Week 11 is officially underway following the Titans and Packers game last night. As the NFL regular season is over halfway through, many teams are beginning to look ahead to the playoffs. For the Colts, another issue is also on their minds; staffing.
In the midst of a complicated season, the Colts made the decision to fire head coach Frank Reich and replace with former Colts center Jeff Saturday, who has no college or NFL coaching experience.
After Reich a three-game losing streak and a 3-5-1 start to the season with a severely under-performing offense, team owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard decided it was time for a chance.
“We saw things collapse, and I’ve seen things go from bad to worse. I thought it was time, and it was necessary to make the change,” Irsay told FiveThirtyEight.
Many fans and analysts had mixed reactions to the move. As seen already this season with the Panther’s coaching change, head coaching positions can be fluid when losses are going unanswered.
One of the main reasons for the losses is the offense, which has scored a league low mere 16.1 points per game. Some blame quarterback Matt Ryan as a cause after he had a string of fumbling issues at the beginning of the season. However, others believe without Reich, the team and Ryan may be able to be given a better chance to improve their average later this season.
Saturday’s hiring evoked strong reactions from the public, both positive and negative. Yahoo Sports released an article titled, “The hiring of Jeff Saturday has made the sputtering Colts a whole lot more interesting,” where they compare him to a “guy off the street” because of his apparent lack of coaching experience (except for a small high school team in Georgia).
Despite that, Saturday has an impressive record in the league with accomplishments such as a Super Bowl championship and a two-time All-Pro selection.
The team believes his record and reputation for “on the field brains as much as brawn” is exactly the shake-up they need.
“The Colts believe in his football acumen, leadership, and open-mindedness as critically-important traits that’ll give him a strong chance to succeed as the team’s interim head coach,” said the Colts website.
Irsay said Saturday’s lack of experience is a positive since it will shield him from the influence of analytics. “I’m glad he doesn’t have any NFL experience. I’m glad he hasn’t learned the fear that’s in this league because it’s tough for all our coaches. They’re afraid. They go to analytics, and it gets difficult,” Irsay told FiveThirtyEight.
Saturday has already received positive feedback from the team after he addressed them with what ESPN described as “a delicate mix of boldness and humility.”
He addressed the elephant in the room as well as his level of commitment and care for the player.
While the future is still uncertain, with the next few games determining the fit, Saturday is determined to do the best he can for his former and now current team.
“I mean, won a Super Bowl, been to two. Here’s the deal, man. None of us are promised a good job. I may be terrible at this and, after eight games, I’ll say, ‘God bless you. I’m no good.’ I may be really good at it. I’ve got no idea, but I dang sure ain’t going to back down.”
The Colts take on the Eagles this Sunday, and a Colts fan motto rings true once again, “It can’t be Sunday without Saturday.”
