Jeff Saturday not benching any offensive linemen: “Our job is to coach them to be better”
Saturday said that he remembers his own Colts coaches, Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell, being more interested in making players better than in getting rid of them.“I think it was Dungy or Caldwell who used to say it’s always easy to fire guys, but who are you hiring? If the guys are having a hard time, our job is to coach them to be better, and to be the players that we know they can be,” Saturday said. “These guys, the effort is there, the technique is getting there, they’re getting better every week, and I think you continue to get better each week as you get reps and you get activity.”
Specifically regarding the much-maligned rookie left tackle Bernhard Raimann, Saturday said people notice the sacks he gives up but not some good plays he has made that have been overlooked.
“Offensive linemen, you’re never gonna be highlighted for the good that you do,” Saturday said. “And there’s some really good plays that he has, and there’s some things that he does exceptionally well that will never get noticed. But you’re always gonna get noticed for your negative plays. No different than a defensive back, right? When it’s bad, everybody knows, when it’s good it’s a play that nobody cares about. But just to have that mental toughness to understand we are getting better, your technique is getting better, your confidence in yourself is growing each and every week, and to keep taking that challenge on and go meet that expectation that we set for you.”
Nice that the coach is backing his player and putting his improvement on the coaching staff to help him
