Colts Fans Start Online Petition to Keep Jeff Saturday from Becoming Permanent HC

Jeff Saturday is an Indianapolis Colts legend for his 13-year playing career, but fans of the team have apparently seen more than enough of him as a head coach.

Colts fan Shawn Ward started an online petition at Change.org titled, "Don't Hire Jeff Saturday as head coach."

In a direct plea to Colts owner Jim Irsay, Ward wrote this about the petition:

"We as Colts fans will always love the memories of the SB XLI team; we love the former players and the people they've become, but we don't want Jeff Saturday as the head coach of this team going forward. Please hire someone with experience and save your fan base from revolting and losing interest."

An informal poll conducted on Twitter by Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star shows there is not a lot of support for Saturday from Colts fans.

Per Rob Maadi of the Associated Press, Saturday is going to be among a group of seven or eight candidates who will receive a second interview with the Colts about their head-coaching job.

Maadi also noted the Colts are still hoping to interview San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator, DeMeco Ryans, after he canceled last week to help the team prepare for its playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Saturday is an incredible success story as a player. He went undrafted out of North Carolina in 1998 before signing with the Baltimore Ravens. After being released by the Ravens before training camp, he went to work at Electric Supply Company in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Colts signed Saturday as a free agent in January 1999. He became the full-time starting center for Peyton Manning in 2000 and went on to make the All-Pro first team twice.

Saturday was inducted into the Colts' Ring of Honor in 2015.

After Irsay fired Frank Reich on Nov. 7, Saturday was surprisingly hired as interim head coach for the rest of the season. The Colts beat the Las Vegas Raiders in his first game on Nov. 13, but lost their next seven games to finish 4-12-1 overall.