• Lazy Sundays

    by
    Rich Gapinski
    Published on 01-25-2013 03:19 PM
    11 Comments Comments


    Jeff Saturday will now have his Sundays free. Reports have come out that the Pro Bowl will be his final game.

    Saturday end his career at the right time. Despite being voted to the Pro Bowl this season in recognition of his name and not his performance, it seems that letting the center have one more day is fitting. He will forever be known as the man who anchored the Colts offensive line, helping the Colts and Peyton Manning to a ridiculous run of ten win seasons and playoff appearances.

    Jeff Saturday is one of those stories in football that people feel good about. After being an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina, he began his career with the Colts in 1999, eventually starting two games. And then he never stopped playing. He often played through injury and managed to miss only six games in his Colts career. He had the tough job of managing the line calls in the no-huddle offense led by Manning. It probably helped that he was an Academic All-American. He once won Gregg Easterbrook's Non-QB Non-RB NFL MVP award.

    He signed with the Packers this last off-season and struggled with his play, eventually ending the season on the bench. That fact should not take anything away from the success he had over 14 years and five other Pro Bowl nods.

    Saturday's reputation as being an all around good guy and excellent football player keeps plenty of doors open for his future.

    Comments 11 Comments
    1. packa7x's Avatar
      See ya, Jeff!
      Reply
    1. wxwax's Avatar
      Very few centers ever get noticed. To his credit, Saturday has managed to rise above the anonymity which is the fate of his brethren.

      I seem to remember that at one point with the Colts he threatened to retire. That caused quite a panic, IIRC, and brought his name to prominence. I wonder how much that incident has to do with his current high profile?
      Reply
    1. Nancy's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by wxwax View Post
      Very few centers ever get noticed. To his credit, Saturday has managed to rise above the anonymity which is the fate of his brethren.

      I seem to remember that at one point with the Colts he threatened to retire. That caused quite a panic, IIRC, and brought his name to prominence. I wonder how much that incident has to do with his current high profile?
      That incident (and I don't remember exactly when that was) probably did raise his profile, but I think this Classic Colts Moment also has a bit to do with it:

      Reply
    1. Rich Gapinski's Avatar
      Jeff Saturday was allowed to snap the ball one more time to Peyton Manning last night.

      Is that more reason to have the Pro Bowl or more reason to not have it?
      Reply
    1. Bengals1181's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by Rich Gapinski View Post
      Jeff Saturday was allowed to snap the ball one more time to Peyton Manning last night.

      Is that more reason to have the Pro Bowl or more reason to not have it?

      I thought it was awesome. Other than the fact Saturday didn't deserve to be there.
      Reply
    1. Trumpetbdw's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by Rich Gapinski View Post
      Jeff Saturday was allowed to snap the ball one more time to Peyton Manning last night.

      Is that more reason to have the Pro Bowl or more reason to not have it?
      I'm surprised the NFL isn't going to fine him $5000 for snapping the ball to the wrong team.

      Hey, I thought it was great. Why not? The pro bowl is the only venue where something like that can happen, and it was a cool touch.

      I also have no problem that he was on the team. While the pro bowl, or any all-star game, should mostly be used to reward players for a good current season, I also think there's room for a lifetime achievement position. Perhaps each of the all-star games could utilize one honorary spot per team (or more for baseball/football due to expanded rosters) to honor some of the game's greats. If they wanted, they could even set up that spot similarly to how baseball now has a vote for the final player to be added.

      I think the other sports may have done this in the past, although certainly not on a yearly basis. In baseball, guys like Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripkin Jr. were always voted in, even when they were no longer playing at an all-star level. But those are 2 examples of guys who should be featured in that game, no matter their performance.
      Reply
    1. Bengals1181's Avatar
      people shouldn't take the Pro Bowl so seriously. I'd love to see more stuff like JJ Watt at WR. I've said it a few times now that they should make a point to do stuff like that. DB's as WR's, WR's as DB's, etc...

      Though I will admit I cringed when I saw AJ Green as a gunner on punt coverage.
      Reply
    1. edave's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by Bengals1181 View Post
      people shouldn't take the Pro Bowl so seriously. I'd love to see more stuff like JJ Watt at WR. I've said it a few times now that they should make a point to do stuff like that. DB's as WR's, WR's as DB's, etc...
      I guess I should have recorded it. Watt played WR?
      Reply
    1. Rich Gapinski's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by edave View Post
      I guess I should have recorded it. Watt played WR?
      And may have mangled his finger doing it. Made for interesting interview.
      Reply
    1. Bengals1181's Avatar
      Quote Originally Posted by edave View Post
      I guess I should have recorded it. Watt played WR?
      at least twice, on plays inside the 5. First time Tillman lined up on him. Second time they put JPP out there at corner on him, and JPP got an INT.
      Reply
    1. Colts01's Avatar
      Satur-dee was also pretty vital in geting the new CBA done.
      Reply

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