Indianapolis Colts re-learned a great thing about head coach Shane Steichen after Indy's rough Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Instead of potentially throwing others under the proverbial bus, Steichen took the blame for most things, even if he didn't need to. This is what good leaders do.
He also didn't stop helping his team overcome the emotions from the stunning loss. Indianapolis could have beaten LA except for a few crucial mistakes. The most glaring of which was second-year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell dropping the ball just before he entered the end zone.
The ball bounced through the end zone and was a touchback for the Rams. Instead of six points for Indy, it was LA ball. The Colts lost by a touchdown, so the literal difference in the game was Mitchell's failure to hold on to the ball.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen drops some truth on Adonai Mitchell
Steichen wasn't going to verbally trash Mitchell over the play, though. The 2024 second-round draft pick appeared to be trying to celebrate before he hit pay dirt, and seemed to be trying to stretch the ball out. It was a foolish play that Mitchell will likely never do again.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Steichen said, "(Mitchell) took accountability in the team meeting. Spoke to the team to start the team meeting. I had a conversation with him in my office (on Monday), just letting him know that this moment doesn’t define who you are as a person. But he knows going forward, he’s gonna have to earn it going forward. How he practices and how he prepares."
Of course, that has been part of the issue with AD Mitchell. As a second-round pick, he should have been ready to help the team right away. Maybe as a rookie, he wasn't going to do much. The NFL is tough for first-year players.
But in year two, he has been buried on the depth chart. This would imply that he hasn't practiced and prepared as well as the team hoped. The Colts are lucky enough to have a talented receiver group, but a team does not take a wideout in the second round simply to hope he plays a handful of snaps every game.
While Shane Steichen obviously is trying to make sure that Mitchell is better in his mental approach to practice and prep, the head coach also made it clear that the wideout could find that his job is in jeopardy if he doesn't progress.
Alec Pierce might be back in Week 5 if he clears concussion protocol. If he does return, Adonai Mitchell will likely see fewer reps than he did in Week 4. That is ultimately a good thing for the Indianapolis Colts.