Good morning, all. I hope your week is off to a terrific start.
It was a bizzare weekend in the NFL, from the crazy finish of the Minnesota-Buffalo game to Mike McCarthy’s usual, suspect decisions in his return to Green Bay, where his Dallas Cowboys lost in OT to the Packers. But the most fascinating story of them all may have been the coaching debut of Jeff Saturday, as his Indianapolis Colts beat the Las Vegas Raiders.
Saturday, who had never coached, was plucked from the ESPN broadcast booth by Colts owner Jim Irsay on Monday to the surprise of the sports world. The move was met by heavy critism from the main stream media, many of whom thought this was Irsay’s way of dodging the NFL’s minority, hiring rule, especially when he placed the “interim” tag on Saturday to dodge conducting interviews with potential candidates.
When Irsay fired Frank Reich and hired Saturday, reportedly against the advice of Colts executives, former NFL coach and current CBS commentator Bill Cowher called the move a “disgrace to the coaching profession.” He said he made the comment because he felt an obligation to the coaches everywhere.
Former 10-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas, who played on 10 losing teams over his 11-year career with the Cleveland Browns, was even more critical: “When you hire your drinking buddy to be the head coach of an NFL football team, it is one of the most disrespectful things I’ve ever seen in my entire life to the commitment, the lifestyle and the experience that it takes to be an NFL coach, any coach, much less the head coach of the Indianapolis football Colts.”
The media quickly pounced when Saturday replaced Sam Ehlinger at quarterback with veteran Matt Ryan, after he said Ehlinger would remain the starting QB.
But it’s not as if Saturday doesn’t know anything about the game. He was a star at North Carolina, played for three NFL teams, including 13 seasons with the Colts as a starting center. He was a two-time All-Pro first team member, two-time Second-team All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Colts Ring of Honor. Saturday was also on a Super Bowl champion with Peyton Manning as his quarterback. In all, the Georgia native played 211 NFL games, starting 202, before entering the broadcast profession.
So imagine the shock when Saturday was victorious in his debut? Sean Salisbury may have said it best. A former NFL player and analyst he tweeted:
“If Jeff Saturday was such a knock on the coaching profession, then what does it say about the profession that he wins on the road with less than a week of preparation? Leadership is the top trait your head coach must have!”
No one knows how successful Saturday will be, but there is no denying Sunday was a good day for Saturday.
And speaking of leaders
There are no more managerial vacancies for the 2023 MLB season and Joe Maddon, winner of two pennants and a World Series, is on the outside looking in, after his mid-season dismissal by the Los Angeles Angels. Maddon, who turns 69 in February, has been outspoken about dominance of analytics in baseball. He does not hold back in interviews or in his new tome, The Book of Joe.
Maddon, a wine connoisseur who has also taken up golf with a passion, has stated he would return to the dugout under the right circumstances. His biggest gripe are the whiz kids, who never played a game in their lives, infiltrating his office right up until game time, with one esoteric stat after another, telling him how to manage.
It’s not as if Maddon doesn’t embrace analytics. After all, he was the guy who started utilizing all these shifts, that have become so overblown we will have new rules marginalizing the shift next season. It’s just that he believes the concept has gotten out of hand.
Meanwhile, Bruce Bochy, who has managed three World Series champions and four pennant winners, is back in the dugout, as the manager of the Texas Rangers. His new boss is Chris Young, who pitched 13 seasons in the big leagues. It could be Young brings to the table a balance of playing the game and the new analytics that attracted Bochy to return to the grind of a long baseball season. It is an algorithm Maddon craves but might never experience.
Henry to buy the Commanders
I wonder how this will sit with Red Sox fans? As the team continues to manipulate payroll, stories abound that team owner John Henry wants to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Any purchase would be part of the Fenway Sports Group, which has put its EPL team in Liverpool, England up for sale.
Just imagine if the transaction comes to pass and the Patriots play the Commanders, expecially if the Sox cannot reach deals with Xander Bogaerts or Rafael Devers?
Well that is it for this week’s newsletter. As always, thank you for your support and have a great week.
SPORTSCASTER DAN