Colts put candidates through a unique coaching simulation before deciding on Shane Steichen
Shane Steichen is now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts after making it through what is being reported as a unique coaching search.
The Indianapolis Colts have their guy. They announced on Tuesday morning that they have officially hired Shane Steichen to be the team’s next head coach. Steichen is coming off a Super Bowl appearance with the Philadelphia Eagles as offensive coordinator. He’s now the last man standing in a coaching search that spanned five weeks, had 14 candidates, and had over 20 interviews. Beyond the length of the process and the volume of candidates, Indy’s coaching search was reportedly very unique.
NFL reporter, Albert Breer, previously highlighted how long Indy’s interviews were and how candidates had to meet with several different members of the organization. Now, Breer is reporting even more details on Indianapolis’ interesting coaching search. In a recent story, he explained that candidates told him about a “game-management and analytics drilling” that the Colts put them through.
Breer reported that “The Colts had senior football strategy analyst George Li put situations up on tape and go through them with each candidate, with the rest of the group watching.” According to Breer and the candidates that spoke to him, this was something unique to Indy but a process that was enjoyed. It seemed like Indianapolis wanted to cover every base and be sure that they were getting the right person.
The Colts’ coaching search was one of the most extensive the NFL’s seen in recent years:
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) February 14, 2023
➡️ 36 days
➡️ 13 candidates (14 if you include DeMeco Ryans, who was requested)
➡️ 8 finalists
➡️ 21 total interviews
➡️ Roughly 132 hours with the candidates (both virtually and in-person)
Colts put candidates through game-management and analytics drills
This comes after a season with some of the most mind-boggling game-management decisions by head coaches in the NFL. Indianapolis’ interim head coach Jeff Saturday even fell victim to not calling a timeout, and it was something that critics held against him during his candidacy to be Indy’s head coach. The Colts created this unique and extensive process to make sure that whoever was selected checked every box that it takes to be a successful head coach.
Shane Steichen was the person that Indianapolis decided on and he’ll get to work with a promising roster that has its fair share of holes. Steichen rose to prominence because of his work as an offensive coordinator, and since he made it through Indy’s process, it’s expected that he’s a good leader and good game manager as well. That all will be put to the test in the coming seasons.
