National Football League

Colts center takes break after labor negotiations

Published Aug. 3, 2011 2:14 a.m. ET

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Jeff Saturday spent the offseason working his second job.

He flew from city to city, hotel to hotel, spending laborious days in nondescript meeting rooms, negotiating with team owners.

For a 13-year veteran with three children at home, it wasn't an ideal summer. Still, Saturday felt compelled to do the heavy lifting for all those guys he represented, and he wound up making a difference - a big difference.

''Man, I think about the sacrifices he made,'' Colts defensive captain Gary Brackett said Tuesday. ''You know, hearing him speak the day the agreement was signed about the responsibility Mr. Kraft had in getting this deal done, I think you really could really say that Jeff Saturday saved football, too.''

Saturday never missed a bargaining session, and now things may never be the same for the 36-year-old Pro Bowl.

After spending most his professional career toiling in the long shadows cast by Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeney, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James, Bob Sanders and Reggie Wayne, Saturday has carved out his own niche on a team full of leaders. By thanking and hugging Robert Kraft, owner of the Colts' archrival Patriots, Saturday will forever be remembered as the face of the settlement.,

But for Saturday, it was never about fame.

''There were a lot of things I went through during the negotiations and one of the main things is that when you advocate for other people, you really think about what you're fighting for,'' he said three days after players approved the new labor pact. ''I think we got a fair deal.''

Colts players never doubted Saturday would know a fair deal when he saw one.

Unlike many of today's best players, Saturday did not come into the league with a highly touted reputation. Baltimore signed him as an undrafted rookie in 1998, then cut him before training camp even started. Over the next seven months, Saturday managed an electrical store in North Carolina, hoping for a second chance.

Indy signed the free agent in January 1999, and within a year, Saturday became the starting center. He's been an immovable object since, combining with Manning for a league record 172 career starts.

What other players may not understand were the sacrifices Saturday made.

He made sure there were workout rooms in the hotels or near them so he could stay in shape. He called his wife and children every day. He communicated regularly with Manning, his closest friend, and Brackett, the Colts' alternate player rep. He helped coordinate workouts for younger players and kept his teammates and those on other teams informed about the discussions.

Those obligations left little time for Saturday to relax.

''It had to be horrible. His whole offseason and summer were taken away and he's the main guy for the whole league,'' safety Melvin Bullitt said. ''With Jeff, you really can't say anything but `Thank you.'''

Saturday insists the process really wasn't that bad.

''I would do it again,'' he said. ''One thing I need to say is that my wife was awesome during this whole time. I have three kids at home and they can be a little rambunctious during summer vacation, so for her to run the house the way she did was phenomenal. It really allowed me to concentrate on what I was doing.''

No team is more grateful for Saturday's efforts than Indy.

On Sunday, when the Colts held their first team training camp meeting at Anderson University, team officials a moment to thank Saturday publicly for his efforts.

Not surprisingly, Indy's players responded with a loud, protracted round of applause, a moment Saturday described as endearing.

''Jeff's not a rah-rah type guy, so just kind of gave us a nod,'' Brackett said. ''But he did, as we said all along, for the past, present and future guys in this league. He was fighting for players he doesn't even know.''

While Saturday insists he did carve out time for his family and that he did have find ways to relax, he acknowledges, grudgingly, that it was mentally draining.

That's one reason Colts fans have yet to see No. 63 wearing a helmet at camp. Coach Jim Caldwell believes players need to be fresh mentally and physically, and even though Saturday said he's in good shape, Caldwell wants to give him a little down time to make sure he's OK when the season starts.

''We are going to kind of ramp him up just a little bit, give him time and put him in a position where he feels good about what kind of shape he's in,'' Caldwell said. ''Because of the fact he has been so involved in the negotiations over the last month and a half, two months, we have talked to him about that, and I think you will see that as the week goes on.''

Caldwell hasn't said when Saturday will get back on the field, and teammates aren't worried about his absence. After all, aside from Manning, nobody knows the Colts playbook better than Saturday.

And nobody is more eager to reap the benefits of the new labor pact than the guy who helped make it happen.

''This is why you play,'' Saturday said. ''I went to all of those meetings so I could come to these. This is what I wanted to do. I don't want to be in those meetings. I can tell you I would much rather be out on the field playing ball.''

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