Aaron Rodgers endorses Rich Bisaccia for Colts head coach
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (BVM) – The Indianapolis Colts are in the heat of their head coaching search after a disappointing 4-12-1 record this past season. As owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard continue to trim down their list of finalists, a plethora of candidates outside of interim coach Jeff Saturday have begun to gain steam.
Colts' seven finalists (as of now) after initially interviewing 13 candidates:
Jeff Saturday
Ejiro Evero
Raheem Morris
Wink Martindale
Rich Bisaccia
Shane Steichen
Brian CallahanThat's more second-round candidates than the entire search that led to Josh McDaniels in 2018.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) January 31, 2023
One name that has come up after the conclusion of a second interview is Green Bay Packers special teams coach Rich Bisaccia. The long-time coordinator has come up in the recent coaching cycles following his interim stint with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021.
As Colts leadership vets their potential list of candidates, Bisaccia will be able to thank Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for some glowing remarks.
“If anyone ever called me as a reference, one name that has been floating around out there who I would give a ringing endorsement to is Rich Bisaccia,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’m a tremendous, tremendous fan of his. He is a prototypical leader who wants to be respected more than he’s liked. And I think that from a starting point creates an accountability in whatever room you’re controlling. Whether that’s the entire room, or a position room, or a phase of the game — like offense, defense, and special teams. And then you throw in there an incredible ability to control the room with his speech, very thoughtful individual, very sharp, and then the love that he brings as well I think is just such a perfect combo.”
"I'm a tremendous fan of Rich Bisaccia.. he's the prototypical leader who wants to be respected more than he's liked"@AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/0VFsWDx98P
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 31, 2023
Bisaccia was tasked with the interim coaching job in 2021 after the Raiders fired then head coach Jon Gruden. He helped lead the team to a playoff spot following a 7-5 regular season record that included a four-game winning streak down the final stretch.
Behind his four years as Las Vegas’ assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, and past season with the Packers, Bisaccia has become known for his leadership ability. Although the league has trended away from older coaches, and specifically special teams coaches in past cycles, Rodgers believes Bisaccia could offer any team looking for a new head coach the right intangibles.
“Contrary to common thought, maybe, there’s not a lot of Rich Bisaccia types out there,” Rodgers said. “There’s not a lot of people like that. And I think in this league it’s harder for older coaches to get jobs. I think we can all agree on that, it’s not a mind-blowing statement. There’s not a lot of 60-year-old guys getting head coaching jobs. Right, there’s fewer and fewer because you know most teams want to go with kind of a young, up-and-coming guy. And Rich for whatever reason passed over most of his career but paid his dues. Coached everywhere you could possibly imagine, he’s probably coached there. Then he went to Oakland[/Las Vegas] and became the interim head coach. You talk to those guys, I’d say they all love Rich and they appreciate Rich — what he stood for and what he’s about.
“You talk to our guys in the locker room in Green Bay, everybody loves Rich… You want to be a player’s coach. It’s not about being liked, it’s about being respected. It’s not about being liked, it’s about being respected first. If they like you as well, that’s awesome. If you want to be a true player’s coach, it’s about the respect thing first and Rich Bisaccia understands that to a tee.”
The Colts already have a sizable finalist list for the open job but the endorsement from Rodgers could offer the team something it missed in what was a lost 2022 season. With a host of options to choose from, the kind remarks certainly won’t hurt Bisaccia’s case.