Jeff Saturday took the high road on Sunday afternoon.
Saturday guided the Colts to a win on Sunday afternoon vs. the Raiders, the first of his tenure as interim head coach for the Colts. In the process, he handed a lot of his critics an L, too.
Saturday has been barraged by criticisms and critiques since his hiring, none louder than former coach Bill Cowher and former player Joe Thomas on Sunday.
Cowher described the hiring as a “disgrace to the coaching profession.” Thomas had equally as damning criticisms, calling Saturday nothing more than a “drinking buddy” of Colts owner Jim Irsay.
MORE: Four things Jeff Saturday did right in his winning Colts coaching debut
Saturday has heard the criticisms, and decided to take the high road (via NBC Sports’ Peter King). First, he responded to Cowher’s comments, saying he doesn’t feel the need to defend himself.
I respect his opinion, you know? Here’s the thing. God is my defender, man. I don’t have to defend myself. I am absolutely comfortable in who I am. I respect all those guys. Whoever has whatever negative opinion, I can assure you, it’s not gonna change who I am or what I believe I’m called to do. I have no idea, and I still don’t, how successful I’ll be, but we’re gonna work hard at it and I believe I can lead men and lead the staff. I’m excited about the opportunity.
Saturday also responded to Thomas’ disparaging comments:
I had no idea that he said that. I can assure you, I have never gone drinking with Jim. I don’t even know that Jim drinks. I don’t drink very much either. I don’t know Joe. I’m not worried about what Joe thinks about me or anybody else. Like I told you, the Lord will defend. I feel like I’ve been called to do it, so I made the decision to do it. Again, no disrespect to either of those men. They are who they are and said what they said. It will not sway me.
While certainly unorthodox, Saturday’s treatment has seemingly swung one way in the court of public opinion. While he may not have coaching experience, he did play 211 games in the NFL and was named an All-Pro four times, twice a first-team All-Pro and twice a second-team All-Pro. All that should count for something.
So far, it’s counted for a win — and a lot of salty analysts.
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