Former Colts teammate Pat McAfee took that opportunity to rip everyone who called the hiring of Jim Irsay a terrible decision on Saturday, including Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas. Thomas seized on Saturday’s hiring before the team’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders, saying it was the most egregious thing I can remember ever happening in the NFL. During his latest “Pat McAfee Show,” McAfee said he has a lot of respect for the future Hall of Famer, but thinks he’s a “puppet.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday greets Nikola Kalinic before an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Las Vegas, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/David Becker) “I don’t think Joe Thomas is a bad guy. I think he’s a puppet. I don’t think he’s bad,” McAfee said in a lengthy lecture. “I think he felt compelled to say something because someone told him how disrespectful they felt as opposed to looking at it realistically. This is an interim coaching role. The Indianapolis Colts have overwhelmed everyone on Earth, including their fan base. literally from the jump this season when they tied the F—ing Houston Texans in Houston this season, and the Houston Texans are the Houston Texans.” McAfee also shot footage from his 2020 show when he had Thomas as a guest. Thomas told the crew he wanted to throw his name in the hat for the next Browns head coach and, as of Saturday, had no coaching experience. FORMER BROWN JOE THOMAS ON SATURDAY JEFF’S HIRING: ‘THE MOST AMAZING THING I CAN REMEMBER EVER HAPPEN’ TO THE NFL “Because Joe Thomas at that point thought two years ago, three years ago that he had the right to be [head coach]?” McAfee asked. “Is it because he’s the best player they’ve had? Is it because they spent years and years and years in that turnover building and saw what could be good and saw what was terrible to do? Is it because he knew football very well? Was it because he thought he knew the NFL well enough? “Did Joe Thomas tell us on January 3, 2020 that he would throw his name in the hat to be the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns because he was the only one who cared about the Browns enough to turn them around and make them a good program? Or did he say it because he wanted to spit in the face of every coach who had to work, grind and sleep on couches before getting a chance to be one of only 32 NFL coaches? So either he’s disrespected or he thought he could do something no one else could do with the Cleveland Browns.” Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team’s practice facility Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) McAfee went on to say that Saturday’s 13 years with the Colts and understanding of everything that was still going on in the building made him someone Irsay could trust. He also ripped Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher, who questioned Saturday’s hiring as well. COLTS’ JEFF SATURDAY EARNED FIRST WEEK AFTER CHECK WEEK, OLD TWEET ON “FREAKING” RAIDERS IS ABOUT “But Bill Cowher, shut up man,” McAfee said. “He said, ‘Why didn’t John Fox get the job?’ Why didn’t Gus Bradley get the job?” It’s their first year in the building and to be honest the team has been stinking since they got there. “I just think the reaction was crazy. I think the win was huge.” McAfee even believes that Saturday’s hiring, which doesn’t guarantee him a head coaching role next year given the interim status, could actually help the minority coaching percentage problem currently facing the NFL. Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday speaks as owner Jim Irsay listens during a news conference at the NFL football team’s practice facility Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) “I think that will help with minority coaching rates in the NFL if former players are quickly found in more important positions as opposed to having to wait and do the crap that you’re supposed to do whenever you’re 22, 23, 24, 25 years old,” McAfee said. “Instead, they’re in their 30s because they’ve had a very productive NFL football career. Jeff Saturday couldn’t have been hired at 34 to be the coach of the Indianapolis Colts because Jeff Saturday played for the Indianapolis Colts.” The Colts defeated the Raiders to get back on track with their fourth win of the season, pushing their overall record to 4-5-1. It was a late pass from Matt Ryan, who was back under center after then-coach Frank Reich benched Sam Ellinger, finding Paris Campbell for a 35-yard score that would have been the game-winner. Pat McAfee speaks during his Media Row show for Super Bowl LVI at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California (Cooper Neill/Getty Images) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Indianapolis’ defense stopped the Raiders on their last scoring drive as Derek Carr threw an incomplete pass to Davante Adams on fourth-and-seven with just 52 seconds left in Colts territory. Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
