there are no built-in excuses for either. Ballard might not be given the chance to court a replacement should this marriage fizzle. While the McDaniels fiasco would then become the media focus of his downfall, an underlying “what-if” scenario shouldn't be forgotten; one that would leave the Colts wondering about another flame Indianapolis let get away during its bromance with Reich.
Dan Campbell (Getty Images)
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As part of the Saints' coaching contingent at the NFL Combine, Dan Campbell is back in the same city where he interviewed for the Colts job just three weeks prior.
It still feels like a whirlwind akin to his 12 games as the Dolphins’ interim head coach in 2015, the stint that first put Campbell on the NFL radar as having the potential to run his own team.
In his most detailed interview to date about the Colts job screening, Campbell said he initially believed there was at least cursory interest from Indianapolis following Chuck Pagano’s firing.
That was until word of McDaniels’ imminent hiring leaked pre-Super Bowl. At that point, Campbell was fully prepared to return for another season as Saints assistant head coach, also assigned to tutoring the team’s tight ends.
But the Colts were forced to reopen their search posthaste when McDaniels withdrew hours after the team announced he had agreed to take the job.
The Colts opted not to reconsider candidates who already had interviewed for the job. Instead, three new names emerged in Campbell, Reich and Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.
"Once (McDaniels) fell through, I was kind of hopeful that it may happen. Sure enough they called,” Campbell told Sporting News during a break from Combine workouts. “Even at that, everything was done so late. It seems like at that point everything (hiring-wise) is done. So when it popped back up, it was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ It was a surprise, yeah."
The interview that followed was different, too, because of the circumstances. The Colts, who quickly eliminated Frazier from contention, were moving at a rapid pace to shift the focus from the coach who decided not to be there to the one who wants to be there.
That didn't give Campbell enough prep time as he would have liked. The other issue was the challenge of lining up a quality coaching staff to pitch Colts management when most of the top available assistants had already committed to other teams.
"It was a little more difficult than normal," Campbell allowed. “I just tried to rapid-fire for 24 hours. However, here is one of the best things: Chris Ballard was awesome. He was like, ‘Look, don't worry about our personnel. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.'"
Campbell said the focus of his meeting with Ballard and Colts owner Jim Irsay was "more about what I wanted to do from a management standpoint, schematics, what I was looking to build, how I wanted everything to run. That’s what I focused on."
Jim Irsay, left, and Chris Ballard, right, introduce Frank Reich, center, as the Colts' new head coach. (Getty Images)
Campbell didn't get the nod, but that was expected. Reich had more going for him, from being the offensive coordinator of the freshly minted Super Bowl-champion Eagles to familiarity with the Colts having previously worked in Indy as an assistant (2008-11). Reich also received a strong behind-the-scenes push from Bill Polian, who still remains close to Irsay despite his 2012 firing as Colts president and general manager.
Another strength for Reich was Indianapolis feeling comfortable that the longtime NFL quarterback was best suited to work hands-on with Andrew Luck in creating an offensive system designed to get the QB back on track following his return from major shoulder surgery.
Although he has earned praise for his work as a position coach, the 42-year-old Campbell has never displayed his Xs-and-Os acumen as a coordinator. Campbell’s ascent through the ranks is based on other strengths, like having a big-picture vision (an essential component for head coaches to succeed that few possess) and an ability to inspire players based on knowledge gleaned through 11 NFL seasons as a journeyman tight end.
Being a Bill Parcells protégé hasn’t hurt, either.
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During his playing days as a Texas A&M tight end in the late 1990s, Campbell took a class on leadership while pursing his undergraduate degree. The focus of one project paper was Parcells, who Campbell said shared many of the same beliefs as then-Aggies head coach R.C. Slocum.
"Just from a philosophy standpoint on how you play the game, offensively and defensively, it was like identical,” Campbell said. “It’s about running the football. Your quarterback makes smart decisions. You don’t win or lose with the quarterback. Your defense is balls-to-the-wall, all-out.
“Those are the (games) you’re winning because of your defense and you’ve got time of possession with the run game. And then when you throw it, they’re explosive passes.”
Something else stood out about Parcells that Campbell has tried to emulate: the ability to connect with players from a myriad of different backgrounds.
"One player had to be pushed differently than this one,” Campbell said. “He always talked about Lawrence Taylor needing a different message than Phil Simms, Jim Burt and Harry Carson did.
"I was always fascinated by that. And then once you go to play for the guy, you understand exactly what he’s doing and how he’s doing it. It’s so simple, it’s brilliant.”
Campbell would discover that first-hand four years into his own NFL playing career. Following four years with the Giants, Campbell was signed as a free agent by the Cowboys in 2003 after Parcells had agreed to become Dallas’ head coach.
The 6-5, 265-pound Campbell remained primarily a blocking tight end during three seasons under Parcells. At the same time, Campbell was focused just as much on studying Parcells himself as mastering the Cowboys playbook.
