Our long local nightmare is finally over! On Tuesday afternoon the Colts ended their exhaustive head coaching search by naming Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen the 21st head coach in franchise history.
Shane Steichen speaks to the media for the first time as Colts Head Coach. #ForTheShoe https://t.co/lHnQTSsPCc
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) February 14, 2023
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Steichen has made impressive strides as an offensive coordinator over the years, guiding Chargers QB Justin Herbert to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 and helping mold Eagles QB Jalen Hurts into one of the top quarterbacks in the league this past season. Those are both high level resume bullet points that gave the franchise plenty of confidence in Steichen to develop the team’s next franchise QB (who in all likelihood will be taken in April’s NFL Draft).
The #Colts have had 8 different starting QBs over the last 5 seasons and were last in PPG (15.8) last season. Shane Steichen has helped develop two of the NFL’s best young QBs in Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) February 14, 2023
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On top of that, he helped form the Eagles into one of the best offenses in the league last year which resulted in an NFC Championship and an appearance in the Super Bowl.
NFC CHAMPS 🏆@Verizon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/MeiWBPDJMl
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 29, 2023
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Conference championships and opportunities to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy have always been at the top of the list for Colts owner Jim Irsay. That combined with how putrid the Colts offense was last year, makes Steichen’s arrival a moment to be hopeful and restore belief that Indy can one day get back to that level.
At the end of the day though, it all comes down to getting the quarterback right and building this new era of Colts football the right way. That will be the hope for Indianapolis, that general manager Chris Ballard and Coach Steichen can work together to build the franchise, that hasn’t been to an AFC Championship game in nearly a decade, back into a contender.
The coaching hire might be behind the Colts, but the real work to make this team into a true threat in the NFL begins now.
The right man for the job. pic.twitter.com/VyRlAJJrKF
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) February 14, 2023
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Tuesday on The Fan Midday Show THE DEAN Mike Chappell of Fox 59 and CBS 4 stopped by following the Shane Steichen press conference to give his thoughts on the 21st head coach in Indianapolis Colts history.
Chapp also spoke with us on:
- What Colts fans can expect from Steichen
- Steichen saying he plans on calling plays
- Ballard and Steichen working together to rebuild the franchise
- The importance of nailing the draft in April
- Who will be on staff for Steichen
- Why he’s excited to see how Steichen develops the next franchise QB
Check out the full conversation with THE DEAN Mike Chappell below and keep listening to The Fan Midday Show, weekdays 12-3pm Eastern, on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan.
