Colts Owner Jim Irsay on Interim HC Jeff Saturday: 'He's Fully Capable'

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay shocked many on Monday when he announced that Jeff Saturday would serve as the team’s interim head coach in the wake of Frank Reich’s firing.

While Saturday has no previous coaching experience, Irsay was adamant during Monday’s press conference that the franchise’s former long-time center is the right man for the job.

“I’m glad he doesn’t have any NFL experience,” said Irsay. “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. He doesn’t have all that. He doesn’t have that fear. And there was no other candidate. We were fortunate he was available. And he has tons of experience. He knows the game inside and out with relationships with coaches and players. I understand that he’s fully capable of doing this.”

Saturday played 13 seasons for the Colts, being named to four All-Pro teams. Before being hired as Indy’s bench boss, the 47-year-old served as a consultant for the organization and an analyst for ESPN. 

“Make no mistake, the job is win,” said Saturday. “I know that’s what I’m here to do. How can I arm the guys in that locker room and how can I arm those coaches to be the best they can be? Because I believe in them. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

Saturday begins his tenure on the road Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, where the Colts are currently +6.5 point underdogs on the spread and +225 on the moneyline, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.