Shane Steichen is creating a culture of competition for the Colts

After last season, the Indianapolis Colts needed a hard reset. That’s why the team went on an extensive coaching search. Indy wanted to find someone that not only knew football and was an excellent play caller on Sundays, but a coach that could also build a great culture for the franchise. Indy believes it found that in Shane Steichen.

Indianapolis will find out how much success Steichen can lead them to in the coming years, but the team is already learning about his culture building ability. From the moment Steichen was introduced as head coach, you could hear his passion and intensity, for players and the game of football, with every word he spoke. Steichen demands accountability, and carries the energy that he wants his players to have.

One word that Steichen frequently brings up is compete. He’s a competitor; he wants the Colts to be relentless competitors. With the team having completed an offseason program under Steichen, and currently in their second week of training camp under him, they’ve noticed how intentional Steichen is about competing.

Shane Steichen is all about competition

DeForest Buckner, in a recent interview with NFL Network following a training camp practice, explained that Steichen makes everything a competitive environment. Naturally, they’re competing on the field, but Buckner said that competition extends into meeting rooms, workouts, and even team bonding activities. From shooting free throws to bowling, the Colts are competing at everything.

It’s all intentional, according to Steichen. He also sat down with NFL Network after practice, and Steichen explained that “it’s all about competition and bringing energy and tempo to everything we do… guys feed off that.” Steichen will maintain that energy throughout camp, and hopefully it’ll carry over into the season and translate to wins.

While the Colts did have many on-field issues last year, team culture was also a problem that was expressed by people in the organization. That could be the difference in close games, or games that result in a blowout as well. Steichen is changing that, and the players are following that lead. If a strong, quality culture is built, it should help overcome places where Indy lacks talent or experience.

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