Anthony Richardson [1296x729]
Anthony Richardson [1296x729] (Credit: Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

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INDIANAPOLIS -- So many times during Shane Steichen's first season as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, he demonstrated an ability to find answers.

First, he discovered a way to get a team coming off a 4-win season full of controversies to buy fully into his philosophies. Then, he navigated the Colts through a 3-game losing streak and 3-5 start to a 9-8 finish that nearly put them in the postseason.

But, midway through Year 2, answers have not come as easily.

His offense has been stuck in a rut of late. The Colts have lost back-to-back games amid an increasingly difficult stretch of the schedule. Steichen had had to manage a delicate situation after benching 2023 No 4 pick, quarterback Anthony Richardson, for Joe Flacco last week. Richardson had an NFL-low 44.4% completion rate, but he was expected to have ups and downs early in his career. He played just four games as a rookie because of injuries and has started 10 career games.

It was a bold move that has put the 39-year old Steichen, one of the NFL's younger head coaches, at the center of a much-debated story. It was a decision produced in a meeting with Steichen's staff, but it was ultimately him that made the call.

"It was my decision," Steichen said.

As such, Steichen is arguably under more scrutiny than at any time in his short tenure. He was entrusted with the development of a player the team considered its franchise quarterback. But Steichen also set expectations with last season's nine wins, entering the 2024 season with nearly an identical roster.

Steichen seemed to make the quarterback change in an effort to improve the team's short-term fortunes, even though there are long-term implications about the development of the 22-year old Richardson.

Asked whether he was prepared for the potential blowback that might come if the decision did not prove fruitful, Steichen said he hadn't gotten that far. 

"When that comes, I'll deal with it," he said.

Of balancing the present with the future, Steichen said, "it's a difficult thing, but again, it's my obligation to 53 guys in this organization to win football games. And, right now, I'm focused on the present of winning football games, and we'll get to the future when we have to get to the future."

The initial result from the quarterback move did not appear helpful to the present or the future. The Colts' offense was largely dominated in a 21-13 Sunday night loss to the Minnesota Vikings, producing its lowest totals this season in offensive points (six), total yards (227) and first downs (13). It was the continuation of recent weeks, with the Colts' offense generating just 15.5 points in the past four games.

In the aftermath of the Minnesota loss, Steichen again found himself facing tough questions. He turned to a refrain he's used a lot in recent weeks.

"It starts with myself as the head coach," he said. Asked to elaborate, he added, "I have to keep looking at what we're doing offensively. We have eight [games] left. We're halfway through the year now."

Steichen said he planned to stick with Flacco as the starter ahead of Sunday's Week 10 home game against the Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS). He repeated the same a day later.

How Sunday and the coming weeks play out, and the decisions Steichen makes in the process, will test his ability to handle the difficult situations that come to define the tenures of NFL coaches.

For now, he hasn't lost any trust in his locker room. The initial quarterback change blindsided many players, with numerous players expressing surprise. But they ultimately deferred to Steichen and didn't question him. That traces back to the consistency he's displayed when faced with previous challenges.

"Obviously, as a head coach, you're going to make difficult decisions," Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "Everything falls back on the head coach, whatever it is -- wins, losses. Big-time decisions like he made last week, whatever the outcome is, he's going to get the front end of it. And I think he does a really good job navigating those waters."

Buckner also credited Steichen for his "transparency" with team leaders. Additionally, Steichen's authenticity has seemingly given him credibility with his players.

"I love just how Shane just approaches every day," said linebacker Zaire Franklin, a team captain. "... Shane's the same guy every day, day in, day out, win, loss or draw."

Whatever the coming weeks bring, Steichen says he's prepared for it.

"I'm the head coach," he said. "I oversee it all. And I've got to go back and grind at it and keep working."