Jeff Saturday as Colts interim coach? Maybe idea by owner Jim Irsay isn't too bad | Opinion

Many of us had the same knee-jerk reaction after hearing Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay hired Jeff Saturday — the beloved Colts center who won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning — as his interim coach for the rest of the season.

Irsay gave Manning a call before offering the job to Saturday, right?

Sorry, not that. More like: Saturday has no NFL or college coaching experience. Heck, even Saturday would openly opine the same thing about himself on ESPN for which he worked since 2013.

All Irsay had to do was appoint an interim coach from his existing staff after firing Frank Reich, and position (not tank) the Colts on a path for a top pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Instead, Irsay and the Colts became the biggest NFL story this week, naming Saturday,  who has three years of high school head coaching experience, to lead his football franchise for the rest of this season.

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SLAP IN THE FACE: Colts hiring Jeff Saturday as interim head coach is another bad look

“Certain people just have it. They have it. And you see it when you know it,” Irsay said as he pounded the table at the Colts news conference announcing Saturday’s hire Monday night as if he had to convince all of us this was the right move for his franchise.

“He’s a better fit. He’s the best man for the job, and there’s no question about it in my mind.”

We praised Irsay last month for being the first NFL owner to openly address the train wreck that is the Commanders, and advocating for removing Snyder as Washington’s owner.

But this episode — Irsay trotting out Saturday to be the savior of the franchise in a lost season — may not be as ridiculous as we think.

The fact of the matter is this: Irsay needs a new coach, and appears like he will keep Chris Ballard as general manager, according to Irsay's comments Monday. But he desperately needs a quarterback to drive the franchise forward like Manning and Andrew Luck did.

The Colts shouldn’t openly tank. But they are abysmal offensively and star running back Jonathan Taylor has been injured often this season. Saturday has what it takes to inspire the troops, but the Colts don’t have what it takes to finish this season with a winning record or in playoff contention.

Saturday is getting an eight-game audition to infuse a winning culture into the team, and he’ll be a favorite when a formal coaching search begins after the season.

All Saturday must do is make the Colts entertaining and somewhat competitive on Sundays. The last part is the key.

“Even if it is for eight games and everyone wants to run me out of town, I believe I’m called for a reason and I wouldn’t have accepted it without that,” Saturday said.

Look, we can be upset Saturday has just parachuted into one of 32 jobs in the NFL because he’s got a longstanding relationship with the team owner, dating back to 1999. “It’s not what you know, but who you know” has a penchant for prevailing this way with NFL coaching hires.

We can be upset Irsay did not have to consider the Rooney Rule — which Irsay will have to do during the full-time coaching search at the end of the season — because this was an interim hire in this day in age where minority candidates are being overlooked. But we can also continue to pressure NFL owners to give minority coaches a real chance to run their teams — while remembering Irsay has done so, winning a Super Bowl with Tony Dungy and reaching another with Jim Caldwell.

Saturday, a former ESPN analyst, led Hebron Christian in Dacula, Georgia, to a 20-16 record until stepping away in 2020, according to Gwinnett Prep Sports.

So, of course Saturday would say “shocked would be an understatement” when asked about his first thoughts after getting the call by Irsay. And he would say he's “drinking from a fire hydrant” in his first few hours on the job.

As an NFL interim coach, Saturday is walking into a situation where, although he’s beloved, he’s everyone’s new boss. Players who may or may not revere what he did now must take instruction from him. And assistant coaches, including two former head coaches — John Fox (senior defensive assistant) and Gus Bradley (defensive coordinator) — could’ve been the interim coach, but now must answer to someone new. It’ll be a challenge hiring a new staff and evaluating players before the draft in April if Saturday gets the job full time.

“This dude is loved here in Indianapolis — loved,” former Colts kicker turned sports personality Pat McAfee said of Saturday on his YouTube show.

“So, Jim Irsay thought to himself: All right, I got a guy that wants to be a coach. I got a guy that isn’t going to be booed when he comes onto the field. And maybe some guy that could maybe move some tickets.

“It feels in Jim Irsay’s mind this is a home run. I could see how it could be a home run. But how long would Jeff be loved if they stink?”

Irsay could have kept things simple: He shouldn’t have asked for a fan favorite to ease the blow of a down season, and the Colts could have turned their focus squarely on securing a pick in the 2023 NFL draft where a new quarterback could reshape the franchise.

The Colts can still do the latter.

If Saturday inspires the Colts well enough, he could stay on as head coach.

If the Colts land a quarterback and a coach, Irsay will look like a genius.

And the boos from Colts fans would turn to cheers if this move revives the franchise.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeff Saturday as Colts interim coach? What's Jim Irsay thinking?