Colts head coach Shane Steichen is ready “to see who the dawgs are” on the team

When the Indianapolis Colts return for training camp, first-year head coach Shane Steichen will be eager to learn which players are “dawgs.”

Shane Steichen has only been the head coaching of the Indianapolis Colts for a few months. It’s his first head coaching job in the NFL, and soon, he and the team will return for training in late July. After an offseason program where Steichen started to build the culture how he wants it, he’s excited to return for camp so he can learn which players are ready to go to war.

On Monday, the Colts released a video recapping the team’s offseason program, and the footage featured quotes from Steichen and players like Jonathan Taylor and Zaire Franklin. Steichen expressed that he was pleased with the foundation that the team set during the offseason program and that they’ll be ready to go once training camp arrives.

Steichen explained that he’s looking for intensity, energy, and passion from these guys, and that when the pads come on in training camp, it’ll help him find out “who the dawgs are.”

Colts are ready for training camp

In OTAs and minicamp, teams are only allowed to wear helmets. Once everyone returns for training camp, the team will ramp things up and eventually be in full pads. That’s when things get intense and when you can learn what everyone is made of. There’s only so much you can truly evaluate when practice isn’t near the physical standard of the game.

One of the biggest things Colts will have to evaluate once the pads are on is the offensive line. Last season, the line was abysmal, and with many of the same players returning, training camp will be a huge test to see if the line is actually improved. Will Steichen find that Indy has some dogs on the offensive line or will the group look as bad as last season?

Of course, the young players in important positions will also be under a microscope. Namely, quarterback Anthony Richardson, but the young corners will be under a lot of pressure as well. Will the Colts be able to roll into the season with Richardson as QB1 and rookie corners playing pivotal roles, and actually be competitive? The team will start to find out the answer once they return for training camp.

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