Owner Jim Irsay Vehemently Denies Colts are Tanking: 'We're in This Thing'
Football fans are still wrapping their heads around Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s shocking decision to hire Jeff Saturday as the team’s interim head coach.
Saturday, who replaces the recently fired Frank Reich, is the first man to roam an NFL sideline with no college or professional experience since Norm Van Brocklin in 1961. That’s caused many to speculate that Irsay and company are throwing in the towel and looking towards 2023, something the 63-year-old vehemently denies:
“That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard, that we’re tanking,” said Irsay. “That’s bull—-. We’re in this thing; 9-7-1 gets us in, no question about it…We’re not tanking the season. Whoever says these things, that we’re not playing [quarterback] Matt [Ryan] because [of an effort to tank], that’s all bull—-. That’s not true…We’re going to do what it takes to win. I don’t know who people think we are, they don’t know us. We don’t tank in Indianapolis.”
While Irsay’s words are likely genuine, it’s difficult to envision the Colts not finishing near the bottom of the league standings at season’s end, given how they’ve performed thus far.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Indianapolis as +6 road underdogs on the spread and +205 on the moneyline for Week 10’s contest against the Las Vegas Raiders.