One lesson learned was the value of outside-the-box thinking when it comes to game-planning, especially when facing a superior opponent. Campbell vividly remembers how Parcells laid the groundwork for a 31-28 upset over Kansas City during the 2005 season.
"They were No. 1 in the league in points per game, and we were not that type of team, although we had a good defense," Campbell said. "Parcells said, ‘Look, we’re gonna be aggressive. We’re gonna throw the ball down the field. On fourth down, we’re gonna go for it.’
"It was totally opposite than the nature of how he had taught us to play. But we won the game because we outscored them."
By that point in Dallas, Cowboys players had grown to drink whatever flavor Kool-Aid that Parcells was serving them.
"You talk about a guy who can piss you off to the point where you just want to explode and choke him," Campbell said with a laugh. “And then you step back and you go out there and you’re playing lights out.
"You’re like, ‘You know what? That sucker knows exactly what he’s doing. He wanted to get under my skin. He did, and now I’m giving him my best.'"
Campbell said that type of connection wouldn't be possible without Parcells having the ability to “see through B.S.” like no other coach he ever had before.
"Some guys can talk their way out of stuff, or say, ‘I am a leader. I really push it to the max. I’m really a team guy,’ when they’re not," Campbell said. "It’s all coming out of their mouth, but there are all these little hints behind the scenes where that’s not going on.
"Bill could sniff that stuff out a mile away. That’s important because that’s how you weed out the cancers."
Such knowledge would come in handy sooner than Campbell ever could have expected.
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Campbell’s direct tutelage under Parcells ended in 2006 when the tight end signed with the Lions. Campbell enjoyed what would prove his most productive season as a receiver with 21 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns. It also was the last season he could stay healthy.
Campbell appeared in only three games over the next two years because of elbow and hamstring injuries. His final NFL season, in 2009 with New Orleans, was spent on injured reserve after he tore a knee ligament during training camp.
Spending so much time away from the gridiron gave Campbell plenty of time to contemplate his post-playing career.
"Towards the end it’s, ‘Alright, I’m hurt. I’m at home. I’m taking the kids to soccer, basketball, picking them up from school and taking them to school. That’s awesome, right?’” said Campbell, who has two children with his wife Holly. “After a while, I’m like, ‘Uh, this Mr. Mom is not gonna work for me.’ I’m getting real itchy and antsy and I gotta do something with my time.
"So it’s like, ‘What are you gonna do? What do you know? What do you love?’ It was all football."
Dan Campbell with the Cowboys in 2005 (Getty Images)
During his time in Dallas, Campbell made a positive enough impression on Tony Sparano — another Parcells protégé who had since become Miami’s head coach — to earn a 2010 coaching internship.
"He was always a tough, smart player,” said Sparano, who is now Minnesota’s offensive line coach. “He also was demanding on himself. I thought that would carry over into being demanding on the players.”
Campbell was hired as Miami’s tight ends coach the following year, and in order to look more professional on the job, he cut the long hair that remained from his playing days. Joe Philbin was impressed enough by Campbell and his work that he was kept on the staff when Philbin replaced Sparano as Dolphins head coach in 2012.
Campbell proceeded to help in the development of two tight ends (Charles Clay and Dion Sims) who would eventually land lucrative free-agent contracts elsewhere after their rookie contracts expired. But it wasn’t until Philbin was fired four games into the 2015 season that Campbell would enter the mainstream coaching spotlight.
The Dolphins weren’t just an on-field mess after an uninspiring 1-3 start. There was friction behind the scenes between assistant coaches and key players. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill had angered members of the scout team with belittling comments following a practice. It had become obvious Philbin lacked the gravitas needed as a head coach to fix the issues.
Even though he would become the NFL’s youngest head coach at the time, the 39-year-old Campbell had that kind of presence. Miami’s football czar Mike Tannenbaum recognized it.
Tannenbaum cited Campbell’s “leadership, toughness and energy” when promoting him to try and clean up the mess Philbin had created.
"I did know that it was dysfunctional when I took it over,” Campbell said. “There were issues going on, particularly on (defense), and a lot of different things that were in play that I had no idea about.
"I felt like I spent the first couple of weeks just trying to sort through that and get the right chemistry."
Campbell began doing that immediately by firing defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle and making other staff tweaks (offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was axed later in the season). He changed the arrangement of player lockers to better promote camaraderie. He emphasized the importance of competition through such motivational tactics as a tug-of-war, a full-contact Oklahoma drill and practices that pitted front-line offensive and defensive players against each other rather than the scout team.
Dan Campbell (Getty Images)
Campbell’s tactics paid quick dividends. Miami won its next two games, against Tennessee and Houston, by a combined 82-36 margin. The success inspired a series of classic internet memes that included the well-muscled Campbell riding an actual dolphin and comparisons to the PC Principal on South Park.
