Indianapolis Colts' interim head coach Jeff Saturday could shed the interim title and take over as the team's bench boss next season, The Athletic's Zak Keefer reported on Tuesday.
Colts' general manager Chris Ballard will lead the search for the franchise's new head coach, but team owner and CEO Jim Irsay will make the final decision on who will coach the team next season.
“Yes, Jeff Saturday is a candidate,” Keefer wrote. Ballard had his season-ending press conference on Tuesday morning, and didn't pull any punches when asked what went wrong for the 4-12-1 Colts this season.
“I failed,” Ballard admitted. “I know there's doubt. There should be. It's warranted. There's criticism about my job and the job I've done. It's warranted.”
It was a miserable campaign for the Colts, who could not overcome a plethora of obstacles throughout the season. Ballard explained that instability at the quarterback position, offensive line regression and the team beating itself were the main three reasons it got so bad.
“Somewhere along the way, our competitive confidence…we lost it,” Ballard continued. “Late in the season, when it got hard in the game, we melted down. Our fans deserve better. They deserve better.”
Despite the brutal year, Ballard enjoys working with owner Irsay, although they disagree on some decisions.
“He's a good man. He's a good owner. Although we don't always agree…Mr. Irsay lets me do my job.”
The team ended the season on a seven-game losing streak, with three of those losses coming by 17 or more points.
Jeff Saturday was named interim head coach of the Colts in early November, and has stressed that he hopes to remain as head coach next year and can make a compelling case to get the job permanently.
“Hopefully, I've shown my leadership,” he told ESPN earlier this week. “I wish we were better than 1-7. Everybody in that locker room and everybody here, it makes all our jobs a lot easier if you win, right? Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. I'm not dissuaded by that.”
A final decision from Ballard and Irsay on whether or not Jeff Saturday will be the Colts head coach next season might not come until after the NFL postseason, which gets underway on Saturday.
Follow Us
Subscribe