General manager Chris Ballard hired Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen before the 2023 season with the hopes that Steichen would finally be the guy to lead Indy to long-term success on the field. So far, that hasn't occurred. Ballard was fired on Monday, but not Steichen. Not yet.
The plan moving forward for the rest of the season is to have Ed Dodds, who was Ballard's assistant general manager, make the personnel decisions, and have Steichen coach the team and report directly to ownership. The thin veil of protection is gone for Steichen. Ballard can no longer shield the coach from the owners.
A new general manager, whenever that person is hired, might very well want their own head coach anyway, especially if the new GM has experience doing the job. Steichen might survive if Dodds is promoted to Ballard's job, but fans might not like that move.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has no shield with Chris Ballard gone
Ultimately, Steichen has 11 games to try to save his job, but he hasn't been good at what he does. He is three games under .500 in his tenure with the Colts, and he's 7-25 against teams with a .500 record or better. Steichen is being outcoached, and the latter record proves it.
A great head coach can elevate the roster, scheming to put the players in their best positions to win based on the skill sets they collectively have. Shane Steichen hasn't done that, and that shouldn't suddenly change with Chris Ballard gone. The same players remain, and Steichen will continue to do the same job he always has.
The only coach who might be greatly affected by Ballard being fired is defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Ballard kept giving in to Anarumo's suggestions about which players to sign, and many of those were former Cincinnati Bengals (whom Anarumo coached when he was in Cincy) who have failed with Indianapolis.
The most recent of those players is cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt. He replaced Sauce Gardner in Week 6 after Gardner injured his left calf and was targeted twice by the terrible Tennessee Titans offense, allowing completions on both throws for 14 yards and, most importantly, a touchdown. His quarterback rating allowed was 135.4.
But Taylor-Britt is simply a symptom of a far greater disease: too many former Anarumo players being added to the Colts, and the hope that would lead to success. It hasn't, and it won't.
But now Shane Steichen needs to take full control of his coaching staff and team, and that means greater input on the defensive side of the ball. Will that happen? Unlikely, as that hasn't been the case in the past. Partly because of that, Indianapolis needs a new head coach instead of someone who is just a glorified offensive coordinator.
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