While the Indianapolis Colts are still deciding on a head coach, Shaq Leonard is making it known that he would love to have Jeff Saturday back.
On Friday, Shaq Leonard, the star linebacker of the Indianapolis Colts, hit Super Bowl 57’s radio row to do multiple interviews. Naturally, one of the biggest topics of Leonard’s interviews was Indy’s ongoing coaching search. While the Colts have yet to make a decision, Leonard was throwing his full support behind Indy’s interim head coach Jeff Saturday.
Of course, this was unpopular because a fair amount of fans and media members are convinced that Saturday is a terrible coach. Leonard expressed that’s one of the things that upset him the most. In separate conversations on Von Miller’s and Pat McAfee’s shows, Shaq explained that he felt Saturday was being unjustly criticized for his 1-7 record as interim head coach. Leonard explained that coming in mid-season really stacked the odds against Saturday but he’s confident that if Jeff Saturday was given a full offseason and could build his staff, the Colts would be a solid team.
Shaq Leonard loved playing for Jeff Saturday - "He's going to demand excellence" pic.twitter.com/9T25WsRYiI
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 10, 2023
Shaq Leonard wants Jeff Saturday to coach the Colts
Leonard explained why he thinks Saturday is a good coach, expressing that he creates a culture of accountability. He said that from the second Jeff Saturday arrived, it was clear that he would never walk past a mistake, and Leonard believed the team needed that, and still need their next coach to be like that. In his conversation with Pat McAfee, Leonard explained how the team’s culture was hurting.
Shaq said that, at times, it was harder for leaders like himself to convey messages to the team when the same level of accountability wasn’t being passed down from the coaching staff. He said that under Saturday, that’s not the case. Saturday is hard on everyone in the organization, and that makes it easier for players to demand more of their teammates.
This also isn’t the first time Leonard expressed these feelings, and he’s also not the only locker room leader that supports Jeff Saturday. When the season ended, Leonard, Ryan Kelly, DeForest Buckner, and Kenny Moore all voiced support for Saturday returning. Parris Campbell even echoed the sentiment of accountability after Indy’s first game under Saturday. So he certainly had a positive impact on players in his short stint.
Whether or not it will be enough for him to get the job remains to be seen. The Colts interviewed a ton of impressive candidates and there’s no telling what direction the team is leaning in. If Saturday does get the job, a lot of people outside of the organization will be upset, but it seems like the people inside will be thrilled. If Saturday is a great coach like Leonard says, he will eventually lead the Colts to some wins, and that will win over anyone who isn’t currently a fan of him as a coach.
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