CBS’ Bill Cowher Absolutely Destroys the Indianapolis Colts for Hiring Inexperienced Jeff Saturday as Coach: ‘A Disgrace To The Coaching Profession’

CBS’ Bill Cowher torched the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday for hiring ESPN’s Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach with no coaching experience.

Cowher coached in the NFL for 21 seasons. He served as an assistant coach for seven years before becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach in 1992. He was the head coach in Pittsburgh for 15 years, and Cowher retired after the 2006 season when he won Super Bowl XL.

After he retired from the NFL as a coach, Cowher joined NFL Today on CBS as an in-studio analyst. He got inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its 2020 centennial class.

Colts owner Jim Irsay fired head coach Frank Reich after the team’s poor start and immediately announced they hired Saturday as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

In a blistering rant, Cowher ripped the Colts on NFL Today after they hired Saturday as their interim head coach.

“I’m speaking on behalf of the coaching profession,” Cowher said. “I know for a fact Jeff Saturday was offered an opportunity to become an assistant coach with the Indianapolis Colts multiple times in the last four years. He declined, citing he had a TV job and wanted to spend more time with his family. I get it.”

Cowher described the level of dedication it takes for a become successful in the NFL — and argued that Saturday has not proved he’s willing to put in the time and effort.

“Coaching is about commitment, and it’s about sacrifice,” Cowher added. “It’s not just a job; it’s a lifestyle.”

Cowher explained Saturday was offered to join the Colts staff in the past but elected not to take an assistant coaching job with the organization because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Still, Saturday was a consultant with the organization, and he would participate in weekly meetings.

“He’s now the head coach of the new Indianapolis Colts, overseeing a staff that he chose not to choose because of a lifestyle,” Cowher continued. “Jeff Saturday talked about in his first press conference the fact that he’s going to use the second half as an opportunity to build his résumé, to see whether or not he could coach in the future.”

Cowher pivoted to the current assistants on the Colts staff, who he felt deserved the opportunity to be named interim head coach.

“I say to that, what about the assistants on the staff right now?” Cowher said. “The guys that were there in training camp. The guys that were there early in the morning and late at night. The guys who have gone through the first six weeks in that building. Guys like Gus Bradley, Scotty Montgomery, John Fox, don’t they deserve the opportunity?”

Cowher destroyed Irsay for the questionable hire and used Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks, an assistant coach on their staff who the Panthers promoted to head coach after Matt Rhule was fired, as an example of who the Colts should have chosen instead.

“For an owner to hire a coach, who’s never been an assistant at the college level or the pro level, and overseeing a very much a lot of candidates that are qualified for that job as we see it in Steve Wilks, an opportunity to build a résumé, it’s a disgrace to the coaching profession,” Cowher added.

Saturday won in his coaching debut against the Las Vegas Raiders 25-20 on Sunday.

Watch above via CBS.