It is year three. Time for Steichen to put it all together.
Being an NFL coach comes with a lot of responsibility. Your every moved is critiqued, and you are judged on the results you deliver. That isn’t a completely negative thing, but the level at which you are scrutinized is not felt or shared by many others. Being an NFL head coach comes with responsibility, but it is ultimately a privilege. There are only 32 in the entire league, and the line forming behind the head honcho is long. Shane Steichen has had good moments with the Indianapolis Colts, and he has had some bad ones as well. Heading into year three, results are more important than ever. Because of that, how hot is Steichen’s seat?
This question is difficult to wrangle. On one hand you have the data; the stone-cold analytics. Steichen is 17-17 in his first two seasons. He was dealt a difficult hand when Anthony Richardson went down his rookie year as a coach, but he made enough adjustments to take the Colts to the brink of a playoff berth. One more completed pass and who knows what could have been. The storyline heading into 2024 was if Steichen could do that with Gardner Minshew then just think what magic he could work with Richardson and his talents. Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out as the Colts had a worse record in year two, Richardson had a historically bad completion percentage, and the Colts lost one of the most embarrassing games in franchise history against the Giants. Call it a sophomore slump if you want, but it wasn’t the step forward most were hoping to witness.
The wild card in all of this is the new owners for the Colts. Jim Irsay was incredibly loyal to his players and staff. He let them have just about as long a leash as any owner in the league. Now, his daughters own the team, and Carlie Irsay-Gordan runs the show. Will she demonstrate as much patience as her father? If the Colts don’t show improvement this season, we could have a three for one in which she decides to clean house at all levels: GM, coach, and quarterback. The loyalty and patience for Steichen to figure it all out may not extend as far as the late Jim Irsay. That is why Steichen’s seat may be even hotter than previously thought.
It is a results based league, and Shane Steichen hasn’t exactly delivered. It is my opinion that he deserves to finish this year unless something goes completely haywire. Three years should provide enough data to understand whether he is fully up for the challenge and is the right man for the job. Steichen’s seat shouldn’t be overly hot at this point but get off to a slow start as the Colts normally do and it might start to get uncomfortable. Winning cures a lot, however, so if Steichen wants to cool things down and earn an new contract in the future, it will be in his best interest to win early and often.