Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Shane Steichen Staff Options, Is Pep Hamilton Coming Back to Indy?

Starting point is 00:00:01 With head coach off the board, the next biggest hire for the Colts this offseason might just be O-line coach. We're going to jump into all that today here on Locked On Colts. Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you all for tuning in and making us your first listener. Today's your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. This episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook,

Starting point is 00:00:53 official sportsbook of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash Locked On to get started. I am Zach Hicks. Obviously, we are talking the week of Shane Steichen. Shane Steichen, the Colts' next head coach, most likely. We are recording this at 6.15 p.m. on Monday night. So who knows, maybe Steichen backs out after we record this here. But joining me today is a colleague of mine from HorseshoeHuddle.com. I'm so happy to say a colleague of mine from HorseshoeHuddle.com. It's not Jake Arthur. It's Rashad McGinnis. We finally got him over at HorseshoeHuddle.com. Him and Destin Adams, we've just been

Starting point is 00:01:29 really wanting those two guys for a while. We finally made it happen. But Rashad, welcome to the show first. I know you've been here a couple of times, but welcome to the show as an official member of HorseshoeHuddle.com. And I think you wanted to start us off here with the Shane Steichen story, right? Yeah, man. First of all, I just want to say I'm happy to be here. I know the fans have major PTSD right now with the weight and the holdup of the announcement. I think it's coming really soon, and I think we'll be able to put that to rest, the Josh McDaniel horror stories. But yeah, I want to quickly talk about the first time I actually met Shane Steichen. I was fortunate enough, me and my mother, to go to LA in 2017.

Starting point is 00:02:06 Last game of the season, I believe they was playing the Oakland Raiders at the time. And we got to walk through the training facility. It was after practice. It was in the evening time, real late, being about 5.30, 6 o'clock. And as I'm walking through the facility, I look out the window onto the field and I see Phillip Rivers. I see Phillip Rivers out there with the quarterback coach at the time with Shane Steichen, and they're working on different things. And so when we got a chance to go through the facility, we walk out to the field and me, I'm just like, I always just like to pick people's brains, especially coaches, different people. And so, you know, Shane immediately came over there and introduced himself to me and my mother, which I thought was dope because those, you know, a lot of those coaches just be in their own little bubble and don't kind of like to be interrupted while they're working, of course, which I understood.

Starting point is 00:02:53 And so when he took the opportunity to come introduce himself to us, I just asked him, like, this is Phillip Rivers in year 14, 13, you know, at the time. I'm like, what can y'all just be working on? It's just literally those two guys out there. And to sum it up, to make it really quick, he was like, well, you know, Phillip's mechanics is kind of quirky. You know, he's the guy that's just kind of, you know, his throwing motions is different, is unique, with the word he used, I believe.

Starting point is 00:03:20 But he was like, that's something. It works so long for him, we don't want to touch that. So, basically, we was just working on his base and just always stressing the importance of footwork. And that was actually an eye-opener for me that guys that deep into their career was still working on things like footwork. And I think that's a testament to the type of coach Shane Steichen is and his attention to, that you can still find things this late in a potential Hall of Famer's career that he can work on and things he can get better at, man. And I just thought that was so unique of an experience. Never thought in a million years, five years later, you know, he'll be the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. And I never shared the story because I just thought, you know, it didn't really have any significance until like my daily life until all of

Starting point is 00:04:06 a sudden within the last week, you became a front runner. You know, me and you was talking a couple of days ahead and we saying, we felt like it was going to be stiking and it ended up happening, man. And I think it's awesome. I heard you guys, of course, talk about it already, you know, and I'm excited. I'm just as excited as you is about it. And I know we're one step closer to Anthony Richardson landing with the Indianapolis Colts. That's a topic for another day. We could go the whole podcast talking about that stuff there. But no, today, guys, we are going to dive into coordinator hires, you know, potential coordinator stuff.

Starting point is 00:04:39 And I think the big three, obviously, are what's he going to do at offensive coordinator? What's he going to do at defensive coordinator, which I like it's going to be a pretty short segment there and then what's he going to do at o-line coach which i would argue that's the most important one obviously i'm putting it towards the end because maybe you guys won't think it's the most important one but o-line coach i think is going to be a very important one as well but let's kick this off here with offensive coordinator we're going to start with some philly guys here and you know i'm just going to i'm going to list off the two guys and and you can tell me if you like them if you dislike them if uh you prefer them to get someone unrealistic from the field from the eagles

Starting point is 00:05:15 one instead uh but i think the two most realistic ones that he could potentially snag are passing game coordinator kevin patulo i think is how you say his name, Kevin Petullo, and then Jamal Singleton, the associate head coach slash running backs coach. Those are probably the most likely ones he could snag from the Eagles. What do you think about either one of those guys as the offensive coordinator? Well, yeah, you know, obviously Kevin Petullo, somebody that's really familiar with, with coach fans, you know, he was the wide receivers coach and past game specialist for a while, for a couple of years. Has experience as a quarterback coach in the past. You know, currently is pass game coordinator for the Eagles.

