Up On Game Presents Conversations With A Legend Jeff Saturday All Hypocrites Would've Taken The Colts Job

Up On Game Presents Conversations With A Legend With LaVar Arrington. In this conversation, Jeff Saturday shares his experiences as an interim coach in the NFL, discussing the challenges and chaos of stepping into a leadership role during a tumultuous time. He reflects on the dynamics of coaching staff relationships and the pressures of performance. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of health and wellness initiatives for former players, highlighting the NFL's efforts to address obesity and promote healthier lifestyles post-retirement. -It was chaos at its highest level during my interim coaching.

-Building relationships with coaches is crucial, especially when they know they might lose their jobs.

-The experience of coaching is rewarding but comes with significant challenges.

-Health and wellness are critical for former players after retirement.

-Having a plan and support system is essential for weight management.

-The NFL is actively working on health initiatives for its alumni.

-You can't control everything as a coach; focus on what you can influence.

-Success in coaching takes time and patience.

-The opinions of others shouldn't deter you from taking opportunities. It's important to have a consistent plan for health and wellness.

 

#upongame #fsrweekends #2pros

Support the show: https://www.upongame.network/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let me ask you this one before I let you
get up out of here, because I was I was
pulling for you big time when you went in as
the as the inn room.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
What was it like?

Speaker 3 (00:07):
So basically Jim was like, listen, we don't have any
like see the only season coach they had was the
offensive line coach who had been there with Frank. But
but he was like, Hey, I'm gonna bring you injuries
for these eight weeks. And and the toughest part for me.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Was you got Jeff Saturday here. You're here for for
a great reason. Yeah, obviously the NFL supporting an initiative
starting initiative for our health.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, and our way. Talk to me about it.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yes, the NFL alumni is on three it's weight Health Hike,
and you can go to NFL a on on three
dot org nfl a uh three dot org. But I
would say this, and you, you and I both know this, right,
coming from the situation where most of us had to
eat and overeat to keep our bodies fueled as the

(01:01):
machine we wanted to right and then we hit this
immediate stop and most of us don't have a choice.
When that stop happens, you try to train to keep
around or stay around, right, And so your body goes
through other changes, and then as we naturally age, and
then and then and then you look around and years
down the road, man, we got an a b CD problem, right.
We got guys who can't get healthy and can't get right.

(01:22):
Joints start to fail because you're putting this amount of
weight on your body. And so I've lost about about
fifty plus pounds since I retired, feel great and just
encouraging people listening, Get people around you, get a team
around you that can help you, get your dock involved,
make sure you're doing the things that help your your
weight and your and whatever whatever you want to do,

(01:43):
whatever your goals are, get a plan in place. And
I think that was the greatest thing for my wife
as a physical therapist. And Karen was like when I
decided to retire, She's like, here's the lane, right, And
I just followed the lane.

Speaker 4 (01:54):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
And for a guy who've been coached my whole life,
I was like, I can do this right, But thank God,
I had to create the plan. And that's that's why
I think it's so important to get with programs like
this and with with your doc and come together with
a strong man.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Make sure make sure you give them the website one
more time.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
It's nfl A on three dot org, nfl A on
three dot org.

Speaker 4 (02:13):
Yeah, weaight, healthon hike, let's get it going.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Love that.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Let me ask you this one before I let you
get up out of here, because I was I was
pooling for you big time when you went in as
the as the inter room.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
What was it like?

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Because I mean, everybody had their their different opinions about it, this,
that and the other, and you came in and you
took over and in a moment of time where they
needed somebody to do it, and you did it.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
You got the first one.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Yeah, Like I was like all over the place, like
my producer tell you, Like, I was like, I was like, yeah,
come on, let's go, let's go.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
What was it like? Man?

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Because there there's the elements of it that people could
think they know.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, but unless you.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Live it and you experience it, it's it's very very
difficult to comp three hand what the task is and
how daunting the task is for for a head coaching
job at the league level.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah, so I would say it was it was chaos
like at its highest level. Right, And I told Jim,
you know, he calls me at midnight, bro, and you
know this thing is gonna happen. And so I literally
tized him, we're gonna go in eight like make no mistake,
Broy wi win it like you just let the best
coach out the door, being Frank like he because he
had called his plays. They had fired the offensive coordinator
Marcus the week before, and so there's four coaches basically

(03:30):
on the offensive staff, right, and and and Reggie was
brand new at receiver. He hadn't been in any play
game plan meetings yet. So you know when we walk
in there was there was and and and on the
defensive side, Gus was brand new.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
That was their first year.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
And so basically Jim was like, listen, we don't have
any like see, the only season coach they had was
the offensive line coach who had been there with Frank.
But but he was like, hey, I'm gonna bring you
Injurwes for these eight weeks. And and the toughest part
for me was you don't have any real say in
your coaches, and so you're trying to build relationship with
well exists, yeah that are already there. And they know

