Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Jim Irsay Cannot Hire Jeff Saturday as Head Coach

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Indianapolis Colts are inching closer to finding their next head coach as some of their seven finalists are being revealed. We'll tell you all about them today on Locked On Colts. Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you for tuning in and making us your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's show is presented by Prize Picks, which is daily fantasy made easy.

Starting point is 00:00:59 Just pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their stat projections, then you can win up to ten times your money on your entry. First-time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with our promo code LOCKEDON. That's prizepix.com, promo code LOCKEDON. I'm Jake Arthur, solo today. You know my co-hosts Zach Hicks and me from horseshoehuddle.com, of course. Today we're finally learning more about who the Colts head coaching finalists are Guys are finally starting to get some second interviews things like that

Starting point is 00:01:35 So far the guys we know about a zero ever Oh Jeff Saturday Dan Quinn and Raheem Morris They are all set being requested for or already have done their second interviews this week Ian Rappaport from NFL Network has been saying this week that this search can, you know, these interviews actually can go into next week. Basically, so right now it's been reported that there's seven finalists, which in itself is a lot because there are 13 guys that they wanted to interview was big enough already. So to have seven finalists is basically more than a lot of teams even interview altogether. So this Colts head coaching search is big and thorough to put it lightly. There are a few guys missing from the known candidates, the known finalists that we know so far. Tameka Ryans is someone they apparently still want to interview. He of course canceled

Starting point is 00:02:24 last Sunday's interview because he wanted to focus on the matchup with the Cowboys. Now, with him, I don't think the Colts are going to be able to interview him until the 49ers season is done at this point now, based on the rules. Stephen Holder, who we had on the show recently, I believe he tweeted out something along those lines. The rest of the guys that the Colts have already interviewed, they can bring them back for other interviews after their next game, I believe. It's all really complicated rules when it comes to interviewing coaches that are actively in the playoffs. But guys that we're curious about that have not been listed as finalists yet, but definitely would make a lot of sense.

Starting point is 00:03:04 Brian Callahan, the Bengals offensive coordinator, he was asked yesterday if he's been requested for a second interview with the Colts yet. He said he has not, which is a little concerning because he's one of Zach and I's top guys. We'd be perfectly fine with him being hired, but at the same time, the Colts could just be waiting. It doesn't mean that they won't bring him back for a second interview. He's still active in the playoffs. Shane Steichen, the offensive coordinator from the Eagles. Now, I believe it was Ben Albright on Twitter said that his interview with the Panthers actually didn't go all too well. So you kind of have to wonder how it went with the Colts. Will the Colts want to bring him back for a second interview?

Starting point is 00:03:47 If he didn't really interview well with one team, will the Colts want to bring him back? Mike Kafka, the Giants offensive coordinator, I believe he's also a finalist with the Texans, so that's something worth monitoring. And yeah, so Jeff Saturday also, you know, we kind of discussed that. We'll get to that here in a second because this one is kind of taking on a life of its own. So the first one we really, one of the first guys we learned about, Broncos defensive coordinator Ajiro Evereau. So he's a riser. He's honestly one of the biggest unknowns because he hasn't really been in one place for an extended period of time. He's honestly one of the biggest unknowns because he hasn't really been in one

Starting point is 00:04:25 place for an extended period of time. He's mostly spent his coaching career in the NFL. He was with the Buccaneers from 2007 to 2009 as a defensive quality control coach with the 49ers from 2011 to 15. Bouncing around a little bit, quality control, offensive assistant, and defensive assistant. So he's kind of had time on both sides of it there. Kind of a little bit quality control offensive assistant and defensive assistant so he's kind of had time on both sides of it there kind of a little bit of a diverse background he was with the packers in 2016 as a defensive quality control coach with the rams he started to work his way up as well 2017-21 he was the safeties coach and then upgraded to the whole secondary coach and then the passing game coordinator which is kind of a big deal really and then his one full year as a defensive coordinator last year

