In Shane Steichen, Colts are hiring another Eagles offensive coordinator off the Super Bowl

INDIANAPOLIS - It turns out the new boss of the Colts is a lot like the old one.

Shane Steichen arrived to sign his contract with the Colts on Tuesday, fresh off an appearance in the Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the Eagles. It's the exact same scenario that brought Frank Reich to Indianapolis back in 2018.

In a league where teams often look for the opposite in a leader when they make a change, the Colts doubled down on a model, though they're quick to point out some key differences.

“Same team logo, different regime," general manager Chris Ballard said. "Doug (Pederson) was the (Eagles') head coach and now it was Nick (Sirianni), even though Nick came from us. I think the one thing you’ll see in this league, a lot of coaches are tied. At some point they’ve crossed paths.

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"It didn’t even enter into my thinking or our thinking when we were making the final decision. We interviewed a bunch of people and hired who we thought was the best guy – who we know is the best guy for the job.”

Steichen coached with Reich on the Chargers' offensive staff in 2013-2015, including two seasons in which Reich was his offensive coordinator. Steichen then left to become the Eagles offensive coordinator last year under Sirianni, who calls Reich his top mentor in the NFL

Steichen shares much of Reich's background as a quarterback developer, which remained a priority for a Colts franchise that is looking to draft a quarterback in the first round for the first time since Andrew Luck in 2011. Reich earned the Colts' job in 2018 largely for his work with quarterbacks like Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. Steichen became best known for his quick development of young passers such as Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts, helping the former win Offensive Rookie of the Year and the latter to come in second in the MVP race this season.

But this hire went beyond the most important position.

“I mean, is it an added bonus? Yes. Was it the final defining factor? No," Ballard said. "We wanted to get the best fit for us and for the Colts organization. Shane fit that. Look, we interviewed from defense to offense to special teams, from young to older. We had a very diverse group here, and Shane kind of checked all the boxes."

Where Steichen differs from Reich is primarily in age and demeanor. At 37, he is 24 years younger than Reich and younger than all but two head coaches in the NFL. He's known as a more intense speaker on a player level, which became something the Colts were looking for in the next leader.

"High integrity, high character, brilliant football mind and philosophically we see the game the same way," Ballard said.

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Shane Steichen and Frank Reich have some common characteristics