The Indianapolis Colts took their time going through the interview process and came out with Shane Steichen as their new head coach.
Though the process took roughly five weeks and spanned 21 total interviews, the expectations for Steichen are high. His recent success leading offenses, along with a solid introductory press conference, have built up some optimism in the Circle City.
In the eyes of Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr, the Colts made the best hire out of the teams who needed a new head coach this offseason.
“Surprised? Don’t be. Each year, we recommend a clear-and-obvious-top candidate. In 2021, that was Nathaniel Hackett, who I’ll own, even if I think he got hosed in Denver. The year before that? Brian Daboll (even if it took some time for teams to catch on). This year, our top candidate was Steichen. We profiled him in December and dived deeply into what makes him successful. When I look at good head coaching candidates, it comes down to three A’s:
- Adaptability in scheme
- Access to other good coaches
- Attitude in front of a team and in front of a camera
Steichen has built offenses for Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts. All different quarterbacks. All good quarterbacks. A quarterback has never not developed when working for Steichen. He has a relationship with Gus Bradley and will get to keep a solid defensive coordinator with head coaching experience. And, that Eagles staff is L-O-A-D-E-D with future head coaches. Anyone he’s able to pry loose will be a bonus.”
The Colts are still going through the process of finding a staff for Steichen. They’ve reportedly made some hires in the form of DeAndre Smith and Tom Manning but have yet to announce an offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator.
Steichen hasn’t even coached his first game as a head coach yet, and the Colts have a lot of work to do in order to get back into the playoff mix.
However, the conviction of his process and the recent success he’s had with different quarterbacks bodes well for the Colts as long as they find the right quarterback this offseason.
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