Irsay getting Defensive over Head Coaching Decisions
It seems like a long time ago already, but it's been a whirlwind month for the Indianapolis Colts and owner Jim Irsay.
Irsay fired Frank Reich on Monday, November 7th and hired Jeff Saturday that same day to be the interim coach for the rest of the season.
Irsay reminded everyone at Saturday's intro press conference that he had never hired a losing coach and appreciated the fresh approach he would bring to the team.
After the Colts lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nick Sirianni took a shot at Irsay immediately after the game. The current-Eagles head coach was the offensive coordinator with the Colts under Reich.
Irsay has found himself on the defensive after receiving harsh criticism for how he's handled the Colts coaching situation, including a scathing critique from NFL Network's Joe Thomas.
"It's not personal," Irsay told ESPN this week. "It's the very opposite from being personal."
"Frank is a treasured friend of my family and all my daughters," Irsay said. "We go back a long, long way. I'm very, very close to Frank, and I've known Frank for many decades. He's like family."
Irsay spoke of family and a contract extension for Reich as proof of his feelings for his former coach. He then spoke of Saturday who was made interim coach of the Colts without any previous NFL-coaching experience.
"You have to understand that Jeff's a very unusual person that was in a very unusual position to have the type of qualities that would make him able to make a transition like this," Irsay said.
"I mean, I wasn't gonna pick up the phone and hire Dallas Clark or Dwight Freeney," he said. "No, they wouldn't be ready."
READ MORE: Full ESPN Interview with Jim Irsay
Saturday certainly hasn't looked out of place his first two-plus weeks on the job. He has a chance to push his record as interim coach to 2-1 this week against the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Colts are a longshot to make the playoffs right now, but a win against the Steelers would be a step in the right direction.