All kidding aside, the positive response from Dolphins players reflected how much Campbell had grown professionally since he entered the coaching ranks. As then-Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron told me at the time, “Sometimes you can just get into a routine. It’s hard to explain. You’re not aware that you’re not competing. You’re just going through the daily motions.
"Dan opened our eyes a little more to the fact you’ve got to have that mindset you’re going to beat the guy across from you.”
Said Campbell: “One of the hardest things for ex-players who are coaches is for them to really drive their players. They’ve been in their shoes. They know how hard it is and how bad some of this stuff sucks and the grind of it. And they somewhat feel sorry or empathy for those players they’re coaching.
"That’s the worst thing that you can do. It really is. I think that gets a lot of coaches who are not hard enough on them.”
Campbell said he was guilty of making that mistake at times with the Dolphins — and it won’t be one he makes again.
"I didn’t hold them accountable all the time like I should have,” Campbell said. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. It’s kind of like when you’re in that position, you’re trying to keep some life in this team and you’ve got to be careful, because if you go full bore the other way you’re not gonna get anything out of them. They’d already lost a coach and you’re already in dire straits. So you’ve gotta try to keep upbeat and positive.
"But if I had it my way and I was going in fresh, I’d have been a little bit harder. Just call things out for what they were more than I did."
Campbell’s button-pressing could only take the Dolphins so far. Miami stuck around in playoff contention until a Week 13 loss to the Giants dashed those faint hopes.
At that point, Campbell began using younger players more to “start trying to build to the future." Campbell, though, had a good idea that Miami’s future wouldn't be involving him. In a move widely anticipated in league circles, the Dolphins hired offensive whiz kid Adam Gase as their new head coach shortly after Miami completed a 6-10 season.
Campbell admits he was disappointed about not getting to build on the foundation he had tried to create. But he did receive the type of education that can’t be gained without first-hand experience.
"I’m a lot more prepared now because when you take over, you don’t realize all the little things that come along with it,” Campbell said of the head-coaching job. “You sit down, you’re getting ready to watch tape and it’s like, ‘Hey, you gotta do this interview. You gotta go meet with player programs. We need to go talk about this guy’s contract. The Jets are wanting to get rid of this guy and I think we may be able to claim him (on waivers) — do we want him? Who do we want to put in first class (for a road game) this week?’
"You’re like, ‘Golly man, I haven’t gotten to football yet.’ You have to make the most of your time and be as efficient as you can. You really have to be a master multi-tasker to really be good at that job."
Campbell’s next step in his coaching evolution is gleaning even more from someone who fits that bill.
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Just like with Sparano, Campbell made such a positive impression while playing on offenses run by New Orleans coach Sean Payton that a Saints coaching offer was tendered once the Gase hire became official.
“There’s a presence about him and realness to him when he coaches,” Payton told Sporting News during a telephone interview. “It’s the same way when he deals with anyone in the building from a fellow staff member or someone down the hall in marketing.
“I don’t want to say he’s old school in that way, but he’s very much of a worker. He’s someone I consider a real talented coach and heck of a good person.”
As assistant head coach, Campbell is entrusted with a slew of different tasks like addressing the team to start the day if Payton is occupied with other responsibilities. Campbell, like other Saints assistants, also is expected to offer input into game plans. Payton likes a collaborative process.
The effectiveness of such an approach is reflected by New Orleans fielding a top-four unit in yards and scoring in the two seasons since Campbell’s arrival.
“We all have ideas and Sean puts the final touch on it,” Campbell said. “I feel like that’s why we’re so good and efficient and effective — because we all work together.
“Just to the point where I am right now where there’s a little bit of notoriety, that’s because of those guys that I work with.”
Payton believes the exposure Campbell has received working under and with a myriad of different coaches already is serving him well.
“Offensively, he’s got some very good thoughts,” said Payton, who was a Giants assistant when the club made Campbell a 1999 third-round draft pick. “Often times, former players who become coaches will value some of the same strengths that that they had.
“Dan was a tremendous blocker and functional in the passing game. Yet in his evaluation of college players or pro free agents, he still puts a high value on (tight ends) who can run and get open. He has a really open mind to what we’re looking for and ways to do things.”
Payton acknowledges Campbell might not be with the Saints much longer, as the latter is set to enter the 2019 offseason as one of the NFL’s top head coaching candidates. Someone else who would offer a strong endorsement is Ballard, who described the decision to hire Reich instead of Campbell as a “tough choice.”
“Most tight ends who play in this league are very smart,” Ballard told me on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “They’ve got to know both the passing and running game. When we interviewed Dan, you see that in him.
"He’s been mentored and trained playing under Bill Parcells and coaching under Sean Payton. He’s got a great vision of what he wants (his team) to be. I think he’s going to be an outstanding head coach. It’s not a matter of if, but when."
Should it happen, the comparisons between Reich and Campbell — and whether Indianapolis made the right decision in the post-McDaniels mess — will begin in earnest once again.
