“About damn time”: The Indianapolis Colts have fired HC Frank Reich, ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday to take over as interim HC
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Move over Frank Reich, it is Jeff Saturday's time to be the Interim HC of the Indianapolis Colts.
Monday is the most hated day globally, but if you are a member of the Indianapolis Colts organization, you’d have an additional reason to hate Mondays. The team has been on a firing spree. Last Monday, it was their offensive coordinator, the Monday before that it was starter Matt Ryan who was benched for the remainder of the season. This week it is none other than HC Frank Reich.
Reich has been coaching the Colts for the last 5 seasons and his time has been far from memorable. One of the biggest issues the former HC had to deal with was the lack of stability at the quarterback position. The team never found a reliable QB who remained in the starters’ role for over a season.
Frank Reich had quite a successful career as an assistant coach. He was the mastermind behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense the year they won the Super Bowl. Due to his experience and knowledge of the game, Jim Irsay picked him to turn the fate of the Colts around. Unfortunately, Reich was never able to do that.
This season appears to have been the last straw for owner Irsay who has sprung into action mode and is firing key personnel in order to rebuild the organization and change the culture. This Sunday, Indy ended up getting embarrassed by the New England Patriots as they lost 26-3 making this loss one of the worst ones to date.
Also Read: “That was FUC*ING Awesome”: Tom Brady’s game-winning drive sends Twitterati into a frenzy
Unlike Frank Reich, Jeff Saturday has no experience coaching in the NFL :
Once Frank Reich was out, Colts fans did celebrate and breathed a sigh of relief, however, Jim Irsay had another surprise for the fanbase. He decided to bring on former six-time Pro Bowl Center Jeff Saturday who played 13-long years for the Colts. Jeff is a respected analyst at ESPN, but he has also been a consultant for his former team and is also an inductee in the team’s Ring of Honor.
Note that Jeff has been appointed as the Interim HC, so his position is not set in stone. Jim Irsay may take a look at his performance and then consider if it makes sense to make him the official HC of the Colts or not. Of course, hiring Jeff Saturday over other prominent coaches who have had experience coaching at a high level did tick people off.
Brian Flores, Eric Bieniemy, Byron Leftwich, and Kellen Moore, are some of the most eligible candidates in the league but Irsay opted to pick a former player with virtually no experience in coaching at this level. The Rooney Rule that mandates teams to interview Black coaches for coaching positions does not apply in this situation as the title is Interim Head Coach.
Does Jim Irsay know something that we all do not? It is understandable that the owner would know his former player better than us but that was when he was an athlete, not a coach, and most certainly not a Head Coach. The job is a difficult one, however, we cannot completely dismiss this move as Jeff Saturday does deserve a chance to prove himself.
Considering this move by the Colts was unexpected, the pressure is now on Saturday who has to change the culture within the locker room and attempt to turn the team’s losing season around. We are already 9 weeks into the season which makes this task much more difficult. The biggest question that awaits Saturday is who will start for the Colts. Who will get the position of QB1 for the remainder of this season? Hopefully, Jeff Saturday is able to make a significant impact on his former team.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to this surprise move by Jim Irsay:
This appears to be the biggest issue right now, Jim Irsay overlooked qualified coaches who have proven credentials and took a chance on a former player he respects and trusts.
We all are as surprised as you Jeff, fair question.
Iconic. Jeff has been prepping for this role since his playing days,
It is to be seen how well this decision turns out for the Colts.
Roger Goodell is punching the air right now.
That is the harsh truth.
Same reaction Nathan, same reaction.
Let Jimmy do his thing, is Irsay, Jerry Jones 2.0?
Jeff went from analyzing NFL teams to becoming the subject of analysis.
Do not know bro.
We wish nothing but the best for Jeff Saturday. Yes, the post could have gone to a qualified coach with experience but at the same time, it would not be right to trash Jeff until we have seen what he is capable of bringing to the table.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2235 Articles Published)