What Did Shane Steichen Learn From Last Year’s Off The Field Issues?
INDIANAPOLIS – Inevitably, the Colts knew they would have some growing pains with a first-time head coach.
The thought in hiring Steichen back in 2023 was the Colts were getting an elite offensive mind. That’s a big reason Steichen is so bullish on keeping his plate full, and maintaining his duties as Colts play caller.
But the “head coach” title also extends to every corner of the building.
And the Colts had issues when it came to one of the pillars Steichen holds in extremely high regard.
Preparation is one of the words you hear out of Steichen’s mouth the most when it comes to core values, and what he believes is a true difference maker, across a league filled with parity.
For whatever reason, that message didn’t receive the necessary actions, on more than one occasion, during the 2024 season.
While Steichen remains vague on the details, he admits self-improvement is needed in imploring that standard more in his third season at the helm.
“You learn from those,” Steichen explains in looking back on the shortcomings of 2024.
“For me, as a leader, just setting the standard even more clear, reiterating the standard over and over again. Not saying it at the start of training camp and saying it start of the season, but it’s a reminder every two weeks of, ‘This is the standard and this is how we operate.’”
Leadership wise, Steichen’s message will be met on the player side of things with at least one new voice this coming year.
In 2024, the Colts had 8 captains on their team, with 7 of the 8 having been with the team throughout the franchise’s longest playoff drought in 3 decades (Anthony Richardson is the lone captain who hadn’t been with the Colts during this current playoff rut).
The departure of Ryan Kelly in free agency means the Colts are losing their longest tenured player, and one of those 8 captains.
When the Colts preparation issues, on both sides of the ball, arose last season, many debated the blame for that at Steichen vs. the players in the locker room.
Steichen has expressed his own need though to be better in this area as a critical season awaits everyone in the organization.
Along with more frequent reminders of the Colts standard, the head coach is examining ways to tweak training camp in the hopes of finding more of the right mix to play meaningful football again.
At the end of the 2024 season, much was made about how “close” the Colts were amidst this stretch of annually sitting on the bench come postseason time.
In Steichen’s first season, their hopes at making the playoffs and winning the division came down to the 4th quarter of Week 18. That’s close.
In Steichen’s second season, their hopes of winning the worst division in the AFC ended with three weeks left in the season, with their long-shot playoff chances ending the next week. That’s not close.
“When I say we are close, we were close to making the playoffs, first year, we were a play away. Last year, we were a game or two away,” Steichen explains
