The Jeff Saturday era in Indianapolis began on a thrilling note, with the Colts coming into Las Vegas and defeating the Raiders 25-20 on Sunday.
After the Colts’ Week 9 road loss to the New England Patriots, owner Jim Irsay fired head coach Frank Reich, who had been with the team since 2018. In a massive surprise, Irsay named Saturday the interim head coach.
The former Pro Bowl center had never coached at the NFL or collegiate level. And considering that the Colts employ former NFL head coaches in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and senior defensive assistant John Fox, it’s easy to understand why so many were critical of the coaching hire.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and Hall of Famer Bill Cowher, who works as an NFL analyst for CBS, called the hiring “a disgrace to the coaching profession.”
Speaking to NBC Sports’ Peter King after the game, Saturday responded to Cowher’s comments:
“I respect his opinion, you know? Here’s the thing. God is my defender, man. I don’t have to defend myself. I am absolutely comfortable in who I am. I respect all those guys. Whoever has whatever negative opinion, I can assure you, it’s not gonna change who I am or what I believe I’m called to do. I have no idea, and I still don’t, how successful I’ll be, but we’re gonna work hard at it and I believe I can lead men and lead the staff. I’m excited about the opportunity.”
Saturday’s only previous head coaching experience came at the high school level. He was coach of the Hebron Christian Academy high school club in Dacula, Georgia from 2017 to 2019. Saturday was working as an analyst for ESPN before Irsay hired him.
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The six-time Pro Bowl center spent the bulk of his playing career from the Colts (1999 to 2011). Saturday was also a vital piece of the Colts team that won Super Bowl 41 over the Chicago Bears in the 2006 season.
Reich left the Colts with a 40-33-1 record over five seasons, leading them to the postseason twice. But Irsay was furious after the team lost its final two games and missed out on the playoffs last year, and another slow start would not be tolerated under his watch. But a slow start is exactly what plagued Reich and the Colts, who went 3-5-1 through their first nine games
