Reggie Wayne spent a decade in the locker room and on the field with Jeff Saturday. So when Saturday got in front of the Colts as interim head coach last Wednesday, what Wayne saw was something he knew to be natural for the Ring of Honor former center.
"Same old Jeff that I've always known," Wayne said. "Him being a leader, talking in front of a team, that'd be elementary to Jeff. He's been down that road before."
That first impression Saturday made on the guys who didn't know him went a long way, Wayne said.
"You gotta come in, you gotta swing for the fence," Wayne said. "You can't just get a base hit. And I think he did just that."
Still, last week was hard on everyone inside the Colts' facility, Wayne included, who had built relationships with former head coach Frank Reich. It took years of prodding by Reich for Wayne to accept a position as wide receivers coach this spring; even after the Colts' win over the Raiders on Sunday, Wayne said he felt like he wished the team could've "done this (won) weeks ago."
But from Wayne's viewpoint, the leadership Saturday brought to the Colts – similar to the leadership he had as a player – will benefit the team over the final few months of the 2022 season.
"His leadership, that's huge," Wayne said. "Holding guys accountable. Not saying that Frank didn't have none of these things since Frank had them also, they just do them in different ways. Jeff's not afraid to go in your face and tell you, that play, you sucked. I think not every player can handle that. But as a former player myself, if I suck, I want somebody to be able to tell me. I don't want to put bad film on tape. I think in that regard most players respect that, and Jeff's not afraid to challenge guys that way."
Thursday's practice report:
