As the follow-up football world continues to struggle to make sense of Monday’s madness in Indianapolis, some have suggested that Colts owner Jim Irsai might be as crazy as a fox. That the decision to make Jeff Saturday the interim coach is part of an effort to cement the season, thus solving a chronic quarterback problem by drafting one of the best players in the strong 2023 class.
“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, that we’re taking,” Irsai told Bob Kravitz of TheAthletic.com on Tuesday night. “This is nonsense. We are in this thing. 9-7-1 we got in, no doubt about it. . . . We are not in the season. Who says these things, we don’t play [quarterback] not shiny [Ryan] Because [of an effort to tank]-That’s all nonsense. this is not true. . . We will do what it takes to win. I don’t know who people think we don’t know. We’re not moving in Indianapolis.”
Again, the first rule of Tank Club is that you don’t talk about the Tank Club. So, even if Irsay and the Colts were already falling apart, Irsay would never admit it.
However, his efforts to explain his strategy have some flaws. To get to a 9-7-1, which doesn’t guarantee a playoff berth in any year but could lead to one this year, the Colts will have to go 6-2 down the span. The Colts won’t go 6-2 at a stretch. In fact, if the Colts go 6-2 over the stretch, I’ll donate $10,000 to a charity of Jim Irsay’s choice.
Also, few people would say that Ryan was sued as part of the tank strategy. Sitting Ryan was and still is a business decision. (More on that in a later attachment.)
So, no, I don’t think Irsay is trying to tank. I think Irsai is desperately trying to turn it around. And I believe he is doing so in a way that is an insult to all qualified coaching candidates, that undermines the spirit of the Rooney rule, which forces the league to close the loophole immediately by requiring compliance with interim appointments if the interim coach is to be. Someone who is not currently on the staff.
Other than that, it’s totally fine.
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