NFL Executives and Coaches Respond to the Colts Head Coach Predicament

GettyOn November 7, the Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Frank Reich, appointing ESPN commentator Jeff Saturday in his place.

When the Indianapolis Colts revealed their intention to remove Frank Reich and appoint TV commentator Jeff Saturday as interim head coach, the media had its day of response. Coaches and executives are now taking turns throughout the NFL.

All in all, they share the same level of amazement and “bewilderment” as the reporters covering the Colts.

After Indianapolis was named interim head coach on Saturday, a league source texted senior reporter Matt Lombardo, saying, “It’s an incredibly clever move to [crap] on an entire industry of coaches.”Having several coaches within your own structure. Hiring a man who has never coached at any level was just a brilliant choice.

Colts Select Saturday Against Other Staff Candidates Who Are Qualified

The first thing Saturday said at his inaugural news conference was how excellent the Colts’ coaching staff is. That was a wise move for a man who had told himself that he needed to win over the Indianapolis locker room.

However, the issue still stands: why would owner Jim Irsay appoint a TV commentator as the Colts’ temporary head coach if their coaching staff is so excellent?

John Fox and Gus Bradley, two former head coaches, are employed by Indianapolis. Although Fox won 133 games as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears, Bradley has one of the poorest victory percentages of any head coach in NFL history.

Since Bradley calls plays for the defense, he probably wouldn’t have been the ideal candidate for the promotion anyway. There was no need to interfere because his unit was performing admirably as well.

However, Fox could have moved easily into the position of interim head coach as the team’s senior defensive assistant right now.

Bubba Ventrone, the coordinator of special teams, may then be ours. Ventrone is seen as a coach on the rise in NFL circles, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

Other intriguing contenders included quarterback coach Scott Milanovich and running back coach Scottie Montgomery. Milanovich led the CFL for five seasons as head coach, while Montgomery led East Carolina from 2016 to 2018.

When the Colts execute a more comprehensive hiring process for head coach after the season, neglecting the qualified coaches on staff could have consequences. The Colts must do that deeper search in accordance with the Rooney Rule, regardless of how successfully Saturday uses this chance.

Will that search be affected by hiring on Saturday? Howe gave a firm “yes” in response.

It’s reasonable to speculate, though, that when the Colts are looking to bring in a new head coach in the upcoming months, potential candidates may have different opinions on the position’s stability. According to a former NFL head coach, if Saturday is the hand-picked replacement by ownership, the next round of interviewers will be aware that something similar could happen again,” Howe said. This could potentially play a role. “Those with previous head coaching experience tend to be more choosy with their next job opportunities, knowing it will likely be their only shot.”

“The word ‘crazy’ was used by two executives from opposing teams and one assistant coach to characterize the occurrences on Monday.”

When the Athletic polled a few executives, the general view was that things with the Colts were difficult to understand.

Sports writer Dave Holcomb writes about the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers for Heavy.com. Holcomb is originally from Pittsburgh and has covered professional and collegiate sports for publications like Fansided and Rotowire.