There have been a lot of people who have been critical about Jim Irsay’s decision to hire Jeff Saturday as the Colts head coach but none have been as scathing with their criticism like former NFL offensive lineman Joe Thomas.
Irsay, who was a guest on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football called Irsay’s decision to hire his “drinking buddy” as the head coach is “disrespectful” to NFL:
“When you hire your drinking buddy to be the head coach of an NFL football team, it is one of the most disrespectful things I have ever seen in my entire life — to the commitment, the lifestyle, and the experience that it takes to be an NFL coach. Any coach. Much less the head coach of the Indianapolis football Colts. You have got to be kidding me. That this is something that Jim Irsay, and Jeff Saturday — who’s not blameless for accepting the job — could have talked and decided that this was the best thing for the Indianapolis Colts at this juncture of the season.”
The 10-time Pro Bowler is not just putting blame on ownership, but also questions why Saturday even said “yes” to the position.
“You have got to be kidding me, that this is something that Jim Irsay, and Jeff Saturday — who’s not blameless for accepting the job — could have talked and decided that this was the best thing for the Indianapolis Colts at this juncture of the season,” Thomas continued.
Thomas went on to tell a story about how Rob Chudzinski, who coached Joe Thomas in Cleveland, and how he saw his kids either once or twice a week during his one season as Cleveland’s coach. Therefore, it must be difficult for coaches who have grinded their way through the league to see someone with no coaching experience get hired.
Regardless of whether Saturday works out as the Colts coach, it’s clear that the hire will not be well-received for the rest of the year.