Starting point is 00:05:10 with the Broncos great defense when we've discussed him previously the Broncos are kind of reminiscent of the Colts a lot of expectations coming in the offense totally failed while the defense was really good most of the year but eventually they kind of tailed off. They just couldn't carry the whole team anymore. So that's an interesting one. I don't think either Zachariah had Evero on our list of five guys that we thought the Colts would bring in just because, honestly, the lack of experience, I think, as an extended period of time as a coordinator. Not that a lot of these guys have it, but Ever an extended period of time as a coordinator. Not that a lot of these guys have it, but Evero just kind of was down the board. But again, a guy we're both

Starting point is 00:05:50 intrigued by. He seems to be a smart guy. Like I said, he's a riser. He goes places and just kind of moves up the board. Haven't heard a negative thing about him during this whole coaching cycle from any team. I think he is a finalist in houston as well so the man the man of the hour that is just uh really it's hitting a fever pitch right now is jeff saturday so um to start out with it's being reported by some national media guys that jeff saturday is still jim ursae's top choice he's potentially the front runner in this whole race which i find it hard to believe. If Chris Ballard is running this thing,

Starting point is 00:06:28 it does not make sense for Jeff Saturday to be the frontrunner. There's a petition that I, you know, any of us who cover the Colts have probably seen it by now. I keep getting tagged in it on Twitter. As of the last time I looked at it this morning, shortly before hopping on here with you guys, it nearly had its 1,500 targeted signatures on this petition to Jim Irsay to not bring back Jeff Saturday as the head coach. So that's pretty damning. I will say at this point, with just the fan reaction to the possibility of Saturday being retained as

Starting point is 00:07:08 the full-time head coach I just don't think you could do it uh it's gonna it's gonna get really ugly I think there's a lot more opposition to it than there is people willing to embrace it and I don't think anyone feels good about that because everyone, you know, loved Jeff Saturday as, you know, this, this pro bowl center, a building block on their team that they just love during the Colts glory days of the, of the nineties and two thousands. And now a lot of people are kind of being forced to, to despise the likelihood of him staying with the team. And again, it's, it's nothing that anyone wants to do um but it's just a real interesting ugly situation and with the with the public outcry right now

Starting point is 00:07:52 i do not think that jim ursae can legitimately do this like you're gonna risk losing so many fans um it's now to play devil's advocate and i've said this a little bit on the show before saturday the team got worse when he took over in those eight games they had like a negative 87 point differential had the two historic collapses but you know he did walk into a tough situation the team was already really bad let's just say he gets the job. He does get to put together his own staff and, you know, he'll get to start doing things his own way. We don't really know what that looks like. It could be super bad.

Starting point is 00:08:36 Again, it could go terribly awry and then set the team back at least another few years, which it seems like that could be a real possibility um i think the the risks far outweigh the rewards on that one so if i was jim ursae i would steer clear i don't even know if he's going to be among chris ballard's final candidates that he presents to ursae but ursae probably will want to still dig into it. He ultimately makes the final decision, which it's kind of a tough pill to swallow for Colts fans. With that, the Colts season is dead and gone, but you guys can bet on football guilt-free now. I don't know about you guys, but when it comes to fantasy betting, stuff like that, when your team is out of it,

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Starting point is 00:10:32 We'll start with Dan Quinn, though, because while I did just say not quite as polarizing, I have seen, other than Saturday, this is probably the guy that's gotten the most opposition, at least in my mentions on social media and things like that. I think people get scared off by the 28 to three collapse in the Super Bowl when he was with the Falcons. As much as, you know, he's the head coach that ultimately falls on him. Kyle Shanahan shoulders a lot of that as well. And that's a head coach that anyone would take now on their team kyle shanahan of course was the offensive coordinator with the falcons uh with when that

Starting point is 00:11:10 collapse happened um the biggest concern we've had here on the show with quinn is the potential staff that he would put together uh it's not necessarily a bunch of younger forward-thinking offensive minds like we would hope for um you know b Brian Schottenheimer is a popular name that's been thrown out there. But it's been a few years now since he was the head coach with the Falcons. So just to give him the benefit of the doubt, he's got a lot of connections around the league. So I'm willing to see who would be out there. Because you have to pair this new quarterback that you're going to draft in the top five

