We now live in a world where Jeff Saturday getting the full-time Indianapolis Colts' head coaching job can be seen as the conventional hire.
On Wednesday, Colts owner Jim Irsay previewed a coaching search that will begin in earnest after their Jan. 8 finale:
“I’m looking forward to the interview process,” Irsay said. “I think Jeff’s a candidate but there’s a lot of great candidates out there. I think there’s a lot of great candidates in college. I think the pool needs to be broadened somewhat more. There’s some great college coaches that may be capable. There’s some unknown coaches that may be capable.”
Irsay fired Frank Reich on Nov. 7, a day after a 26-3 loss to New England that dropped the club to 3-5-1.
Indianapolis won its first game after controversially appointing Saturday as its interim head coach, but has not tasted victory in three games since. The Colts have a difficult schedule remaining, with road games against the Vikings and Giants (both playoff teams if the season ended today) sandwiched around a home date with the 7-6 Chargers in their next three games before closing with 1-11-1 Houston.
Who knows what stick Irsay will use to measure Saturday's performance, but if form holds the season will end with Saturday taking a 2-6 record with him to the interview table.
However, after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders in their first game under Saturday's direction, Irsay tweeted this:
All you critics…you criticize all of us in the NFL for losing…When we make moves to Win… you act so righteous! “Who You Crappin’..”. Just Win,Baby!!🏈✌️
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) November 14, 2022
Irsay took a ton of heat, both from without and within the NFL, for the Saturday hire, and so one can't rule out the possibility of appointing him the full-time head coach as a means for Irsay to thumb his nose at the righteous critics.
As the college angle Irsay alluded to above: there's a former Colts quarterback currently crushing at the college level who's won in the NFL before and entertained the thought of a return to the pro game. Jim Harbaugh swore off NFL pursuits after missing the Vikings job last winter and recently affirmed his commitment to Michigan for the 2023 season, but he'll be connected to the Indianapolis job for as long as it's open, particularly if Michigan manages to win its next two games.
And as for the "unknown coaches that may be capable".... who knows?
One thing is certain: stay tuned.