Will Jeff Saturday Stick with Matt Ryan as Starting QB?
The Indianapolis Colts saw a close game vs. the Dallas Cowboys turn into a laugher as they gave up 33 points in the fourth quarter to lose 54-19.
Interim coach Jeff Saturday was asked after the game if he could pinpoint where things went wrong.
"No, It’s a calamity of errors," said Saturday. "When you look at it, I think I said four possessions in a row where we turned the ball over, and one I know was for a touchdown. You’re putting your defense in an awful position."
"They’re a high-powered offense anyway, but when you’re not making them sustain anything to get points it’s going to get ugly quick."
Quarterback Matt Ryan was responsible for three interceptions in the game, and Saturday initially deflected whether or not Ryan would be the starter moving forward.
"We’re heading into the bye week and, as we go through this, I told those guys, ‘It’s a gut check.’ You’ve got a four-game season coming back," said Saturday. "We’ll get back late tonight but you’ve got to go check yourself, man."
"What can we do to get better and nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. The only people that can fix it are the ones in there," Saturday said nodding to the locker room. "So we’ve got to get it fixed and be better than we are right now."
Saturday was pressed again on an answer about Ryan, and he stuck by his starter... for now.
"Yeah, at this point, we’re riding with what we’ve got," said Saturday. "It’s five minutes after a beating. I’m disappointed. They’re disappointed. No decision I’m going to make right now’s going to be a good decision."
"We’ve got weeks to go about this. We’ve got a four-game season. We’ve got to get better. As a team we’ve got to get better in a lot of different areas. And so that’s my focus and that’s what we’re trying to do as a football team."
After a 54-19 loss, Saturday wasn't ready to make any final decisions.
"It’s five minutes after a beating," Saturday answered when asked why he'd stick with Ryan. "I’m disappointed. They’re disappointed. No decision I’m going to make right now’s going to be a good decision."
"We’ve got weeks to go about this. We’ve got a four-game season. We’ve got to get better. As a team we’ve got to get better in a lot of different areas. And so that’s my focus and that’s what we’re trying to do as a football team."
Saturday's gut reaction was to stick by his starter, but things could change over the course of the next week as he and the staff prepare to finish the season.