Starting point is 00:11:44 with a sharp offensive mind. because you have to pair this new quarterback that you're going to draft in the top five with a sharp offensive mind you just have to just you can't you can't throw him out there with an old curmudgeon offensive coordinator that's set in his ways this has to be someone who's willing to work with them and tailor their offense to this quarterback strengths and you know ease him into the league because they're probably going to be starting from day one um so that is definitely one. We did find out when we talked to Marcus Mosher recently for Pro Football Focus, he primarily covers the Cowboys. He did say that Dan Quinn is very good though at developing players and getting the most out of them. We saw, you know, under his tutelage as defensive coordinator with the

Starting point is 00:12:23 Dallas Cowboys, Micah Parsons has been unbelievable. Dan Quinn, that was, you know, under his tutelage as defensive coordinator with the dallas cowboys micah parsons has been unbelievable uh dan quinn that was you know his stand on the table for him guy molly cooker's gone to the cowboys and looked really good i think neville gallimore is a really good player uh trevon diggs went from a guy who just consistently got burned to a guy who gets burned but gets a lot of interceptions as well. J. Ron Kearse has become a very serviceable defensive back there as well. So Quinn is intriguing. It wouldn't be a bad hire, but it's just not the sexiest one. And then Raheem Morris, who honestly, if you ask people around the league who don't seem to be in, you know, already aligned with

Starting point is 00:13:01 Jeff Saturday, Raheem Morris might legitimately be the frontrunner for this whole thing um he's the only guy who we've heard interviews have gone really well they want to bring him back for a second one of course uh Ben Albright who I mentioned earlier he was asked who you know who do you think it comes down to for the Colts who do you think gets this job and I saw at least two or three tweets that he said that he thinks it's going to be raheem morris um we of course dove into raheem morris with stephen holder recently so if you haven't checked that episode go uh go look at that now but i think he's the best candidate personally um you know there's other guys who are who have a lot of promise you know shane steichen brian callahan we're big fans of but morris has been a head coach before at the age of 32 like 10 15 years ago and it didn't

Starting point is 00:13:51 totally go well there in tampa but from everything we've heard he's a totally different coach now really no one has a gauge on communicating with players like he does. So that is terrific to hear. He knows how to delegate. And he's got a very extensive network of coaches he could pull from to bring in as coordinators and just fill out his staff. So when it comes to experience, attitude, and how he interacts with players and the staff he could put together,

Starting point is 00:14:23 Morris is a very very intriguing option and honestly that might be best case scenario for them because they the Colts do still have talent uh they don't have to completely hit the reset button they do have really talented players here that they could pick up and and win again because this team is not far removed from being really good. Something awful has happened there to where they suddenly have no competitive confidence, like Chris Ballard said at his end of season press conference. But, you know, a lot of the same guys are here who were that team no one wanted to face, you know, in the second half of 2021. a lot of these guys made the playoffs in 2020 when philip rivers was at quarterback and they really should have beat the bills in that first playoff

Starting point is 00:15:09 game there's a lot of the same guys here this team still has a lot of talent uh so if you want to pick up and try and build on that raheem morris might be your guy and yeah it's uh it's interesting out there we're just gonna have to hang on and see how this all unfolds. Ultimately, if Ursa does choose Saturday, then it could be one of the biggest risks that he's ever taken in his time owning the Colts. But for the rest of us, we could take some lower impact risks with our pals over at PrizePix. Just pick two to six players now, and if they score more or less than their stat projections then you guys can win up to 25 times your money now on any entry that they up the stakes on you guys prize picks offers projections on any sport that you can watch and entries can be made in 60 seconds or less it is that easy withdrawals are safe and fast as well and prize

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Starting point is 00:16:31 up to $100. That is it for us, everyone. We'll be back with you tomorrow. Zach will be with me. We'll keep giving you the pulse of this head coaching search. You know, we've been diving into some free agency stuff with quarterbacks as well. So stay tuned with us there.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Jim Irsay Cannot Hire Jeff Saturday as Head Coach

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