AFC Coach Accuses Colts HC Shane Steichen of Stealing From Rivals as Daniel Jones Predicted for ‘Disaster’ Season

The best play callers maximize talent and set their offense’s floor and ceiling. Shane Steichen has had some great moments with the Colts. Even though 2024 didn’t go as planned. The best part is he made it to Ted Nguyen’s Top 10 NFL offensive play callers list in The Athletic. While the coach is undeniably a brilliant offensive mind, he recently faced some harsh scrutiny in a good way.

One of his particular strategies for games was called out as Nguyen surveyed NFL defensive coordinators and assistants to rank the league’s top play callers. Accusing the coach of stealing, one AFC defensive coach shared, “I think he’s caused more panic timeouts by defenses and opposing head coaches than almost anybody. He’s stolen more plays than a lot of people have.” While he hinted that the coach often borrowed plays from other games, Steichen is also named one of the most “creative coaches” in the league.

Ranking Steichen at number 10, Nguyen explained, Steichen has been highly successful with different quarterbacks throughout his career. Including helping Justin Herbert have one of the best rookie seasons ever in 2020, when he served as the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers. He shifted from a play-action, downfield passing attack to designing the Eagles‘ quarterback-run, RPO system they still use.

Looking back in 2023, the coach had a strong season as the Colts’ head coach. The team ranked 10th in the league in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game, with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew earning his first Pro Bowl appearance. They faced major challenges with starting QB Anthony Richardson missing 13 games. However, Steichen consistently made the right play calls and got the most out of his roster. Steichen led the Colts from 4-12-1 in 2022 to 9-8 in 2023, overcoming a 3-5 start to finish one win short of the playoffs and AFC South title. “When you love something so much, you give it your all,” Steichen said. “That’s why the details are so important in this league. There is so much parity and you gotta be all over it, because if you’re not, you’re gonna get beat.” Showing his mentality and dedication to the game.

Steichen’s first year showed his obsessive focus on football details, innovative game strategy, and team culture-building. Early in the season, Steichen fooled fellow rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans into burning a timeout. On fourth-and-1, he sent the punt unit out, let the play clock run down, then quickly substituted the offense back in. Steichen used the same trick the next week against John Harbaugh in an upset at Baltimore. After fooling Harbaugh into a timeout on fourth-and-goal, Steichen tried it again on the next play. Harbaugh didn’t bite, forcing a delay of game penalty. When his bluff was called, Steichen shrugged at the Ravens’ sideline. That explains his clever approach to the game. However, 2024 proved tougher. The Colts’ scoring fell to 17th in the league.

As for the 2025 season, there’s hope that Steichen could bounce back if new veteran quarterback Daniel Jones provides steady.

Prediction on Colts’ future sounds off

The Colts are set for the season opener. However, CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr predicted problems for the team. He believes that the team might end up in the NFL’s five worst teams. And he pointed to the Colts’ quarterback decision as the primary reason for concern. “Anyone who has watched Daniel Jones with the Giants over the past six years knows he’s not the answer at quarterback. The Colts gave up on Anthony Richardson way too easily after two years, and now the franchise is at the point of no return with the former No. 4 overall pick,” Kerr said.

Now, speaking of the Colts’ offense, it faces challenges after the departure of key offensive linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries during the offseason. Kerr appeared skeptical of Jones’s ability to perform at a high level over a full 17-game season. “Trusting Jones in a 17-game season is going to be significantly difficult, and it’s hard for Jones to magically improve less than 12 months after getting cut by the Giants,” Kerr said. Not just Kerr, the coach also looked more confident about Jonathan Taylor when it came to offense. “How he goes is how we go, too, as an offense,” he said in a recent interview.

The coach also couldn’t escape the criticism. Kerr suggested that this could be Shane Steichen’s final season as head coach if results do not improve. With questions about QB’s ability, weakened offensive support, Steichen must lean more toward his strategy to keep the Colts stable.