Shane Steichen denies the Colts have a culture problem

After a humiliating loss to the New York Giants in Week 17, the Indianapolis Colts didn't just see their playoff hopes vanish - they saw everything about the team come into question. And much of the criticism is being leveled at head coach Shane Steichen, and calling the culture of the team into question specifically.

This has been a season-long issue; the Colts have struggled to be consistent this year, and after starting quarterback Anthony Richardson was controversially benched, numerous Colts players -- including team captains -- openly criticized the team, arguing that there were problems behind closed doors.

Kenny Moore II spoke to reporters after one game, where he slammed the team.

“I don’t think everybody is working as hard as possible, and obviously, it’s showing,” he said. “I’m not the type to sugarcoat it; honestly, I don’t think the urgency is there. I don’t think the details are there. I don’t think the effort is there, and I don’t see everything correlating from the meetings to practice to the games, and it shows.”

Zaire Franklin likewise argued that the level of play needs to be raised, saying that the level of preparation wasn't there. Julian Blackmon also openly criticized the team.

That led to a strong reaction from Colts alum Pat McAfee, saying,

"So AR had no idea how he's supposed to be a professional because there's no damn professionals in that building. These have been the stories that have been happening over the last few years," he began. "You know, and I'm not saying this team under Shane Steichen has been this, but if you remember when Frank Reich was the coach ... people were late to meetings, team meetings, people showing up late to team meetings, people were - people were missing training. You know, obviously there's a story about gambling in the locker room that came out from the Colts. And it was like, why aren't we winning? It's like, oh, the culture is just not very like conducive to being a professional outfit. And then this whole thing happens and it's like, we're all here working hard. It's like, how do you not even, what do you even, what do you mean you're not working hard in this entire thing?"

Now, following the Giants loss, questions are being raised yet again about Steichen's leadership and the culture of the team. And, incredibly, Steichen denied there are any problems.

"I don't," he said when asked by The Athletic's James Boyd if the Colts have a culture problem. "I think you're going to go through adversity and seasons, James. There's going to be ups and downs, whether it's on the field, off the field, and how you handle them and how you react to them. And you got to move forward with those things. I think it happens around the league to teams, and you got to handle it the best way you can handle it and put your best foot forward."

Boyd then asked what the standard of the team is, and Steichen again seemed oblivious to reality.

"I think the standard is come to work every day and give it everything you got. You know what I mean? I talked about character, preparation, consistency, and relentless [sic]. And I think when you're not winning and you don't reach the playoffs like you want to, I think obviously things are going to get nitpicked, and rightfully so," he said. "And everyone wants to be in the playoffs every year, and that's the standard is to get in the playoffs. And we didn't reach our goal this year, and that's the disappointing part about this whole thing. But we got one week left to go out and do our jobs."

The Colts have not made the playoffs since 2020, the longest span for the team in 30 years. And yet its head coach is consistently throwing his players under the bus, while denying there are systemic problems that need to be addressed.

This mentality can't be reassuring for fans hoping to see improvement for 2025.