3 things Shane Steichen must immediately address in order to be successful with Colts

Shane Steichen is now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and if he wants success, he must prioritize addressing these issues.

The Indianapolis Colts officially introduced Shane Steichen as the team’s next head coach on Tuesday. Jim Irsay and Chris Ballard raved about Steichen as they explained why they selected him out of a deep and talented pool of candidates. Steichen also displayed the kind of emotional leadership that he coaches with during his statements throughout the press conference.

Many people are applauding the hire of Steichen, and there’s a sense of optimism surrounding the Colts. Much has been made about Steichen’s work with young quarterbacks and how he should be able to revitalize Indy’s offense. While everything is positive right now, the Colts were 4-12-1 and looking for a head coach for a reason. Steichen has a tough road ahead of him and there are several things he needs to address before the Colts can be considered contenders again.

While Indianapolis is lucky to have landed Steichen, and Steichen is lucky to join a team with a fair share of pieces in place, Indy’s work still isn’t done. Here are three things that Shane Steichen needs to immediately address in order to turn the Colts around.

3. Shane Steichen must make life easy for a rookie quarterback

Although Chris Ballard said there’s no guarantee that the Colts will select a quarterback in the upcoming draft, it’s a pretty safe bet that they will. Indianapolis hasn’t been in a position to select one of the top quarterbacks at the top of the draft in years, and the hope is that they won’t be in the coming years either. That means this is the year to go for it. Indy must pair a rookie quarterback with Steichen, even if it means trading up to the No. 1 pick.

Steichen, on the other hand, along with Chris Ballard, must help create the best set of circumstances so that the transition is relatively easy for a rookie quarterback. Fortunately, Shane Steichen has experience with that. Steichen was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers when they drafted Justin Herbert. Under Steichen, Herbert broke just about every rookie passing record.

What exactly can Steichen do to help a young quarterback? Well, first it starts with Ballard assembling the best roster possible. A quality defense, offensive weapons, and a good offensive line make any quarterback’s job easy. Steichen must be willing to play off the offense’s strengths and not put more on a rookie quarterback’s plate than he can handle. Whether it’s leaning on Jonathan Taylor a lot, allowing the quarterback to utilize his athleticism, or gradually increasing the size of the playbook, Steichen must be prepared to lead a rookie quarterback’s transition into the NFL.

2. Shane Steichen must address the culture of the Colts

One of the reasons Frank Reich was reportedly fired by Indianapolis is because he didn’t have the kind of fire that Jim Irsay wanted in a head coach. That’s also the reason why Irsay loved Saturday and gave him the interim coaching role. Irsay knew that Jeff Saturday would hold everyone accountable and bring a level of passion that demanded excellence throughout the organization. During the transition from Reich to Saturday, it quickly became clear how much that was the case.

Several Colts players highlighted how much they appreciated Saturday’s commitment to accountability and his passion to make sure everyone was doing everything right. The loudest voice of those players was star linebacker, Shaquille Leonard. Just recently, Leonard detailed that he loved Saturday’s confrontational style that held everyone accountable and explained that it’s what the Colts needed to truly be successful.

Leonard explained that whoever was hired needed to have those qualities so that the team could have a better culture that can be passed down from the coaches to the leaders to everyone on the roster. Shane Steichen must be prepared to do that.

Talent and scheme are certainly important, but a great team culture is often the difference between just being good and being great enough to achieve the team’s goals. Adam Vinatieri explained that culture was one of the biggest reasons the New England Patriots and Colts had success during his career. Surely, Jim Irsay made this a criterion in the coaching search and it appears Steichen is checking the box.

During his introductory press conference, he explained how important it is to hold everyone accountable every day and to never let anything slide. If he can build this culture with the Colts, they will be able to get the most out of their talent.

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.

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