Source: Michael Hickey / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS–The Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen had a chance to reflect on this past season that saw his team go 9-8 and narrowly miss out on the playoffs.
“To come up short, it was very disappointing but a lot to learn from – myself, everybody involved going forward so we can have a hell of a 2024 season,” said Steichen in his end of the year news conference this week.
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson played in only four games this season. He was placed on injured reserve due to a grade three AC joint sprain he suffered in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans.
“Obviously, he got a chance to sit back, watch and learn. I had some good meetings with him throughout the season, just individually me and him, sitting down talking football. Really just seeing the NFL season as a whole. Obviously, would’ve loved to have him out there for the season to learn that way but there’s always reasons in life I think, why things happen. I think what happened to him was unfortunate but I think it’s going to make him stronger at the end,” said Steichen.
Steichen believes a lot of what they talked about will help Richardson in the long run.
“Just talking with him individually going through different stuff. Just football 101 stuff – coverages and fronts and going through what do we like versus this look and all that. He was soaking it in, and he was wired in all year obviously doing his rehab. Looking forward to his future next year,” said Steichen.
As for possible changes to the staff, all Steichen would say is “I believe in continuity. I’ll say that.” Now begins the process of evaluation for both the players and the staff.
“We’ll look at the roster, myself and Colts General Chris Ballard. We’ll sit down, evaluate the roster, needs, obviously there’s free agents out there, guys we’ve got to re-sign or however it goes. There is a lot that goes into it. We’ll go through that this week,” Steichen continued.
One of those free agents is wide receiver Michael Pittman. Pittman caught 109 passes for 1,152 yards and had four touchdowns.
“He was big for us. What he did week in and week out, the numbers he put up, the consistency he played with, the toughness that he played with – I’ve got a ton of respect for him as a football player. He’s meant a lot to this organization and a lot to this city,” said Steichen.
Steichen believes the Colts aren’t far from being a contender for the Super Bowl.
“I think we’re right there, and you can see it by the way our guys fought. But every year is a new year. So, we’ve got to rebuild it again next year and have that laser focus every single day – the details, the preparation that we put into it. We’ve got to be all over it. But I do, I think we’re right on the cusp of something really special here,” said Steichen.
The 2024 NFL Draft will be the 89th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25–27, 2024. The NFL Combine is February 27 through March 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
You can listen to Steichen’s comments below.
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Colts Head Coach Reflects on 2023-24 Season was originally published on wibc.com
