The Jeff Saturday experiment officially begins in less than an hour. If Colts G.M. Chris Ballard had his way, it wouldn’t be.
According to NFL Media, both Ballard and team president Pete Ward advised owner Jim Irsay to not hire Saturday.
Per the report, Irsay was “hellbent” on making the former Colts player with no college or pro coaching experience the coach for the balance of the season.
Frankly, I believe Irsay will be “hellbent” on keeping Saturday for 2023 and beyond, no matter what he does in eight games. Irsay will be able to find a silver lining if he wants to, arguing for example that the circumstances created by Irsay forced Saturday to operate with one or both hands tied behind his back.
I also believe (and this is more of a guess than anything else) that Irsay wanted to fire Frank Reich and hire Saturday after the 2021 season ended with the Colts losing to the Jaguars and missing the playoffs. If so, Irsay listened to Ballard then. Irsay, per the report, didn’t listen to Ballard now.
