The Indianapolis Colts are underway in the Shane Steichen era of the franchise with the team going through mandatory minicamp this week—the final time they are together until training camp later this summer.
Steichen signed a six-year deal with the franchise and with the selection of Anthony Richardson, there is an understanding that the team will be patient and not expect immediate results from their new head coach.
That doesn’t mean Steichen’s first year as a head coach doesn’t bring any challenges. Here are the biggest ones he will face in the 2023 season:
1
Getting the veterans bought in
This has been a challenge that Steichen has been working on since he took his first step in the building. Getting the veterans bought into the program that he wants to build in Indianapolis is the first step that will help create something special for the franchise. Early this offseason, Quenton Nelson talked to the media about Steichen’s early impact on the team.
“Just the way that he comes into the building every day and when he talks in the team meeting room and in the offensive meeting room it just gets you excited hearing the confidence in his voice and him saying ‘This is what we’re gonna do. This is how we’re gonna do it,'” Nelson said. “It’s like okay, yeah, I can see that with our roster and everything.
It’s not just on the offensive side that Steichen is finding some early believers. Zaire Franklin talked about what his new head coach is bringing a few weeks ago on Good Morning Football.
“It’s been, like I said, a nice breath of fresh air. Coach Steichen, he just brings that energy, he brings that drive. You know he’s coming from that successful situation,” Franklin said. “He’s kind of hungry to prove himself, and obviously, I think he’s looking forward to the challenge of turning this thing around and getting it rolling this year. ”
From the outside looking in, it looks like a great start for the connection between Steichen and the veterans on the roster. He will have to carry that over into the regular season and continue to build that trust with how he handles the team for all 17 games.
2
Establishing his culture
Getting the veterans bought in will help Steichen establish the culture he wants to build with the Colts. They can help set the tone of what the head coach expects of his players every time they step into the building. With Indianapolis set to have one of the younger rosters in the NFL for the 2023 season, Steichen will need to lean into his veterans teaching the young players how to be professionals.
There will be growing pains with the youthful roster in 2023 but as the season goes along the team should develop together with the younger players finding their way to deliver on what Steichen wants out of them every single week. This year is about the head coach planting the seeds to grow a successful roster for years to come.
3
Managing Anthony Richardson's highs and lows
While Steichen has to make sure he is building a team that will be on a championship level one day, his biggest step in making that happen is developing Anthony Richardson into the quarterback that he can be. The first-year head coach and rookie quarterback don’t need to light the world on fire in 2023 but this year is important for the two to build chemistry.
There will be ups and downs for Richardson in his rookie season and it is up to Steichen to help teach his quarterback how to handle things. When Richardson has his bad games, Steichen will have to make sure his quarterback doesn’t fall into a rut and get inside his head.
When the rookie shines, Steichen also has to keep Richardson humble and continue to work with him in the areas in which he is struggling. A quarterback’s first season in the NFL can be mentally draining for a player so it will be Steichen that will have to mentor Richardson throughout the 17-game schedule.
4
Fixing the offensive line
With the Colts currently set to run back the same starting offensive line that ended the 2022 season, it shows that both Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen believe that that unit is fixable and didn’t need a complete rehaul. There is still plenty of time to potentially sign a guard to compete for the right guard role but the rest of the line is locked in as opening-day starters barring a summer injury.
This task will be mainly handled by offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. but Steichen is just as important to the solution of one of the issues that plagued the Colts last year. Steichen’s teaching of how he wants his offense ran and what he stresses to Sprano Jr. on what he wants out of the offensive line will be the first steps in the right direction.
5
Balancing being a head coach and play caller
When Shane Steichen took the Colts job, he stated that he plans on being the play caller despite the promotion to a head coach role. Being an NFL head coach brings a lot of responsibilities that don’t just involve developing game plans and coaching on Sundays. He will have to lean on how he saw head coaches he worked under led a team, dealt with the media, and handle everything else that a franchise asks out of their head coach.
Some coaches learn how to balance being the head coach and play caller but some also either flame out of stubbornness or learn they need to delegate that role to their offensive coordinator. That is how it played out for Steichen with the Philadelphia Eagles. In Nick Sirianni’s first season in Philly, he ended up handing off play-calling duties to Steichen and has no plans of taking them back anytime soon.
Ideally for the Indy, their head coach finds his footing in the first season as a play caller and the leader of the franchise. For the future benefit of the combo of Steichen and Anthony Richardson, having the head coach as the quarterback’s play caller can provide future dividends as the two evolve together.
