The Indianapolis Colts and interim head coach Jeff Saturday find themselves in an awkward spot with only eight games to go in the regular season and a 3-5-1 record in pocket. The idea of making the playoffs is all but a pipe dream, (barring a truly miraculous turnaround and the Titans collapsing in catastrophic fashion), and yet it’s hard to say that Saturday is here to tank the rest of the year.
Through nine games, however, this team is so bad offensively that they won’t have to intentionally tank but instead will likely lose at five of their next eight because of those struggles. If that analysis comes to fruition, that puts the Colts at a 6-10-1 finish to the season and has the drafting towards the back half of the first round.
All of that begs the larger question of what bringing in Jeff Saturday means for the Colts not just this season but also for 2023 and beyond.
Saturday very passionate about believing in his ability to lead. Very.
Also realizes the unknown of this 8-game opportunity and how it’ll unfold.
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) November 9, 2022
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If he’s here to legitimately try and resurrect the Colts playoff hopes it starts with trying to figure out what’s happened to this lavishly paid offensive line. Perhaps Jeff finds some patchwork ideas that give the Colts at least a fleeting hope to save the season. Maybe those ideas impress Jim Irsay enough to make him the front runner for the top job in 2023.
If so, then this might be an out of the box hire that actually does what Irsay wants it to; restore a foundational identity and clear direction to the franchise.
Although, if the Colts do worse than my projected 6-10-1 finish to 2022, and there’s no clear improvement at West 56th and on the field, then it’s not only a step backwards but also a move that could harm the franchise further if Irsay brings Jeff back in 2023.
Either way, things are grim in Colts land as we enter the second half of the season. Jeff Saturday should start with a clean slate on Sunday and the Colts defense is strong enough to pull out a win in Las Vegas.
Start off with a loss to the 2-6 Raiders? Jim Irsay might as well start up his search for the next head coach.
Jeff Saturday analyzing his first ever NFL opponent as a head coach mere days ago. https://t.co/s9icFNbaS0
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 7, 2022
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Wednesday on The Dan Dakich Show Mike Tirico of NBC Sports dropped by to share the national perspective on the Colts shocking the NFL world by naming Jeff Saturday interim head coach.
Over the duration of our chat Mike spoke about:
- what his initial reaction to the move was
- where expectations should be for Colts fans the rest of the season
- what he thinks of the idea that the Colts are tanking
- why it’s great that Jim Irsay clearly cares about the Colts so much
Be apart of Dan’s conversation with Mike Tirico below and keep listening to The Dan Dakich Show, weekdays 12-3pm Eastern, on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan.
