Shane Steichen Sells Vision for Colts in Introductory Presser
The last time the Indianapolis Colts held a press conference to introduce their new head coach, it was an absolute train wreck.
The owner talked about sausage making, rocket science, and being in the "upper quartile."
The general manager looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world but that room.
The head coach came in promising to hold everyone accountable but failed to do that for himself.
We will not soon forget the night Jim Irsay and Chris Ballard introduced Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach of the Colts. The Colts had fired former head coach Frank Reich not even 12 hours before that circus took place. The franchise looked like it was in shambles.
Three months later, there is a renewed sense of hope back on West 56th Street.
As the Colts introduced their new head coach, former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, on Tuesday, it began a new era in Indy. The Colts are hoping by putting a brilliant football mind in Steichen in charge of leading the team they can return to one of the greats of the NFL.
Now, there are similarities between Steichen and Reich. Both got their first job as offensive coordinators with the Los Angeles Chargers. Both made it to Super Bowls as the offensive coordinator of the Eagles. Both were hired by the Colts in the days following those Super Bowls.
However, their coaching styles could not be more different.
"I think as a head football coach, you have to hold people accountable," Steichen said at his introductory presser. "And if something ain’t right, something needs to be said player to player, coach to coach, coach to player. Like, we have to make sure we’re all on the same page rolling."
Some players had an issue with Reich failing to hold star players accountable when they were not performing up to their standard. That will not be an issue under Steichen.
The Colts lost who they were last season, desperately searching for an identity. The quarterback carousel had caught up with them, the offensive line became a turnstile, and the team looked physically and mentally beaten down at the end of the season. Steichen has a clear vision of what he wants the identity of this team to be.
© Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
"Our culture is going to be built on four pillars and one’s going to be character," Steichen explained. "Character is very important to me. We want to treat people with respect, and we want to feed the positive and weed out the negative. No. 2 is the preparation. I truly believe this. The separation in this league is in the preparation. How we prepare as a football team and an organization Monday through Saturday will ultimately dictate the outcome of the football game. Now, is it going to guarantee us a victory? No. But it’s going to give us a fighting chance, I promise you that."
He continued, "No. 3 is consistency. We have to be consistent, and it starts with us as coaches. Being consistent with our message to the players and telling them exactly how we want it to look and how we want it to be done. No. 4 is relentless. We have to be relentless in our pursuit to be the best. The best players, the best coaches I’ve been around are obsessed with their craft and that’s what we want to build here and that’s what we want to get done.”
Steichen is not here to mess around. He brings an intense nature to the head coaching position, something Irsay and Ballard desperately wanted. A new, fiery voice was needed in the locker room as Indy tries to get back on track.
"Shane was just tremendous in the interview," Irsay said. "He showed incredible leadership, toughness, very fast mind, able to process information and disseminate information very quickly...Shane just knocked it out of the park and really showed qualities that put him above during the whole process as our man."
Steichen also touched on his offensive philosophy, an important facet for a team in desperate need of a reset on that side of the ball. Steichen will call the plays in Indy as he has done in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. You can also expect the Colts' offense to be dynamic and aggressive.
"My philosophy is we’re going to throw to score points in this league and run to win. We’re going to throw to score points and run to win. Now, that can look different each week. Sometimes I’ve went into games saying we’re going to throw it a bunch and then we end up running it 45 times. Flow is going to dictate that. I know we have some pieces in place to get that done and we should be ready to roll.”
Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
While there are some pieces in place on offense – Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. come to mind – the Colts still need to find their franchise quarterback. It is all but certain the Colts will take a rookie quarterback in the top four of the NFL Draft. It will be up to Steichen to develop that quarterback and build an offense tailored to his strengths.
Steichen has had success with numerous quarterbacks of all different skill sets. Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert, and Jalen Hurts have all thrived with Steichen. But while their physical abilities may differ, they all share a very important quality.
“I think accuracy, decision making and the ability to create are the three things that I look at in a quarterback," Steichen remarked. "I think those all three things are very important but obviously, above the neck, the players that I’ve been around – Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Philip Rivers, they all have one thing in common. They’re obsessed with their craft. If you can find that in a quarterback, you’ll probably have some success.”
Ballard and Steichen will deliberate over the coming months as they dive in on each of the top quarterback prospects. They will be looking for those traits as they decide who they feel is the right fit to quarterback the Colts for the foreseeable future.
However, for all the football talk on Tuesday, the thing that may have stood out the most was Steichen's passion for the game. He has been working towards this moment his entire life, and Steichen could not hold back the rush of emotions.
There was a quiver in his voice as he began thanking everyone that impacted his journey. From his high school coach to the previous owners he has worked for, to mentioning numerous players on the Chargers and Eagles, Steichen offered gratitude and appreciation to everyone who has helped him reach this point. But his story has only just begun.
"I’m extremely honored and grateful to be the next head football coach of the Indianapolis Colts."
Colts fans are grateful for Steichen as well. Time to get to work.
Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!
Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewMooreNFL.
