CNN
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The Indianapolis Colts have parted ways with head coach Frank Reich, the NFL team announced Monday.
Former Colts Pro Bowl center and Super Bowl winner Jeff Saturday has been named interim head coach.
He has been an ESPN analyst since 2013 and for a few years he has also been a consultant for the Colts.
Saturday has not coached at the college or NFL level.
“He’s the best man for the job, there’s no doubt in my mind,” Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay said at a news conference. “First of all, he’s extremely tough and he’s a leader. When you’re looking for head coaches, leadership is the number 1 thing.”
Irsay, who played for the Colts from 1999-2011 before spending his final season in Green Bay, also said Saturday that he’s “very smart, that’s very important.” You must be a big thinker. You have to know how to work with people. »
His interim coach “knows this game inside out,” he told reporters.
Saturday, 47, said he was surprised he was first choice for the role compared to some of the current staff members who have head coaching experience.
“Shocked would be an understatement,” he told reporters of Irsay’s late phone call. “I feel fully capable. Excited about the opportunity. … But I have no preconceived idea that I’m going to be anything spectacular; I know I have to work hard. ”
Saturday compared expectations to entering the NFL after not being drafted despite being a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference player at the University of North Carolina.
Saturday signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 1998 but was cut before the season. Saturday then worked at an electrical supply store before signing with the Colts prior to the 1999 season. He eventually became a two-time first-team All-Pro player and was on the winning Super Bowl team of the 2006 season.
“Here’s the big part of my career, I arrived (in 1999), nobody expected anything, I’m here (as a coach), nobody expected anything. If it goes well, I hope it goes extremely well,” he said.
Reich, who was in his fifth season with the Colts, went 40-33-1 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs.
“We’ve got some pretty good players,” Reich said Sunday after a 23-point loss to the New England Patriots. “I have to do a better job. It starts with me on offense. I have to do a better job of preparing the guys to play, putting them in a good position to win and having answers when we have problems.
According to ESPN, the Colts are last in the NFL with just 14.7 points per game.
The Colts — who are 3-5-1 this year — have lost three straight games. Their next game is on the road against the 2-6 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
