INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich

leaves nothing to chance.He and his staff spend hours meticulously poring through game tapes Malik Hooker Jersey , crunching numbers and plotting strategy each week. There’s a meeting every Friday with the team’s two analytics experts in which everything from over-under projections to weather conditions come into play.Together, they try to plot out every conceivable game situation in hopes of simplifying the split-second decisions Reich makes each week.“They factor what’s the expected point total of the game, what’s the output of the other offense,” Reich said, explaining some variables used to create the charts. “It’s like there is a sliding scale and those things are adjusted. Really, they are quite sophisticated, quite complex and run off of literally millions of iterations.”Reich isn’t the only NFL coach to use analytics, but he might rely more heavily on the projections than other coaches — regardless of the results.Three times last weekend the Colts (6-6) found themselves facing fourth downs in field-goal position with Adam Vinatieri, the league’s career scoring leader, ready to kick. Three times, the charts indicated Reich should go for it. And all three times, Indy came up short.The resulting 6-0 loss at Jacksonville ended the Colts’ five-game winning streak, complicated their path to the playoffs and dealt Andrew Luck his first shutout as a pro.Reich had been here before, though.On Sept. 30, he also opted to go for the win in overtime against Houston. A failed fourth-down attempt allowed the Texans (9-3) to kick the winning field goal as time expired — giving them their first victory in a nine-game winning streak they’ll put on the line in Sunday’s rematch.Houston can clinch the AFC South title with a win and a Tennessee loss.Indy (6-6), meanwhile, lost two more games before rebounding with a five-game winning streak that put it back in the playoff mix and had some outsiders openly questioning whether the Colts would have been better off playing it by the book and going for the tie in the first Houston game.But inside the locker room, there is no debate.“It told us he believes in his team, he was not going to allow us to lay down, and we would fight till the end,” rookie linebacker Darius Leonard said. “Yeah, we lost the game. But when he said we’re going for it, everybody on that bench was behind him.”Players embrace Reich’s aggressive philosophy in large part because they understand the rationale for his decisions, and they know the former NFL quarterback does his homework.He asks the analytics specialists not just to contemplate the Colts’ potential game-day situations, but also to break down tape of every other NFL game and plot how the Colts would handle those decisions. Then Reich and Luck discuss the charts to assure everyone works from the same playbook.As a self-described nerd who runs his own book club, Luck understands what Reich’s philosophy is all about.“You play this game to win and he’s going to coach the game to win Quincy Wilson Color Rush Jersey ,” Luck said. “I think as players we obviously didn’t execute that one (against Houston), but I think that gave us a glimpse into how he coaches and his approach. We appreciate that. We want to go out there and win the game, and he gives us a chance to do that.”Not everyone adheres to the charts quite like Reich.“I think you have to have a great feel for what’s going on in the game. How is that game going? How did the opponent decide to play you? Are they playing you in this type of defense or that type of defense, or are they trying to attack your defense with these certain plays?” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “I think charts are great and they help you prepare, but at the end of the day, how is that particular game being played on game day is what’s most important.”Reich understands, even acknowledges, that sometimes coaches need to play a hunch or rely on their gut instinct. He’s done it, too.Even so, Reich believes there is power in numbers.“This is preparation, thought and detail that go into it. It’s not robotic,” Reich said, citing his decision to punt on fourth-and-1 Sunday when the chart said to go for it. “What the analytics tell us is that historical coaching philosophy has been a little bit conservative and that there are reasons to consider being more aggressive. Then you have to have the maturity and wisdom to interpret the chart the way that you think is best for your team. That’s the art of it.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts will gladly play it safe with Andrew Luck.They’d rather he be healthy for training camp anyway.Just minutes after coach Frank Reich announced Tuesday that his starting quarterback would sit out this week’s three-day minicamp — the final portion of Indy’s offseason workouts — Luck promised he would return to practice when the Colts report to camp in late July.“It’s OK, it’s not good enough to practice this week, which I’m bummed about,” Luck said, describing the injury. “But I think we’re on a very, very good page and I’ll be ready for training camp.”The injury, suffered during training, has forced Luck to miss the Colts’ entire on-the-field program for the second offseason in three years.But this was different.After missing the entire 2017 season to recover from surgery on his throwing shoulder, he started throwing again last June during the team’s mandatory minicamp. His appearance raised even more questions when it appeared he was throwing footballs smaller than the NFL’s regulation size.Team officials continued to be cautious with Luck at training camp when they closely monitored the number of throws he made and gave him extra days off. The prolonged recovery time prompted some skeptics to question whether Luck could ever return to his Pro Bowl form.It didn’t take long for Luck to prove the doubters wrong. He produced arguably the best season of his pro career and was rewarded with the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award.This year, many outsiders expect bigger and better things from Luck and his teammates, and Luck sounds confident he can deliver despite the nagging injury.“I’ve thrown significantly, sort of off my foot to make sure I don’t aggravate something, but to keep my arm in shape,” he said. “It’s a football Skai Moore Color Rush Jersey , a pigskin Wilson Duke, with Roger Goodell’s signature on it.”Reich has continually insisted that Luck’s absence was a cautionary move.He has no serious concerns about Luck’s health and figures Luck’s absence should not hinder his play, given the quarterback’s seven seasons in the league, two full offseasons to get acclimated to the system and, for the Colts, most of last season’s key offensive contributors returning.“He has missed the on-field work, but he has gotten so much in the meetings,” Reich said. “Second year in the system, talking through things, he’s been able to have even more input into the system this year, putting his imprint on the system now knowing what we’re doing, what he likes, what he doesn’t, and why he likes what he likes in our system.”The Colts can’t wait to see how things play out in training camp. But the last month certainly has presented some challenges, and not just because of Luck.Rookie center Javon Patterson, a seventh-round draft pick, and defensive end Jegs Jegede, an undrafted rookie from Valdosta State, landed on season-ending injured reserve.Fourth-string quarterback Chad Kelly will miss the first two regular-season games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Backup offensive tackle Antonio Garcia received a four-game suspension Monday for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing substances.General manager Chris Ballard explained last week why he drafted linebacker Bobby Okereke in the third round, knowing Okereke had been accused of sexual assault in 2015.And after re-signing 11 of the team’s 20 free agents and adding receiver Devin Funchess, running back Spencer Ware and pass rusher Justin Houston, Ballard signed punter Rigoberto Sanchez to a contract extension last week and long snapper Luke Rhodes to an extension Tuesday.All that’s missing now is Luck.“Within the calf strain injury, I’d say it’s on the longer side. I don’t think it’s out of the range of a calf strain, but it’s definitely on the longer side,” Reich said. “We’re not concerned.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta