The Indianapolis Colts earned their first win under interim head coach Jeff Saturday in Week 10, outlasting the Las Vegas Raiders. Saturday received a lot of credit for the victory under unusual circumstances, but new play-caller Parks Frazier deserves praise for how he handled the script.
Given that Frazier was elevated from assistant quarterbacks coach under Frank Reich to first-time play-caller, things could have quickly gone sideways with the speed of the game and pressure of the situation overwhelming the 30-year-old.
Instead, the Colts offense looked as smooth as it has all season. You wouldn't have known a first-timer was in charge of the calls if CBS hadn't shown him on the screen 45 bazillion times.
"You don't know when you get in the moment how you're going to respond," Frazier said, . "For me, just being in the moment and everything just felt natural to me. I think that gave me a lot of confidence moving forward in the game that when we got into it, I felt really comfortable."
It helped Frazier that Jonathan Taylor got back on track. The running back generated 147 rush yards and a TD on 22 carries, all his highest since Week 1, and broke a string of five straight games without breaking the 100-yard barrier.
Frazier did an excellent job of calling plays that got wideouts open over the middle, taking advantage of a weak Raiders linebacking corps.
The offense with Matt Ryan back under center and the greenhorn calling the plays scored 25 points, just the second time the Colts have reached that mark all season.
It's one thing to look good against a struggling Raiders squad. It's much different to call plays against the upper echelon of clubs. Starting with Week 11's bout against the NFC-leading Eagles, the true tests begin for Frazier and the Colts.
