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The Indianapolis Colts have been the talk of the NFL world this week as a result of the team’s decision to fire Frank Reich and hire former Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday — who had no previous collegiate or professional coaching experience — as their interim head coach.
While the Colts have been widely criticized for the move, Saturday himself seems to have the support of not only NFL fans and his former colleague in the NFL and at ESPN, but the actual players on the Colts, too.
Indianapolis Colts veterans such as Ryan Kelly and DeForest Buckner already seem to respect new head coach Jeff Saturday
Speaking to the Indianapolis Star, center Ryan Kelly and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner sound like they’re already picking up what Saturday is putting down.
“He didn’t just come in and automatically demand respect, and everybody knows who he is and his message,” Kelly said. “He did it the right way. That comes, obviously, with the territory of being in this league for a long time. You easily smell out (expletive) when you smell it. He did a great job.”
Saturday’s a passionate man. The Colts could feel that, too. “He came in with energy,” Buckner said. “That’s something we need right now.”
Saturday’s first game as an NFL head coach will come on Sunday when he and the Colts travel to Sin City to take on Derek Carr, Davante Adams, and the struggling Las Vegas Raiders.
At 3-5-1 through eight games so far this season, the Colts find themselves two games behind the first-place Tennessee Titans in the subpar AFC South.
Saturday, who first entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1998 ultimately landed with the Colts in 1999 and played there until 2011. During that time, Saturday was named to six Pro Bowls, two All-Pro teams, and also helped the team win the 2006 Super Bowl.
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