Shane Steichen is 17 years removed from his last football game. He never got the chance to play in the pros. However, the former Mountain West Conference quarterback has witnessed a coaching rise, leading to his chance to lead the Indianapolis Colts as a first-time head coach.
Shane Steichen Was a MWC QB for 4 Seasons
Long before his elevation to Colts head coach, Steichen lined up behind center for the UNLV Rebels during his collegiate career.
As a four-year varsity letterman, Steichen went on to play in 23 total games from 2003 to 2006. He never threw over 10 touchdowns in a single season in his four seasons of action. He also had one season with 1,000+ yards (1,011 in 2004).
However, he’s in the school record books for tying a single-game mark of five touchdown passes in a game against New Mexico on Oct. 14, 2006, during his final campaign in Sin City. The Sacramento, California, native even brought a running element to his game, rushing for 399 career yards, including 324 in 2005.
For his collegiate career, Steichen threw 22 touchdowns with 20 interceptions and is UNLV’s 12th-leading passer. His coaching career also began at his alma mater in 2007 as a student assistant. But from there, Steichen’s college experience became truncated as he dove into the NFL realm.
Steichen Has Coached in the NFL Since 2011
Steichen has been in the NFL after spending 2010 at Louisville.
His rise through the ranks has been a unique one, going from a college QB who played sparingly to getting his NFL start as a defensive assistant with the San Diego Chargers in 2011.
Steichen eventually switched over to his natural side of the ball in 2013 when he served as offensive quality control coach with the Cleveland Browns. Three seasons later, he was elevated to his first position coaching opportunity, handling QBs coach duties for the Chargers.
While coaching Philip Rivers, Steichen helped get the veteran to rank in the top five in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions from 2016 to 2018. Then in 2019, Ken Whisenhunt was fired during the season, opening up the offensive coordinator position … a spot Steichen filled on an interim basis.
Under Steichen, though, the Chargers managed to rank 10th in total yards and sixth in passing. And that was the proof that Steichen had a future as an offensive coordinator.
Since that time, Steichen coached the Chargers to a No. 9 ranking in total yards in 2020. And last season, his Philadelphia Eagles unit ranked No. 3 overall during their run to the NFC title.
How Has Steichen Won Over QBs and Teams?
Consider Steichen as a coach who knows how to cater to a quarterback’s strengths.
In his early coordinator years, he worked with a pocket passer in Rivers and still got him to put up astronomical numbers. But in Philly, he worked with a dual-threat passer in Jalen Hurts, and the end result was producing his first Pro Bowl appearance last season.
Steichen has since pivoted to a Run Pass Option (RPO) offense to cater to whoever is behind center. Per Sports Illustrated’s Zach Hicks, Steichen called an RPO play a total of 251 times, comprising 20% of the Eagles’ offense.
Now with Anthony Richardson as his official starter, many analysts and fans believe that Richardson will take off and run on most plays a la Hurts. But that’s not the case with Steichen’s RPO system. It’s really a quick hitter scheme designed to keep defenses on their toes and react immediately before settling into their coverage assignments.
Steichen thrived through the air by having DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and tight end Dallas Goedert as quick-hitting options. And with the speed/releases of the two wideouts and the brute force of Goedert, Steichen’s system allowed them to do the rest and eat up yardage after the catch.
Now, the former UNLV quarterback will look to improve the league’s 30th-ranked offense from last season.