Starting point is 00:05:52 I think looking at the quarterbacks that he has worked with, it has been a benefit. I would consider him an asset, you know, if he was to get hired as an OC to any quarterback that the coach could potentially draft. I don't think this guy has really a specific type of quarterback that he's worked with. He's worked with multiple kinds, which is one of my favorite things about Steichen as well, that he's done it with multiple

Starting point is 00:06:13 style quarterbacks. I think that's something that doesn't get spoken about enough is guys that's worked with versatile types. You're not really pigeonholed into a specific guy and nobody can really identify exactly. This is the guy that coach will be targeting or, or, you know, you don't lock yourself down in any one thing. And I think Kevin can be an asset in that regard. You know, he's worked with a bunch of different guys and he has done multiple positions on the offense. You know, he hasn't just been a, a quarterback's coach or just a wide receiver's coach. You know, he's done it at every level, collegiate and NFL with multiple teams. So I like Kevin. I like Kevin Patula a lot as offensive coordinator.

Starting point is 00:06:53 Yeah, yeah, for sure. And then Jamal Singleton as well. I also like I like the guys work with the running backs there. Obviously, associate head coach means that someone that you value as a leader, someone that you think could be a potential head coach one day. So I'm liking that one as well. And I think those are the two more realistic Eagles guys. We're going to throw this out here right now. They're not getting Brian Johnson.

Starting point is 00:07:11 Brian Johnson's not coming to Indy. We would love to have Brian Johnson. He's going to be very much in demand for a lot of places. He's not coming to Indy to be a non-play calling offensive coordinator. No, not at all. And then Jess Stoutland, they're obviously not going to get just outland either philly would give up yeah philly would give up every other coach on that

Starting point is 00:07:30 roster to keep just outland and honestly they've done it they've actually done that multiple times they've given up every other coach on the roster outside of just outland so that's not happening here but let's go to another realistic one that i think Colts fans are way too harsh on. And it would be a bit of return, but Pep Hamilton, man, like, okay, I'm going to kick, I'll get this to you here in a second, but I was not a Colts fan in 2013, 2014, 2015. You know, unlike all you guys, I followed the team like everyone did, but I was watching an NFC team that was terrible. I was not watching, I was not watching the Colts and but

Starting point is 00:08:05 I was looking at his stuff you know the Colts were a top 15 offense in 2013 his first year 2014 they were top five offense and then Andrew Lux hurt in 2015 and then he's gone you know like he's out and it makes sense I get it but like I understand people being a little wary of it but I mean all the comments every time I even mentioned Pep Hamilton is like god no i don't want him back he's awful he sucks and i'm like i'm looking at this resume and i'm like this is pretty good like i would in as a non-play calling offensive coordinator i'm i'm intrigued i'm cool with it yeah i mean and that's that's the main gripe with people and i don't think they could separate the two you know separate office coordinator from actual play caller although we've seen multiple past offensive

Starting point is 00:08:48 coordinators we had that didn't call plays I'm assuming Shane Steichen will call the plays unless he have some some Nick Sirianni type epiphany you know halfway through his first year and realizes that he wants to focus solely on being a CEO type of coach or a game management specialist you know. But I think it gets a negative connotation in the league that you can't do both. You know, you can't call plays and you can't manage the game to the best of your abilities, which I don't believe it. I think it's false.

Starting point is 00:09:16 They equal every coach that calls his own plays to being a poor game manager. You know, people like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan and those type of guys but I don't think those two are correlated I think is you know they just happen to be guys that have some poor game management skills at times but they're offensive geniuses but not to stray too far I think Pep would be a great when you look at the quarterbacks that Pep Hamilton has worked with I I mean, he had Davis, Dougie Mills looking semi-decent. Like, I mean, you got to understand, like some of the stuff, some of the situations

Starting point is 00:09:52 he was put in was just awful. You know, he had Andrew Luck. He had a very young Andrew Luck, though. He didn't have the Frank Wright Andrew Luck that Frank Wright inherited when he got here. You know, at the time, Andrew Luck was still developing as a quarterback on a mental side. He had all the physical tools, obviously a very smart guy. He went to Stanford, but he was still lacking. He was making bad decisions at the time. He was playing a little risky, trusting his arm way too much in situations.

