Colts fire Reich, former player Saturday named as interim

The Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday, a day after the team slumped to a third straight defeat.

Reich, who took over as Colts head coach in 2018, was sacked after the team crashed to a 26-3 loss against the New England Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday.

The defeat leaves the Colts struggling at 3-5-1 for the season.

Indianapolis said in a brief statement later Monday that Colts legend Jeff Saturday would take over as interim coach.

Saturday, who is currently working as a pundit for ESPN, spent 13 seasons with the Colts playing center, and was a member of the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis team that defeated the Chicago Bears in the 2006-2007 season Super Bowl.

Saturday’s appointment represents a gamble by the team ownership: the 47-year-old has no prior coaching experience in the NFL or in college football.

Saturday’s only coaching job prior to the Colts was a stint at a high school in Georgia.

Reich’s departure meanwhile comes after a chaotic season which saw the Colts dump Matt Ryan as starting quarterback last month despite trading for him in March.

Ryan himself was brought in after Reich axed quarterback Carson Wentz, who the Colts had only traded for a year earlier.