When the Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Frank Reich earlier in the season, they made the stunning move to replace him with former Indianapolis Colts star Jeff Saturday as the team’s interim head coach even though he had no previous college or NFL coaching experience. And even though he is just an interim coach, there’s a chance he is hired as the team’s full-time head coach during the offseason.
Colts owner Jim Irsay has defended his decision to hire Jeff Saturday, and he recently revealed that Saturday will once again be a candidate for the full-time position after the season concludes.
“I’m looking forward to the interview process,” Irsay said according to Pro Football Talk. “I think Jeff’s a candidate but there’s a lot of great candidates out there. I think there’s a lot of great candidates in college. I think the pool needs to be broadened somewhat more. There’s some great college coaches that may be capable. There’s some unknown coaches that may be capable.”
The move to hire Jeff Saturday was heavily criticized at the time as it appeared to sidestep the NFL’s Rooney Rule. But when the Indianapolis Colts conduct their coaching search for their full-time head coach this offseason, they will have to comply with the rule.
