Jeff Saturday head coaching petition scales 1,500 mark as Colts fans rally against Jim Irsay’s decision

Jeff Saturday was pegged by many as the most unorthodoxical addition to the league in 2022. Pundits, analysts and fans expected the former media member to be a stop-gap solution to get the Indianapolis Colts through the remainder of the season after Jim Irsay fired head coach Frank Reich.

However, as teams around the league move into the second round of interviews, Jeff Saturday remains in the running to win the job. Fans are displeased and in a show of solidarity, 1,500 fans signed a petition on change.org in protest. The petition starts by thanking Jim Irsay for the work he did in getting the team to the Super Bowl during the Peyton Manning era.

Will Jeff Saturday win the head coaching job?

It then went on to claim that hiring the head coach would lead to the fanbase losing interest:

"We don't want Jeff Saturday as the head coach of this team going forward. Please hire someone with experience and save your fan base from revolting and losing interest."

Colts HC Jeff Saturday's background a far cry from most coaching resumes

Colts HC at Pittsburgh v Indianapolis

The interim head coach had never been a coach before the 2022 season. He hasn't coached in college or served as an assistant. His only experience with the game came from when he played in college and then when he reached the NFL.

He was drafted in 1999 by the Colts and played until the end of the 2011 season. In 2012, he spent a year with the Green Bay Packers. The center played every year with Manning until the quarterback suffered a neck injury that ultimately led to him joining the Denver Broncos.

In total, he played in 211 games and was lauded by fans, pundits and grew to have a strong friendship with his star quarterback. However, his coaching stats in his rookie season were not nearly as strong. The coach won just one of his eight games.

Will the former center find a way to steal the job from other candidates and rebound his 1-7 rookie season with a full offseason and fresh staff?