The Indianapolis Colts have announced the hire of Shane Steichen as their new head coach, putting the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator at the helm of a team looking to rebound from a 4-12-1 season and seeking long-overdue stability at quarterback - Per @ESPN.
Colts fans rejoice, you didn't hire Jeff Saturday as your new HC. Not even 48 hours after Steichen was coaching in the Super Bowl, he was announced as the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. This is always a crazy concept to me, you always read the headlines during the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl about how offensive or defensive coordinators of one of the teams playing in the Big Game is in talks/interviewing for an HC position. Despite falling short on Sunday in a 38-35 loss to the Chiefs, Steichen deserves his credit for what he was able to do with the Eagles offensive in the past two seasons, as well as how he created a scheme that worked perfectly for Jalen Hurts.
Having worked with QB's Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert and most recently Hurts, Steichen has gained a reputation for getting significant production out of his quarterbacks. His work with Herbert during his rookie season could be applicable in Indianapolis if the Colts move ahead with a quarterback pick, as expected. Herbert threw 31 touchdowns and completed 66.6% of his pass attempts in his first season in 2020.
Nothing gets Jim Irsay's tail waggin' more than an offensive coordinator from a Philadelphia Super Bowl team, first it was Frank Reich, and now Steichen. It will be interesting to see what the Colts do at the quarterback position for next year, and how Steichen can follow up the chemistry and magic he had with Hurts this season.
In Philly, Steichen helped quarterback Jalen Hurts turn into one of the game's most dynamic players in just his third season. He was fourth in QBR at 66.3, which was nearly 12 points higher than his previous season. The Super Bowl marked his second game in which he had at least 300 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. No other player in NFL history has done that once. And his 80% completion rate Sunday was the fourth highest in Super Bowl history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