Starting point is 00:10:20 And I think that's what Pep was trying to work through with Andrew, but he just never got the opportunity to. And any success that the coach had in that time, especially 2012, of course, was attributed to Bruce Arians. You know, people love to mention that in 2012 and just skip over the next years of Andrew Luck as if he wasn't leading top 12s, top 15 offenses and offenses that was going to the playoffs and even having success in the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:10:48 So I'm not as down on Pep as other people are, I think, in a different, the same position, but it'll be a different role. You know, when he was with Pagano, he had the responsibility of the entire offense, considering Pagano was a defensive minded guy. I think under Shane Steichen, who will be in charge of game planning and calling plays, I think it'll be a better role for Pep. And I just think all those opportunities in between that time has kind of prepared him to step back into a role like this. Yeah. And hey, the last time Shane

Starting point is 00:11:21 Steichen and Pep Hamilton worked together as QB coach and offense coordinator, they got the best rookie season we've seen from a rookie quarterback in Justin Herbert. Yes. And, you know, maybe for all you Will Levis truthers out there, that's a little wink-wink right there if you got those two back together getting Will Levis. But we've got to move on from this segment here in a second, but I want to throw two more names at you, two guys who were former Chargers head coaches. Mike McCoy is now the QB coach there with Jacksonville Jaguars.

Starting point is 00:11:47 He's working under Doug Peterson. Again, non-play calling offensive coordinator, so don't get too freaked out here, guys. And here's the other one not to get too freaked out about, that you and I were both kind of being like, all right, I think this one's pretty likely Anthony Lynn, the San Francisco 49ers running back coach. Look, again, if he's not calling plays, Anthony Lynn is a good leader.

Starting point is 00:12:08 He's a guy who has experience in the run game. And if Steichen's coming over here from that Eagles system and he's not going to have Jeff Stoutland, you need someone to help with that run game. So honestly, I kind of like Anthony Lynn. You know, people are going to clip this and be like, oh God, he wants Anthony Lynn. But like, I'm kind of for Anthony Lynn, man. people are gonna clip this and be like oh god he wants Anthony Lynn but like

Starting point is 00:12:25 I'm kind of for Anthony Lynn man what do you think yeah man I'm not opposed to Anthony Lynn and before I really dive into him I just want to take the time out to to mention the staff Anthony Lynn assembled at once one time with the Chargers having Nick Ceriani Ken Wisenhut, obviously, Shane Steigen, Gus Bradley. It's so much familiarity with the Colts between and the parallel with the Eagles, of course. That team was coached really, really well. And they played really, really well. We know the Chargers just has this curse among them. I don't know what it is, but the Chargers Chargering, they literally turned their

Starting point is 00:13:05 name into a verb. The Chargers Chargering is something that we all have fun with. But Anthony Lin, man, I think he gets a bad rap for what happened with the Chargers. But if you want the best chance to replicate this run game that you see as with the Philadelphia Eagles without getting Stoutland himself, and we'll mention another key piece to that too, the offensive line coach. We'll talk about that in a second. But if you want a guy that can scheme up runs and design runs in an offense, Anthony Lynn is one of the best the NFL has to offer. You see where he is now in San Francisco.

Starting point is 00:13:39 It's not a coincidence. Of course, Kyle Shanahan is the genius. But Kyle Shanahan was smart enough to bring a guy that like Anthony Lynn in that he knows can be a benefit and an asset to him and give him a unique way of thinking about the game that he may have not considered. But he had those type of guys surround itself with like-minded or elite minded guys, you know? So that's a testament into itself that Kyle Shanahan, as soon as he was fired as Chargers head coach, will go out and reach out to Anthony Lynn and bring him in because that's a guy who's always thinking and always planning ahead, just like he had to plan for the D'Amico Ryan's exit.

Starting point is 00:14:16 When you're smart and you're great at head coaching, you have to plan ahead with different assistants and coordinator coaches because you're steady going to get picked from year after year and we've seen it all the time and Anthony Lynn is a great example of that yep absolutely absolutely guys now we're going to talk about this defensive coordinator hire which I think we already kind of know who it's going to be so we won't take too long on that segment but first guys I typically feel like my best self when I'm getting things done feeling productive and I'm checking things off of my to-do list. When you're at your best, you can do great things, but sometimes life gets you bogged down. You may feel overwhelmed or like you're not showing up in the best way that you want to be. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of you,

Starting point is 00:14:58 because when you feel empowered, you're more prepared to take on everything life throws at you. I've personally been to therapy a couple of times. I probably should go back. I mean, we could all use some therapy. Look, it's not a crutch, guys. It's something that's just there to help you out. And I think that's something that we could all use every now and then. If you're thinking about giving therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great option. It's convenient, flexible, affordable, and entirely online.

