Colts' Frank Reich happy with outside excitement, expectations

July 27 (UPI) -- Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich admitted he is "excited" about the positive attention from fans and analysts.

"We want to generate that enthusiasm and excitement here for Colts fans, but when we come to work, the only thing that we're concentrating on is meeting our own high expectations," Reich told reporters.

"And really, and we talked about this last year, I remember us in here as a group talking about [this], our expectations are primarily about how we practice," Reich continued. "And let's just have high expectations, but we're going to do it out here, then let's let that carry over to Sundays."

The Colts went 10-6 and captured one of the AFC's Wild Card spots in Reich's first season as head coach. Indianapolis became the third team in NFL history to qualify for the playoffs after a 1-5 start.

Indianapolis beat the rival Texans in the Wild Card round but lost 31-13 to Kansas City in the second round. Quarterback Andrew Luck, tight end Eric Ebron and guard Quenton Nelson all made the Pro Bowl.

Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard were named to the Associated Press' all-pro team. Leonard also won Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 163 tackles, four forced fumbles and seven sacks.

Luck completed a career-high 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,593 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions after missing the 2017 season with a shoulder injury.

Indianapolis opens the preseason on Aug. 8 against the Buffalo Bills. Reich's second regular season begins on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers in Carson, Calif.