3 things Shane Steichen must immediately address in order to be successful with Colts
1. Shane Steichen must fix the Colts offensive line
One of the huge reasons why the Philadelphia Eagles just played in the Super Bowl is that they had one of the best offensive lines in the league. One of the reasons Indianapolis had a 4-12-1 season is that they had one of the worst offensive lines in the league. In order for Steichen to have early success with the Colts, he must get the offensive line turned around immediately.
The offensive line may seem like a problem for Chris Ballard to address in the spring, and while he definitely should try to upgrade it with trades, in free agency, and in the draft, the reality is that Indy may not have many new starting linemen next season. With Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith all signed to big long-term contracts, and Bernhard Raimann entering his second season, the Colts are probably going to gamble on these guys returning to peak form.
Luckily, some of the problems demonstrated can be addressed through coaching. Obviously, each lineman has to be better individually, but there were a lot of miscommunications last season and poor execution that led to a lot of the bad offensive line play. That can be corrected through coaching and scheme. Steichen must appoint the right offensive line coach and also implement the best system that gives the line a chance to be successful.
Everything in football starts in the trenches. The best teams are usually good up front on both sides of the ball. Indianapolis wasn’t good up front offensively this past season, and disaster ensued. If Steichen is going to lead the Colts back to the playoffs, and hopefully a Super Bowl, he has to find a way to get the offensive line straightened out.