Starting point is 00:15:22 If you want to live a more empowered life, therapy can get you there. Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash locked on. All right, Chad. So I'm going to list off all the guys here I have for potential defensive coordinator under Shane Steigen. Long list. Yeah, it's a super long list.

Starting point is 00:15:44 It's actually like it's like three pages long. I'm scrolling on my phone here. It's gonna be super long. I got Gus Bradley. That's it. Okay. That's all I got. So Sean, what do you, what do you think about Shane Steichen? I'm like 99.9% sure that he's going to bring back Gus Bradley. And there's no reason not to. what are your thoughts on Gus Bradley being back as a defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts oh yeah man that's the front door answer X it's really the only answer realistically uh like uh knowing those guys from their days with the charges I know they're extremely close I believe it was Joel Erickson had a quote from that that that Shane said about Gus earlier in the season, right before

Starting point is 00:16:26 the matchup, how much he respects him, how much he admired him, and talked about how great of a person he is, period, on a personal level. But Gus, man, I think I've told you this in private, probably, because I just didn't want to have my mentions blew up. I wasn't excited about the Gus hire at first when it first happened, just because we knew what it was. It was a safe hire. Defense was pretty stale up until that point, although he showed signs of adjusting at a real slow rate. But what he showed me, man, in this season with Indianapolis, he totally changed my opinion on him. Some of those older coaches are guys with a lot of experience. They seem pretty stubborn and stuck in their ways. Gus, man, this is the most multiple I've seen him, different type of coverage, different type of rush plans. And I always think the best defenses are the guys that marries their

Starting point is 00:17:15 rush plan with their type of coverage on the back end. And he showed that in flurries. He was more aggressive. I just was super impressed with the type of defense that he put on the field this year considering how atrocious the Indianapolis Colts offense was I mean this could have easily been a top top 10 top 8 defense if the Colts just had an okay or average offense so I'm excited to see what we do with an actual competent offense I think Shane will bring that although there may be some growing pains with the with the rookie quarterback but that's another topic for another day I'm just excited about the potential that Gus can continue to

Starting point is 00:17:55 evolve and that will take this defense to the next level in my opinion yeah yeah and another thing to mention with Gus Bradley's defense too there was no Shaquille Leonard this past season you know not having Shaquille Leonard this past season. Not having Shaquille Leonard is a pretty big thing. No matter what your thoughts are on him, as anything, phenomenal player when he's on the field, creates a lot of turnovers, and that was definitely missed this past season from the Colts defense. They also lost Kari Willis before the season to retirement. Taequann Lewis suffered another major injury.

Starting point is 00:18:23 They traded away Rakia Sin. There were some losses from year to year. Obviously, they replaced them with guys like Stephon Gilmore. Rodney Thomas came in. Zyra Franklin had just an elite season, but there were guys that he had to get new guys in there, new guys adjusting to this scheme, and it played really well. I was really impressed with Gus Bradley. I'm not going to go as far to say this has been the lead defense this past season, but with Shaquille Leonard coming back with a better offense, the other side, they could get up to that level.

Starting point is 00:18:50 So yeah, I'm all for Gus Bradley coming back. And I guess the last thing we have to talk on with this kind of segment here in this little bit is staff changes. You know, could, could he bring some new guys on? Like we know Ron Milas is coming back.

Starting point is 00:19:03 That's 100% coming back. We know Richard Smith is coming back that's 100% coming back we know Richard Smith is coming back he did a great job the linebackers but do they make a change at defensive line coach with Nate Ollie do they make a change at a safety coach with Mike Mitchell or Cato June assistant linebacker coach or does Steichen want to bring over some young guys from Philly to kind of learn and work with Gus's staff. You know, do you think that we could see that like some some different changes in that regard? Yeah, when it comes to Nate Ali is probably the guy I would circle if it happened. I know he only, you know, was with the team for one year and he's a young, energetic guy. This was his first real opportunity as a defensive line coach.

