It is February and the Indianapolis Colts have moved on to second interviews for their head coaching position. The list has been widdled down to eight and we will break down the eight remaining candidates for the position.
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The Final Eight Candidates
Denver Broncos DC Ejiro Evero
Let’s not discount Evero as a candidate in Indianapolis. The Denver defense has been the bright light for that franchise after the in season firing of HC Nathaniel Hackett. Evero was reportedly offered the position of Interim HC after the Hackett firing but turned it down to focus his efforts on the defense to help keep his resume strong for this upcoming coaching cycle. It has been reported that his 2nd interview was “long” and into the evening. Are the Colts interested in bringing him in as DC if he does not get the HC job?
Indianapolis Colts Interim Head Coach Jeff Saturday
The oddsmakers in Las Vegas still have Saturday as the odds-on favorite to secure the Colts HC position. Is Irsay giving Saturday a fair shot at the opportunity or is this just for the publicity? Saturday posted a measly 1-7 record as the interim head coach after the firing of Frank Reich mid-season. The only win came against Las Vegas in his first week on the job. Were the odds against Saturday all season long? Absolutely. But he not only posted that poor 1-7 record he also did show improvement in any worthy statistical category and blew a 36-point lead to Minnesota. And the simplest argument for it, is that EVERY single candidate is more qualified for this position than Jeff Saturday is. If Saturday is named the coach, then it was Jim Irsay who made the final decision and not GM Chris Ballard.
LA Rams DC Raheem Morris
Like Evero, Morris also had a “long, into the evening” interview with Chris Ballard last week. Morris is a real candidate for this job and potentially one of the top three candidates that will be considered. Morris does have head coaching experience that he received as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the firing of Jon Gruden after the 2008 season. He finished his time in Tampa Bay after 3 seasons with a 17-31 record. He later had another head coaching interim stint with Atlanta after the firing of Dan Quinn midway through the season where he finished with a 4-7 record. Morris did work under Sean McVay the past two seasons, where he won the Super Bowl as the DC in the 2021 season. Morris is a very seasoned coach and appears to have learned from his past stints and has the ability to be successful in this league as a head coach now.
Philadelphia Eagles OC Shane Steichen
We all saw it last weekend in the NFC Championship game against San Francisco. Steichen’s gameplan was flawless. The Eagles did get some help from the 49ers when QB Brock Purdy went down with an injury and made it a bit easier in the game, but regardless Steichen’s scheme slowly and methodically cracked the 49ers defense. While Steichen has no head coaching experience, his resume of coaching quarterbacks is very impressive. Those on his resume include Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert and most recently Jalen Hurts. He comes from the Frank Reich/Nick Sirianni coaching tree as well. He is very young at 37 and calls the play in Philadelphia. How much do the Colts value that is the question.
Cincinnati Bengals OC Brian Callahan
Another young (38) up and coming offensive mind from the Bengals coaching staff. We have seen his work with Joe Burrow since 2019. The one true improvement we have seen with Burrow is not only his preparation but the overall ability to adapt to what he has around him with the skill players. Callahan is one of the biggest reasons for Burrows’ consistent growth since 2019. The only knock that one might find with Callahan is that, unlike Shane Steichen, he does not call the plays in Cincinnati. But he is responsible for setting the game plan and scheme while head coach Zac Taylor calls the plays on the field. Callahan is the son of former NFL head coach Bill Callahan and knows about the grind and work that will need to be put in every single day to be a successful head coach in this league.
Green Bay Packers Special Teams Coordinator Rich Bisaccia
A “football lifer” is the best way to describe Rich Bisaccia. He has been coaching football since 1983 in some capacity. Every where from Wayne State University to, now, the Green Bay Packers. He has also coached all three phases of football. He has made his bones as a Special Teams Coordinator for most of his career. Following Jon Grudens resignation during the 2021 season, owner Marc Davis named Bisaccia as the interim head coach. He finished with a 7-5 record and led the Raiders to the playoffs (first since 2016) that season only to be defeated by the eventual AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. He became the second interim head coach to lead his team to the playoffs, the other being Bruce Arians in 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts. The most well-rounded candidate the Colts have brought in for a second interview thus far in the process.
New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale
Like Bisaccia, Martindale is also a football lifer, having been a defensive assistant coach or coordinator since 1987. He got his start at his alma mater, Defiance College as the defensive coordinator. He has bounced around in the college ranks and has settled now as a top defensive coordinator in the game after stints in Baltimore and most recently, the New York Giants. He would bring a different old school and hard-nosed vibe to this football team. Something this football team hasn’t seen in quite some time.
Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn
An interesting late addition to the candidates for second interviews. Glenn has experience in the front office and on the field as a player and coach. While he has only been coaching for less than a decade, he is part of the great staff in Detroit under head coach Dan Campbell. His defense was not terrific at the beginning of the season, but it improved especially towards the end of the season when they made their playoff push which came up short in the end. Glenn has all the makings to be a head coach in this league one day but is he ready? He would need a strong offensive staff to assist him on that side of the football.
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