Steve Smith: Jeff Saturday should be first fired interim head coach

Indianapolis Colts head coach Jeff Saturday reacts during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Smith: Jeff Saturday should be the first interim head coach to be fired

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 12/17/22

Interim coaches are usually, in the end, temporary. But former All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith believes the end should come sooner than usual for Indianapolis Colts head coach Jeff Saturday, calling for him to be the first interim coach fired in-season.

Steve Smith just now on NFL Network: Jeff Saturday should be the first interim head coach to be fired.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 18, 2022

Now an NFL Network analyst, Smith gave his take on the Colts' head coach soon after Indianapolis found themselves on the wrong side of history. The Minnesota Vikings erased a 33-point halftime deficit, stunning Saturday and the Colts, 32-28 in overtime, to complete the largest comeback in the history of the NFL.

Oddly enough, the Vikings broke the league record previously set by the Buffalo Bills in 1993, who were led at quarterback by the man Saturday replaced as Colts' head coach, Frank Reich.

Saturday did his best to move quickly past the loss when speaking with reporters after the game.

"Losing stings. Every time we lose, it stings," Saturday said via the Colts' website. "I look at this as no different than the other ones. You're frustrated by the opportunities that are missed."

The Colts' epic collapse against the Vikings comes only a week after they allowed 33 unanswered fourth-quarter points to the Dallas Cowboys, losing in a rout, 54-19.

After winning his coaching debut against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10, Saturday and the Colts have dropped four-straight games, falling to 4-9-1.

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