Colts' 2023 Head Coach Candidate: Jeff Saturday
The Indianapolis Colts enter the 2023 NFL offseason in need of a new head coach. Former Head Coach Frank Reich did an admirable job in his 4.5 years with the team, leading the Colts to a 40-33-1 record despite having to work with a new starting quarterback every season.
Ultimately, it came time to move on from Reich as the team stagnated and hit a wall under the him in recent seasons. While the Colts may not be the greatest destination across the league, they should be able to generate a decent amount of interest for one of the 32 most coveted positions in the sport.
In this series, I will dive into a handful of the coaching candidates that the Colts could/should interview during their search and break down their background/qualifications for the job. First up, let's start with the Colts' interim head coach Jeff Saturday...
Background in the NFL
Jeff Saturday began his NFL career back in 1998 when he signed by the Baltimore Ravens after going undrafted. His first stint in the league didn't last long, as the Ravens opted to waive him nearly two months after giving him his first contract.
He did make a return to the NFL the following year, as the Indianapolis Colts signed him to deal after a workout in 1999. After that, the rest is history. Saturday would go on to be one of the more successful centers of the 2000's in the NFL, and he was one of the star players on a Colts' team that won the Super Bowl in 2007.
Saturday appeared in 211 games in his NFL career, starting in 202 of those games. He finished his career as a two-time First-team All Pro and a two-time Second-team All Pro. He was also a six-time Pro Bowler in the league and was inducted into the Colts' Ring of Honor back in 2015.
After his retirement in 2012, Saturday would go on to join ESPN in 2013, a role that he stayed with all the way up until he took the Colts' interim head coach job this season.
Coaching Qualifications
In relation to a majority of head coaching candidates that we will cover in this series, Saturday is likely the most under-qualified for the position. He did play in the league at a high level, but there is much more that goes into being a head coach than simply playing in the league.
Outside of this interim coaching stint with the Colts, the only other experience that Saturday has in the coaching world came at the high school level. He was the head coach of Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Georgia from 2017-2020. During his time there, he led the team to a modest 20-17 record.
The Jeff Saturday-led Colts have been in a free fall since he took over. The team easily has the worst point differential in the NFL over his eight week run (-80), sitting at a record of 1-7 in that time span. The Colts have lost three games by three scores or more, and they also blew the biggest lead in the history of the NFL to the Minnesota Vikings.
While Jeff Saturday was given a near-impossible task coming in, this resume is far from exciting.
Potential Staff Connections
Due to Jeff Saturday's lack of experience in the coaching world, this list will be much smaller than other candidates in this series. Here are some available coaches that he overlapped with that could fit the bill for both coordinator roles.
Reminder these are just candidates that he has worked with in the past, not necessarily people that he would for sure hire.
Offensive Coordinator
Graham Harrell, Purdue Offensive Coordinator: Teammate with the Green Bay Packers back in 2012.
Ben McAdoo, Carolina Panthers Offensive Coordinator: QB Coach with the Green Bay Packers back in 2012.
Tom Clements, Green Bay Packers QB Coach: OC with the Green Bay Packers back in 2012.
Jim Bob Cooter, Jacksonville Jaguars Passing Game Coordinator: Offensive Assistant with the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-2011.
Dan Orlovsky, Former QB/ESPN Personality: Former coworker at ESPN.
Defensive Coordinator
Alan Williams, Defensive Coordinator Chicago Bears: DB Coach with the Indianapolis Colts from 2002-2011.
Joe Whitt Jr, Secondary Coach Dallas Cowboys: Secondary Coach with the Green Bay Packers in 2012.
Rex Ryan, Former Head Coach/ESPN Personality: Former coworker at ESPN.
The Bottom Line
Jeff Saturday may not be the most desirable or the most qualified coach for the Colts during this cycle, but he is somebody that will get a realistic shot at the job. Owner Jim Irsay is an ardent supporter of Saturday and he has stated multiple times that Saturday will get an interview for the job.
Will Jeff Saturday be the Colts' next full-time head coach? Would you be a fan of this hire? Tell me your thoughts about it over on Twitter by mentioning @ZachHicks2.
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