Colts Superstar Voices Support for Jeff Saturday

It’s no secret that Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday had a “rough start” to his coaching career.

After the firing of now-Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich during the season, owner Jim Irsay thrust the Colts’ great into the head coaching spot, even overstepping general manager Chris Ballard, who reportedly wanted special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, instead.

There has been a petition signed by fans to prevent Saturday from being hired, a lot of negativity said, and virtually no chance to retain given to the former Colts center and Ring of Honor member.

However, this week on the Pat McAfee Show, Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard didn’t hold back when criticizing Saturday’s “haters,” but also voiced vibrant support in favor of bringing Saturday back as a head coach.

“Jeff is a great coach, man. Cut that out. I can’t stand that. It makes me so mad,” Leonard said. “Jeff came in with the right mindset that he wasn’t going to sit back and allow just bad play. It was more so he demanded excellence from everybody. That offensive line, of course, everybody would criticize that offensive line. You see they got better, didn’t they? He came in and made sure that everybody knew exactly what was at stake and what he wanted out of each and every player.”

"Jeff Saturday is a great coach.. give him a full offseason with his coaching staff and we'll be in a great spot" ~ @dsleon45 #PMSinAZ #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/0HsmYDmlt3
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 10, 2023

This is a big development in the case for Saturday, as Leonard is not only one of the most respected players in the NFL but also a massive voice in the Indianapolis locker room. Could Leonard potentially be reflecting on what the whole locker room is thinking? Do the Colts' players truly want Saturday to lead the team? It’s getting to the finale of this coaching search, and technically, Saturday is 100% still in the debate.

Currently, the Colts have reportedly removed Brian Callahan (Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator), Wink Martindale (New York Giants defensive coordinator), Mike Kafka (Giants offensive coordinator), and Ejiro Evero joined Reich's staff in Carolina as the defensive coordinator.

This leaves the following names as finalists for the next Colts head coach position:

Rich Bisaccia (Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator)
Aaron Glenn (Detroit Lions defensive coordinator)
Raheem Morris (Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator)
Shane Steichen (Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator)
Jeff Saturday (Colts interim head coach)

As seen above, Saturday could still land the gig, albeit being a long shot going against serious and experienced competition also gunning for the leadership role for Indianapolis.

Just as the Saturday drama was winding down during the search, it is back in the headlines again just like that. However, this is way different, as before it was a bevy of media people from ESPN campaigning for Saturday. Now, it’s a superstar leader for the Colts that has massive weight in the locker room and on the team and has a very seriously considered opinion. Will this sway Ballard? Only time will tell, and the time that remains is only a few days until a name is finally revealed to lead the Colts.

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