Steichen's integrity, intelligence helped land Colts job

Feb. 14—INDIANAPOLIS — One of the most comprehensive head coaching searches in NFL history officially ended Tuesday with the introduction of Shane Steichen at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said high character, a beautiful football mind and a shared vision for the future of the franchise allowed Steichen to stand out among 13 candidates to become the team's new sideline leader.

"We went into this, we wanted to get the best fit for us and for the Colts organization, and Shane fit that," Ballard said. "We interviewed (candidates with backgrounds) from defense to offense to special teams. We had a run from young to older, and we had a very diverse group here.

"And Shane kind of checked all the boxes. A few of them checked most of them, but Shane checked all of them of what we were looking for."

Dressed in a navy blue suit with a Colts' horseshoe logo pin on the lapel, Steichen entered Gridiron Hall with his wife Nina, son Hudson and daughter Stella. A video presentation preceded Steichen's arrival filled with highlights from media coverage announcing the pending hire over the weekend and even a brief viral clip of the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator during a meeting with his former team.

Just two days after the Eagles' 38-35 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, Steichen's voice cracked with emotion as he thanked all the people who helped him get to this point from his former players with the Eagles and Chargers all the way back to his high school football coach.

Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni served as the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis for three seasons (2018-20), and several other coaches on the Eagles' staff spent time with the Colts. Steichen also has a close relationship with former Indianapolis quarterback Philip Rivers from their days together in San Diego and Los Angeles.

So he had ample opportunity to research his new employer.

"Just like they did research on me, I did research on this place, and not one (bad) thing came out of this place," Steichen said. "Unbelievable respect for this organization, the people in this building, Mr. (Jim) Irsay, Chris, the operations part of it, the whole thing.

"I've heard nothing but great things. So very fortunate to be in the position I'm in and looking forward to getting to work."

Steichen played quarterback at UNLV and actually got his start in the NFL as a defensive assistant with the San Diego Chargers in 2011. That experience gave him a different perspective on offensive football, and he rejoined that side of the coin in 2013 with the Cleveland Browns under head coach Rob Chudzinski — a former Indianapolis offensive coordinator.

Steichen returned to the Chargers in 2014 and was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2016. He took over as interim offensive coordinator in 2019 and served in the position full time in 2020, helping quarterback Justin Herbert earn The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

For the last two years, Steichen has tutored quarterback Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.

That background of quarterback development played a role in landing the job with the Colts. A strong recommendation from Rivers also didn't hurt.

"Shane was just tremendous in the interview," Irsay said. "He showed incredible leadership, toughness, (a) very fast mind, able to process information and disseminate information very quickly. I know Philip said at one point (Steichen) threw away the play cared and was calling plays from your head, which is savant-like according to Philip.

"He was so impressive that I talked to Chris (on) Friday night (the week before the Super Bowl) — and they're meeting with him all day Saturday — I said, 'I don't want to tip the deck or anything, but I'm not going to tell you anything you're not going to see.' But, boy, Shane just knocked it out of the park and really showed qualities that put him above during the whole process as our man."

The 37-year-old takes over a team that finished 4-12-1 a season ago and will be looking for vast improvement on offense.

The next step will be hiring assistant coaches. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone were among those in attendance Tuesday, but Steichen said no final decision has been made on whether to retain their services.

Selecting a new quarterback also will be high on the agenda, with Steichen and his staff soon to begin digging into draft prospects alongside Ballard.

Steichen has a clear vision for where he hopes the Colts are going. His introduction came less than 48 hours after Philadelphia's Super Bowl loss, and returning to that game remains the ultimate goal.

"It was an unbelievable experience to be a part of that football game," Steichen said. "The guys that have been in this room — coaches or players that have been a part of it — it was a tremendous honor to get to that point. It took a lot of hard work to get there. Being in that game — I'm not gonna lie — I turned it on about an hour ago and watched the first quarter, just to look at it, just to be in that moment and know how hard it is to get there.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work, obviously, as the Colts organization, players. We want to get there as soon as we can."