Jeff Saturday earned his first victory as an NFL coach on Sunday, as the Colts beat the Raiders, 25–20, in the former All-Pro center’s debut as the franchise’s interim coach. Given that his hire was met with a fierce wave of backlash and criticism over the past week, owner Jim Irsay decided to use the win to take his own personal victory lap.
In typical Irsay fashion, that celebratory moment came on Twitter, as the 63-year-old owner directed a pointed tweet at those who disagreed with his decision to bring Saturday aboard.
“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!!” Irsay tweeted Monday afternoon.
Additionally, Irsay took a veiled jab at the Raiders in the post, as “Just Win, Baby” is the famed catchphrase of legendary Raiders owner and coach Al Davis. Sunday’s result dropped Las Vegas to 2–7 on the year, while Indianapolis improved to 4–5–1.
After the Colts fired Frank Reich last Monday, Saturday was brought aboard in the interim position despite having never coached at the college or NFL level. As a result, pundits and former players took aim at the hire, directing blame at Irsay and the organization’s leadership for overlooking other qualified candidates to give Saturday the position.
Irsay defended his decision at the time, saying he viewed Saturday’s lack of experience as a positive. The owner was reportedly “hell-bent” on hiring Saturday despite objections from other members within the Colts organization, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“I’m glad he doesn’t have any NFL experience,” Irsay said last Tuesday. “I’m glad he hasn’t learned the fear.”
After the win over the Raiders, Saturday can now claim experience as an NFL coach. He’ll look to continue the strong start to his career on the sidelines next week against the NFC-leading Eagles.
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For more Indianapolis Colts coverage, go to Horseshoe Huddle.
