Jeff Saturday: 'If (Irsay) was looking for somebody to tank, he wouldn't have called me'

Jeff Saturday said Monday that he didn't hear the vitriol that came with his hiring as Indianapolis Colts interim coach.

Saturday went on Pat McAfee's show after the Colts' 25-20 win in Saturday's debut and told his former teammate that his wife sent him congratulatory messages -- including from McAfee -- during the week.

About some of the others -- from Joe Thomas or Bill Cowher, for instance -- she said, "'Wait till you hear it,'" Saturday said. "I don't care if I ever hear it."

Saturday said that in his time at ESPN, he saw Aaron Boone go from a baseball analyst to Yankees manager, and had seen NBA analysts become coaches.

"I hadn't seen that in the NFL," Saturday said, adding he "felt very strongly about" accepting the Colts' offer.

"It's not just the job, it's the place," he said. "It's the who. I love this organization. This group changed my life."

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Saturday said his lack of experience as an NFL coach doesn't faze him.

"I'm not the smartest guy in the room. I don't have to be," he said. "I can surround myself with people who are that. That doesn't make me insecure."

Saturday clarified that in the first telephone call he received from team owner Jim Irsay on Nov. 6, Saturday was preparing to analyze several games and wasn't tuned in to the Colts vs. the Patriots. When they talked later that night, the possibility of Saturday becoming the interim coach surfaced.

His week at the helm was a whirlwind, he acknowledged.

"It really was like drinking from a fire hydrant," he said. "It was fast and furious."

Saturday said that, last Tuesday, he believed Sam Ehlinger would be the Colts quarterback against the Raiders because Matt Ryan was still injured.

By the time Thursday's practice arrived, "The dude was zipping it," and Saturday said he decided to go with Ryan as starter.

Next up are the Philadelphia Eagles, who are undefeated heading into their Monday night game against Washington.

"They are dang good. There's no perfect team," Saturday said. "If (Irsay) was looking for somebody to tank, he wouldn't have called me."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday unfazed by his lack of experience