(04:07):
they're gonna lose guy. Yeah, and they know right, yeah,
so challenge yeah yeah, and so and and they were
very respectful and I was respected. I told them they
all know more than me. I'm not like, I'm not
even trying to pretend, right. I was like, listen, whatever
I can do to help you be the best coach,
that's my job. But we you know, we gave Parks
became our offensive coordinator and he was an assistant quarterback

(04:27):
coach and that was but you know, the general manager
didn't want you know, the guys that I thought should
get it. He had a different He had a different
reason for want to do whatever he wanted to do.
That's the that's the part no one sees right and
you have no you know, they know I ain't gonna
stick around, right like I'm in and out and and
uh and so you have to build for the organization
you win.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
You might not be in and out like you look
at And the reason why I asked you is you
had these year one coaches, you know Ryo, you know
at Pierce. These guys were, but they didn't have all
of the elements in play for them to have the success.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
That's right.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
So to get your dvantage point of it and to
hear it that way. There are so many different things
that could go towards being successful for.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Sure if you just had the opportunity to make the decisions.
So that's right.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
It's great perspective because in my mind it's like I
was a head coach, high school head coach. Yeah, and
and even at the high school level, like I coached
at private school.

Speaker 4 (05:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
And the amount of politics and the amount of things
that go into being able to get what you need
do what you need to do, and how to do it.
There's so many things that are so far out of
your control and it just comes down to, Okay, basically,
what you want me to do.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Is just coach, that's right, Just coach. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (05:44):
Yeah, So that's like, that's it's your your favorite My favorite.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Hours were the two that were on the grass, right,
And then everything else becomes a management. You know, you're
trying to you're trying to talk people off the wall,
right because they got things right and they got life. Man,
they're trying to find new jobs because again they all
know this thing, this chapter is ending it right, right,
and so and I told all those guys, man, they
were all extremely respectful, and I was as well, making sure.

Speaker 4 (06:08):
But from the I hated what happened to Mayo.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
I hated what happened to ap because the reality is
you you don't have until you can put your pieces
in place. And you know who was a great was
called Dan Campbell and uh because because we were playing
like a similar opponent or something, and I know Hank
who was their all O line coaches. So I called
and Dan was like, Saturday, we won three games my
first year, Bro, you know, we we lost and they

(06:31):
had just this was kind of the year that I
think they won nine games, so they had kind of
won a little bit and then lost. And he was like, man,
then all of a sudden, we go on a four
game streak and everybody thinks, I'm, you know, the best
coach in the world. He's like, it is a fickle,
but it takes time to put your your pieces and
parts in place. And again, think about him, man, he
got he got golf brought on after and so it

(06:52):
takes time. Like all these people who think it's instant,
it is not instant unless you're going to a team
that's already already loaded it.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Generally, how does that work.

Speaker 4 (07:01):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
It doesn't work out.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
It does not.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
It is not.

Speaker 4 (07:04):
And so no, I'm with you, dude, it is. I
love the experience.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
I appreciated it, but I realized CHIP stacked against and
then the whole fan thing, bro, like you know, and
like even the guys I work with right like they're
coming And I looked at all of them. I was like,
every one of you to take in the job, like
y'all such hypocrites, bro, Like you get up here acting
like you've beating your chest. Bro, you the freaking takeing
tig in a minute. It's fifty fifty fifty to fifty
ratio here, sure, bro, I can when I could lose,

(07:29):
that's just fifty to fifty. I'm gonna give it a go. Amen,
we're competitive.

Speaker 4 (07:32):
Amen.

Speaker 2 (07:33):
I would have took it, no doubt. I would have
did it.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
And I got no.

Speaker 3 (07:36):
I got like I had no issue with what anybody
thought about me. I was like, dude, I didn't call
you to ask your opinion, right right, I will. I
was like, go in, yeah, we're gonna go do it.

Speaker 1 (07:44):
You're respected enough to get the opportunity, that's right, hey, man,
give them the oh here we go. Give them the
website again. Make sure you're looking at this from the
proper perspective. People, your health, your weight, all those things.
Make sure you're addressing them.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
You can go.

Speaker 4 (07:59):
That's right.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
It's NFL on three dot org, NFLA on three dot org. Again,
it's it's the weight Help and Hike program. It's about
getting your help in check, getting the right people, the
right team around you, setting a plan in place that
you can execute and listen. It don't happen overnight. It
is a consistent it's a consistent plan that you execute
that will lead to success. So I encourage everybody to

(08:21):
jump on it and make the most of it.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
You're the man.

Speaker 4 (08:23):
Appreciate you brothers.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
Saturday back at you, bro, all love, all respect and
all the luck too.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
My god Je Saturday. Hey, you can check him out.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
He is one of the dopest analysts in the game,
as you can tell by the analysis he just so.
This is conversations with a legend. I'm LeVar Harrington's Fox
Sports Radio. Yeah, we'll check you out.