Irsay: 'Absurd' to think Colts are tanking rest of season

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was candid when addressing the belief that the team will tank for the remainder of the season.

"It's the most absurd thing in the world that we would be tanking games," Irsay said to Fox 59's Mike Chappell. "You think we're going to tank games? That's (BS)."

The Colts have made numerous changes to their staff and roster amid a 3-5-1 start to the 2022 season, with the biggest being the decision to make Jeff Saturday the interim head coach after firing Frank Reich. The franchise also terminated offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and benched quarterback Matt Ryan for second-year pro Sam Ehlinger.

Irsay made the shocking choice to turn to Saturday, who has no NFL or college coaching experience, to command the Colts for the final eight games of the season. He defended the hire Monday night, telling reporters he was glad the former Indianapolis center has no experience and that Saturday is "fully capable" of leading the team.

The Colts owner also refuted the notion that the team reduced Ryan to a bench role for any injury guarantees in his contract, adding that he or even backup Nick Foles could feature down the stretch, but the decision would ultimately be Saturday's.

"Whatever Jeff decides, that's the bottom line," Irsay told Chappell. "It's all about who can help us win going forward. We went with Sam, and we're going with Sam. If there's a notion for Jeff to make a change, that's Jeff's prerogative."

Indianapolis reportedly will let pass game specialist/assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier call plays for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Colts have struggled on offense this season, ranking last in scoring.

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