because you knew where we're going to start this
conversation. We got to address the the elephant in the room.
I mean Jeff Saturday kicking butt on a Sunday last week.
First off, I guess
just would like to get your initial reaction
last week. I don't know if you had an inkling that this was
going to happen beforehand at all or anything like that. But
you know, just when you first heard the news of Jeff Saturday
taking over, what do you think?
I was just as shocked as everybody. Chris, I had talked
to Frank Reich, a couple of days before that talk to him
about saying, he was going to make with his offensive
coordinator and
we talked through that, he's looking three, four, five weeks
down the road, and I was shocked when I heard he was
released.
And then I had talked to Jeff Saturday, believe it or not,
we're trying to coordinate a speaking engagement. I was
going to come down and speak at an event that he was hosting
an Atlanta. We're talking about that.
Talking about the
Season, no talk about the Colts or anything,
and I hear that news. It was just unbelievable.
But, you know, Jim irsay.
I have to say this when he gets something in his mind, right?
That's the way he goes,
and the same thing happened with me when I got fired by
the cult, by the books, he called me.
And said, hey, you're the guy woman and I'm hiring you
don't even call your agent. Just write down the number and
tell me what you want, send it to me. And you got it mean that
was our negotiation. He had made up his mind and he told me
later on, he said he was a fan of
the Steelers, the way they did it. He was a fan of what I did
down here. That's the way he wanted to put his team together
and nobody was going to change his mind. So
he had an opinion of what the team needed. He felt like Jeff
could bring that and when you really think about it it was
kind of logical.
Okay. I don't have many choices.
I need somebody. Who can energize the building, right?
Somebody who's a leader. You and I need somebody to help our
offensive line, which is the most underperforming unit on
our team right now.
And so Jeff made sense, even though he didn't have a lot of
experience. Yeah. And I'm in a lot of ways. I mean, it's easy
to sit here now for a guy like me to think about it and go.
Yeah, you know, there is some things that make sense about it
and maybe, you know, the way they played on
Sunday, certainly helps out or at least helps me in that
thought. But
other thing I just want to ask you like, did you ever know
that you know, Jim irsay had that kind of affection for
Jeff's.
Today to maybe even be on the radar for this type of
conversation or even vice versa. The Jeff Saturday was
ambitious to want to be a head coach of the Colts one day.
Yeah, I knew they had a great relationship. No, I didn't
know, Jeff would even think about coaching. Yeah. And you
know we talk about high school coaching and how much effort
that took now his kids are a little older now and they're
out and out of the house. So
that makes a different suit. But yeah, Jim
had that kind of affection,
but you don't always know that
That I got hired as an assistant coach at 25 years
old. I had never coached in my life. I didn't know coach. No
felt that way about me. He brought me back to coach guys
who were older than me who taught
me defense and it didn't make any sense of the time but he
saw something in me and maybe Jim irsay says the same thing
and Jeff.
But I think what we have to understand
this might be a long-term decision but this was really
about an 8-week decision. What can we do to win these games
right now? What's the best? Move we have and he thought it
was Jeff Saturday. Yeah,
I know it's amazing. What like
Echo the are just some of the sentiment of Jeff Saturday,
the player, and just what we he was like then and how cerebral he
was. And,
you know,
could you understand him being able to pull off this type of
job? I mean, him and Peyton. Manning must have been some
little combination. You had their on the offensive side of
the ball.
I absolutely could see a Chris. This is a guy who was a free
agent undersized guy. He felt going to make it. He works
himself into a pro bowl Center. He is the glue of the offensive
line, he and Peyton Manning and Tom Moore
and Howard mother having meetings.
How we going to do this when we recognize, that's how we're
going to block this. He's kind of orchestrating everybody up
front and involved in the in the,
in the process of what we're going to do.
He's a leader. He's coming into my office and telling me what's
going on with the team. Hey, we
need to think This coach, we are really overworked. You
might want to think about right, cutting back, that's one
conversation. I had with him after
our Super Bowl year.
Hey, our offseason program. We might want to look at this. We
played about 15 extra games. Now, in the last 5 years, we
practiced for sometimes six weeks after the regular season
is over,
maybe we want to think about cutting back and he had a great
point. So I ended up changing the program for the veteran
players. Well offseason because of him. I'm coming in and
making a suggestion and he wasn't afraid to come into my
office. You know, how coaches say my door is always open.
Well, there's only one or two guys who are coming in there.
And Peyton Manning was one Jeff. Saturday was the other
one guys would come in to his locker and say, hey can you
talk to coach about this this and this
and he would be the guy to come in and do it. Wow, yeah, so
that shows it shows and you know, it's a,
he sees the big picture
and that's where I kind of want to go with you next because
I watch the off.
The side of the ball, the film with that game,
you know, yesterday a little bit and
some of the things you're saying I think kind of jump out
to me and I'm going to lay some of them out there and you tell
me if you agree disagree, you know, either way. But
man, first off,
that was the best game. The offensive line played all year.
