Browns OT legend Joe Thomas calls out Colts for ‘egregious’ Jeff Saturday rent
Legendary Cleveland Browns OT Joe Thomas criticized the Indianapolis Colts for hiring Jeff Saturday as NFL gamers stay divided on challenge.
Over a decade after a profitable “Suck For Luck” marketing campaign in Indianapolis, the Colts are making one other drastic determination that would form the end result of their season.
This week, the Colts fired Frank Reich and employed former Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach. Saturday had been an NFL analyst with ESPN since 2013, however he accepted the top teaching place with no skilled teaching expertise.
Instantly after the hiring, NFL commentators expressed confusion and outrage to seeing Saturday seemingly stroll into one of the crucial unique jobs in sports activities. Saturday’s lack {of professional} teaching expertise got here beneath scrutiny, as did the associated dialog about how minority coaches in the NFL have been passed over for reportedly being underqualified.
What NFL gamers and coaches should say on this second is weighted, as they’re the individuals who can greatest assess whether or not or not a rent like this is sensible for the Colts. For legendary Cleveland Browns offensive deal with Joe Thomas, who has a really comparable NFL resume to Saturday, the Saturday rent looks like “a joke.”
Jeff Saturday is a good human being
…he can command a room
…he is a good chief
…however there’s (so much) extra to being an NFL head coach than 👆👆👆 https://t.co/IE2Lpt1srO
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) November 11, 2022
“It was probably the most egregious factor I can ever keep in mind occurring within the NFL,” Thomas stated on the “Good Morning Soccer” set in Munich, Germany. Thomas criticized Colts proprietor Jim Irsay for seemingly hiring his “consuming buddy” and described Saturday as “not innocent for accepting the job.”
Within the three-minute phase, Thomas explains how the transfer got here throughout as insulting to everybody who is aware of the sacrifice and dedication demanded of NFL coaches.
“Whenever you’re a coach within the NFL, you do not need a life exterior of soccer,” Thomas stated. Thomas then described the approach to life of short-term Browns coach Rob Chudzinski, who apparently noticed his kids solely a couple of times per week.
For probably the most half, NFL journalists sided with Thomas, citing non-public issues across the NFL about Saturday’s {qualifications}.
I believe the premise of what Joe Thomas is saying holds advantage. The place he comes off unhealthy is referring to Jeff Saturday as merely Irsay’s “consuming buddy”. Joe is simply too rattling sensible to know the connotations that assertion has with the house owners previous and it merely makes him sound bitter.
— Landon Oliver (@Landon3MR) November 11, 2022
Joe may be proper or lifeless flawed on this. We’ll see. However for these reducing down his perspective… he has the very same resume as Jeff Saturday.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) November 11, 2022
Joe Thomas completely guidelines typically and is totally on his sport right here.
Good for him in saying all of this. So many individuals have walked again feedback from this previous week due to some kind of rah-rah speech.
On the finish of the day what the Colts are doing is a joke. https://t.co/Yl9u5g4ltR
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 11, 2022
However the divide is far larger amongst former NFL gamers, a few of whom endorse Joe Thomas’ perspective and a few of whom admonish it.
NFL gamers change into divided over Joe Thomas assertion about Colts’ Jeff Saturday rent
When Thomas was talking on GMFB, there was one other NFL participant on the set: GMFB host and former Browns teammate Jason McCourty.
“You’re saying what everyone’s pondering,” Jason McCourty instructed Thomas.
Different former NFL gamers who’ve since transitioned to media roles similar to Ryan Clark and Robert Griffin III spoke out in opposition to the rent.
I imagine in Jeff Saturday’s intelligence & character; not his hiring. There are such a lot of layers to this. Is it about Privilege, race, nepotism, relationship , or respect?
Ultimately the consolation & familiarity of friendship overwhelmed Irsay… & might overwhelm the locker room. pic.twitter.com/1KVHUTTcLI
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) November 8, 2022
Numerous tip toeing across the Jeff Saturday hiring for the Colts. Jeff was a BLAST to work with at ESPN, nevertheless it doesn’t change the truth that it’s a HEAD SCRATCHING-SLAP IN THE FACE TO EVERY COACH ON THAT STAFF kind of determination. Stephen A. Smith will likely be teaching the Nets subsequent.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) November 8, 2022
Griffin then selected to discover a silver lining within the scenario, hoping that Saturday’s hiring opens the door for extra NFL gamers who wish to transition to coaches.
I hope @SaturdayJeff does superb so it may be a catalyst for extra gamers to get Head Teaching alternatives proper off the sphere or off TV. The NFL wants a shake up within the teaching ranks and gamers having a sooner monitor to turning into a Head Coach just like the NBA is far wanted.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) November 10, 2022
“You’ll be able to criticize the rent, it’s timing and the passing over if that’s the case many different coaches and nonetheless want Jeff effectively,” Griffin clarified.
You’ll be able to criticize the rent, it’s timing and the passing over if that’s the case many different coaches and nonetheless want Jeff effectively.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) November 10, 2022
However many different former NFL gamers threw their help behind the choice for that very same cause. If Saturday does effectively, it might create new pathways for NFL gamers to step into teaching roles. Additionally, they famous that non-public relationships are an element within the NFL, a truth that would permit Saturday to change into an efficient chief within the locker room.
We are able to’t presumably be THIS upset {that a} 15 yr NFL veteran,
4X all professional, 6X professional bowler, tremendous bowl champion leaped frogged different coaches for an interm head teaching place.— Will Blackmon 🍷 (@WillBlackmon) November 11, 2022
“If [Jeff] is the top coach subsequent yr, we might be taking a look at one of many biggest success tales ever… Josh McDaniels has all of the expertise on the planet… he’s not good in any respect. Why? As a result of he can’t lead males… I might somewhat go together with a man like Jeff Saturday…”
🗣 @BMarshall pic.twitter.com/LQPnl0t3I3
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) November 11, 2022
Colts play the Raiders this weekend so clearly I hope they get beat however a part of me desires to see Jeff Saturday have success attributable to everybody crying about him getting the job
Love a superb underdog story
— Will Compton (@_willcompton) November 8, 2022
The reality is, Jeff Saturday obtained the job for a similar cause that few on TV have challenged the equity or legitimacy of the rent—Life is about relationships.
We complain when it matches our narrative, however we’re all responsible of overlooking issues for folks we like/are mates with.
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) November 8, 2022
Whereas the Saturday rent might actually pave the way in which for different NFL gamers who wish to change into coaches, it’s not as if Saturday is the primary former NFL participant to change into a head coach. Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, a Tremendous Bowl-winning linebacker with the New England Patriots, is one, if not the, most profitable department on the Invoice Belichick teaching tree. Tying it again to Josh McDaniels critiques, it’s true that being a “chief of males” counts for one thing within the NFL. It’s simply that no different former participant — not Vrabel, not Jerod Mayo, not Reggie Wayne — ever walked off of the sphere and right into a head teaching place fairly like Saturday.