Jeff Saturday reveals what Jim Irsay said to him in first phone call
Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts former center Jeff Saturday attends the game against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL world was stunned on Monday when the Indianapolis Colts fired Frank Reich and replaced him with Jeff Saturday, and it sounds like the franchise legend only found out very recently that he was in line for the job.
Saturday says he first heard from Irsay during the Colts’ blowout loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. Bill Belichick’s team sacked Sam Ehlinger a whopping nine times in that game. Saturday told reporters that Irsay asked him for his thoughts on what was wrong with Indy’s offensive line. The former six-time Pro Bowl center claims there was no mention of Reich being fired, however.
To clarify: Saturday said Irsay asked him, "What the hell is wrong with our protection?" No mention of Frank Reich or an interim head coaching job. https://t.co/1Sp2bRHoco
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 9, 2022
Saturday, who had been working as a consultant for the Colts, also spoke about his relationship with Reich. You can hear the full comments below:
Jeff Saturday on why he's here: pic.twitter.com/zPJEnaB5mm
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 9, 2022
It is difficult to believe that Saturday had no knowledge of potentially becoming the Colts’ head coach until the actual day he was hired. The plan definitely was not in the works for very long, however. A recent tweet Saturday sent about Indy’s upcoming opponent is proof of that.
Saturday has no previous coaching experience, which has led many to conclude that the Colts are tanking. Irsay had a vulgar response to that this week.