It's hard not to think Jeff Saturday didn't have a have
a say in that, right? I mean
they ran the ball as good as they've run. They protected,
Matt Ryan as good as they protected the quarterback all
year and I thought that was something that jumped out to
coach and and to
you know with that and I want you to jump off of this here in
a second. It was almost like he's simplified things to it's
like they only ran three run plays in The Run game.
It was three run plays and it was just like hey
this is what we're going to do, we're not going to overthink
it, do it, right? Do it, physical and fast and hard. And
we'll have some success and that, that has to be the effect
of Jeff's. Jeff Saturday, am I wrong in that?
You're right? And I'm laughing because Jeff Saturday for seven
years. Is heard his head coach. Say when things aren't going
well,
do what you do best and do less
and so he comes in and says, alright we're going to give
Jonathan Taylor the ball. No question about it. We're going
to cut back. We're going to run three or four plays. We're
going to run them well
and the running game and we're going to throw a little more
quick Rhythm. We're going to get people open quick and get
death. How quarterback has been sacked more than any
quarterback in the NFL. That's not going to happen on Sunday,
so they rushed for 100
70-something, yard,
they get sacked one time and they score points
and they did it by doing what they do best and doing less.
No question. It was the number one thing that jumped out to me
and like you said to, there was only 23 plays the whole game
where
Matt Ryan was asked to like,
hey, hold the ball and let's maybe wait for the 10 or 15
yard completion, for the most part of the day. It was that
quick passing game. Some rpos that I thought I hadn't even
seen in their attack before that. Part of it.
So you know again it's one of those where you go. Wow that
was a weird decision for a guy like me, I knew we could lead
some people and and, you know, maybe rally the troops and
emotionally
but it's hard not to look at it. And think he didn't have
effect on the football game overall. And
what's your thoughts of the Colts going forward here?
Coach. We know the defense is like real. It's real, you know.
Do you think they can be? I said,
I would not have made the change.
JH from Frank Reich because they're three, find one.
I think they're right in the heart of things. You win
a couple of games in a row. You're right back in
the playoff hunt,
and this is a great year to be in the playoffs
because I don't think there's a super team out there, right?
Because they had already beaten the Chiefs. Now we're going to
say the Chiefs might be the best team in the AFC and they
beat him already. Yeah, so
I think the Colts can be right there.
Keep running Jonathan Taylor, keep doing what you're doing
rely on the defense. It's not a Top formula
wasn't. And so, does that formula the other night? That's
right. Run the ball. Let's keep the pressure off our defense.
Let's just hustle and play aggressive, and we're playing
against an undefeated team. Let's see what happened and
I think that's where Jeff went in and said, you know what, this
is who we're going to be
and as I might be here for two weeks or eight weeks or but
this is what we're going to be. We're going to play aggressive.
We're going to play tough when run the ball offensive line,
you got to come. You got to earn your money
and they did, they did,
they did, there was a different attitude,
the offensive line.
And it just it was the way they fired off the ball and I think
the simplification that you talked about gave them
the confidence. No doubt I'm with you coach there D. You know,
it's it's every bit the fourth-ranked defense in
football,
it's not a mirage child.
Yeah, go ahead. I also think Jeff went to Matt Ryan and
said, hey, I'm a sinner. I'm not a quarterback
but you can't hold the ball
went. So you look at your first rate of the guys open and it's
a four-yard gain. Throw it to him, right? He was doing that
and they got some short.
Ends the turned into touchdowns when guys running after
the catch, but he got it to to those receivers and said, hey,
we're going to take five yards instead of minus 8 and we'll
see what happens.
Yeah, that's right. And I'm really, but
you talked about the one sack that was the only bad play.
Matt, Ryan really had the whole day of holding the ball,
a little too long. And when the guy was wide open in the flat.
Hey, first time first down and damn you're in field-goal
territory and then they
missed the field goal.
And I was like, oh man. That's the Colts. Even Jeff Saturday
can't fix that but he Fix it. And that coach, I don't know,
you just brought up Washington and the Eagles and I kind of
want to go there next, but
because I want to talk about the Eagles, but
I don't know. I'm one of those after seeing last week going,
I don't think it's crazy to think the Colts can keep this
close with the Philadelphia Eagles with that defense and if
they can run the ball and we saw somebody can run on on
Philadelphia.
I don't think it's crazy to have that thought unless you
know, unless you say I'm crazy that I believe, you know, what
was the war?
No formula. Okay, we're going to run the ball. We're going to
make first downs. We're going to convert third down and
three. We might even miraculously run it on third
down and three, who knows? But we're going to keep the ball.
We're going to not give
up big plays. We're going to make Jalen hurts. Make several
throws and we'll see what happens. And that's a formula
that the Colts can follow. They can definitely run
the football. They can pound it in there. They can make
the occasional big play. When they get
one-on-one, they, they can. They have
Have some receivers who can win
and defensively. I think they're going to rally and use
their speed and make, you know, Phil. He's not going to score
on
big chunk 40-yard play,
right. Right. That's what you can count on from the
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