Two years ago, the Indianapolis Colts hired former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen for their vacant head coach position. Fast-forward two years, and the Colts are still struggling under Steichen.
Steichen has coached 17 wins and 17 losses during his stint in Indianapolis. When he handed the keys, he was forced to make an immediate big decision with the fourth-overall pick in the 2023 draft. He and the front office landed on Anthony Richardson, a prospect who’s certainly had his peaks and valleys.
Injuries and quarterback controversy have torn down Steichen’s team, a theme that’s persisted well beyond his tenure. Despite seeing so much success with the Eagles and in his development of Jalen Hurts, it’s been a struggle translating that to Richardson and the Colts’ offense.
Still, the Colts and the Eagles are connected in more ways than one. Former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni is the head coach in Philadelphia, leading the Eagles to their second Super Bowl win of the past decade. Sirianni and the Eagles offense rely heavily on the ‘tush push’, or, ‘The Brotherly Shove”. The play is the closest you can guarantee a one-yard gain, especially with the size of Philly’s backfield.
This offseason, the Green Bay Packers are proposing that the tush push should be banned. Sirianni, the mastermind of the play, obviously disagrees.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Sirianni said (per Mike Garafolo | NFL Network). “All I will say about it is (Jonathan) Gannon, (Shane) Steichen and (Kellen) Moore better vote for it. They are in the (head coach) position right now because of that play. So all three, I better have those three votes right there and the #Eagles’ vote. I at least know we have four.”
Sirianni is relying on Steichen, a former beneficiary of the tush push, to keep the play alive. Steichen spoke with reporters during the NFL’s annual league meetings to discuss if he feels it should be banned.
“I’m not in favor of taking it out,” said Steichen. “I think it’s good for the game. I think that what they do, obviously they do it better than anyone. Other teams are doing it. Buffalo’s doing it.”
Steichen has failed to replicate that same success with the Colts, forcing more creative play calls to do the job in short-yardage situations.
The NFL is expected to vote on a potential ban in the coming days as the proposal picks up heat across the league.
