Colts owner Jim Irsay says too many NFL head coaches are afraid

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay attempted to justify the shocking hiring of Jeff Saturday as his team's interim head coach on Monday night by lobbing criticism at the 31 other head coaches around the NFL. 

In Irsay's mind, too many coaches around the NFL are "afraid" and Saturday's lack of experience will serve him well in not falling into that same fear.

“I’m glad he doesn’t have any NFL experience,” Irsay told the assembled media at his Monday night press conference. “I’m glad he hasn’t learned the fear that’s in this league. Because it’s tough for all our coaches. They’re afraid. They go to analytics. And it gets difficult. I mean, he doesn’t have all that. He doesn’t have that fear.”

It's an odd statement to make, not only because it calls out a group of people that Irsay will inevitably have to turn to when it comes to hiring his next head coach, but also because nobody has any idea as to what Saturday's approach is going to be. 

We have no idea because we have no track record to judge him by. 

Who is to say he will not turn to analytics for a big fourth-down call? Or that his gut instinct is going to be correct given that he has never been in any of the situations he is going to face as a decision-maker on game day? Any strong opinion one way or another is purely speculative because the man has literally never coached an NFL game before. Or any game above high school in any capacity.

He has never been a college or NFL head coach, he has never been a college or NFL coordinator or play-caller, and he has never even been a college or NFL position coach. 

He can say whatever he wants behind a podium or during an interview, but it becomes a very different situation when there are real consequences on the field and on the scoreboard. 

Now he is going right into the fire as the main boss of an NFL team in the middle of a season that is starting to spiral out of control. 

Given Saturday's lack of experience, the Colts' current struggles, and the way he basically has to learn everything about the team on the fly is going to be a massive challenge. It almost seems like it is setting everybody -- from Saturday to the Colts roster -- up to fail.