Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay responded to the many critics of his decision to hire Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach.
Last week, Irsay relieved Frank Reich from his duties as the head coach. Saturday, a six-time Pro Bowl center who payed with the Colts from 1999 to 2011, was named Reich’s replacement.
This move surprised many because Saturday had zero coaching experience at the NFL and collegiate levels. Saturday was previously the head coach at the Hebron Christian Academy high school in Dacula, Georgia.
The decision to hire Irsay was also largely questioned because Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and senior defensive assistant John Fox have experience as NFL head coaches. If a team changes coaches midseason, they usually just promote someone from within.
Well, Irsay and the Colts got the first laugh on Sunday by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 25-20 on the road. And after the win, Irsay had a little message for his critics.
In a surprise move, Saturday named Matt Ryan as the starter for the Colts-Raiders game. Reich benched Ryan after the team’s Week 7 road loss to the Tennessee Titans, and sophomore Sam Ehlinger started the team’s next two games.
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Ryan tuned in arguably his best game as a Colt, completing 21 of 28 pass attempts for 222 yards and one touchdown. He also had 38 total rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on four carries.
With the victory, the Colts snapped a three-game losing skid and improved to 4-5-1 on the year. The Colts will try to get to 5-5-1 on the year when they host the Philadelphia Eagles. After that, the Colts will welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
If the Colts can enjoy a strong second half under their interim head coach, we can expect more timeless tweets like this from Mr. Irsay.