Starting point is 00:19:41 Now, to his credit, I will say this is the most sacks this defense has had in the past five or ten years, I would say. But you have to understand the type of rush plan he has is designed for that. It's designed to literally get upfield and attack where the coach, under Matt Eberflus, wasn't coached to do that. So I think that attributed to a lot of the success in that area. But I think the personnel is something that probably has to get addressed. You know, running Yannick out there for 70 snaps a game is just not, you know,

Starting point is 00:20:18 it's not in his best interest. I even heard him say that he played at 232 last season. That just can't be his weight as an every-down, three-down defensive end in this system. So that's not going to work. I think that is something that the front office may need to take a look at and something that they need to address, especially with him being a pending free agent. But I wasn't upset at the job Nate Ali did. You know, as his first year, I've seen a coach go from assistant D-line coach to D-D-line coach. It's a ton of things that's getting thrown at you that they're asked to do. So I just would hope, though, that he can continue to improve with the experience that he's gaining.

Starting point is 00:20:57 And maybe Gus Bradley sticks his neck out for him a little bit to Shane. And Shane is more than likely to take Gus's advice and the things that Gus has to say due to the close relationship they have yeah definitely we're what kind of happens with you know those potential coaches like a Nate Ollie or like a Mike Mitchell or like Kato June like how much of those were Frank Reich hires and how much of those were Gus Bradley ones so that'll be really interesting to see but I do think at the end of the day Gus Bradley will be here and just another thing to throw on top of the Gus Bradley won. So that'll be really interesting to see. But I do think at the end of the day, Gus Bradley will be here. And just another thing to throw on top of the Gus Bradley thing.

Starting point is 00:21:28 I remember specifically a huge thing with Frank Reich. You know, when Frank Reich came to picking Gus Bradley was, hey, this past season when I played against Gus Bradley, he kicked my butt. You know, Gus Bradley kicked my butt late in the season with the Raiders. Now, what happened when Gus Bradley played Shane Steichen this past season? They kicked his butt. I mean, the Eagles won. The Eagles won, but it was a 17 to 16 game against one of the worst offenses in the league.

Starting point is 00:21:53 You know, when you're talking about a top two team in the league playing against that worst offense. So Gus Bradley's defense played really well in that game. So if Shane Steichen was even somewhat on the fence about keeping Gus Bradley, he's probably looking back at that game being like man Gus played me pretty tight so I I imagine Gus will be back and Gus and and that Gus that that front the far as Bucknett Grover Stewart is literally built to stop that Eagles that Eagles rushing attack man it is they couldn't be designed any more perfect for that for that offense and that rushing attack that pretty much nobody else in the NFL could seem to figure out.

Starting point is 00:22:28 Right, right. And coming up, guys, we're going to talk about what I think is the most important of these coaching hires that are going to be made here by Shane Sykin going forward. But first, we just got through the holidays, and I know my goal is to eat a little healthier this season. If you're like me where you want to eat healthier but you don't want to compromise taste, then man, I've got the thing just for you. You've got to try Built. With Built, healthy is actually tasty. Seriously, they're so delicious that you won't even know that they're good for you. Perfect for your New Year's resolution.

Starting point is 00:22:56 What makes Built bars so good? Well, for starters, they're covered in 100% real chocolate. That's right, real chocolate. I'm not sure how Built does it, but these bars taste like a candy bar while maintaining amazing macros. And what's even better is that they are healthy. Only 130 calories and 4 grams of sugar with a whopping 17 grams of protein. And now you don't need to wait around to get a box. For years, we've talked about ordering your Built Bars at Built.com.

Starting point is 00:23:19 Now you can get them at your local Walmart or Sam's Club. That's right, head to your nearest Walmart today. Walk to the pharmacy section and grab yourself a box of Built Bars. You can pick up a four-bar box of cookies and cream, double chocolate, or coconut puffs. If you're close to a Sam's Club, run in and grab a 13-bar box with our hit flavors, brownie batter, and churro. You guys can thank me later. All right, Chad.

Starting point is 00:23:41 So we're going to talk about offensive line coach and i think the the most like obvious hire is like the colts want to get someone who is like just outland like you want the next just outland which is an impossible ask because just outland is the best at what he does for a reason but the eagles have an assistant o-line coach who's been there for four years. I think it's Roy Istvon is how you say his name. Roy Istvon. And I don't see, like, this needs to be, like, done already. Like, there is no reason Roy Istvon is not already on that flight with Shane Steichen to India. I want him in the opening press conference as well. Because if you guys know that Philadelphia Eagles offense,

Starting point is 00:24:27 Jess Stoutland is just as important as Shane Steichen was. Shane Steichen deserves a lot of credit, and there's a reason why he's getting this opportunity. But Jess Stoutland was just as important. Roy Estavon is the closest thing you can get to a Jess Stoutland. And I really, really think that they need to get Roy Estefan here to be the offensive line coach. Yeah, that's the front door answer. And to me, that's the best answer. I can't see you not wanting to replicate what you just done in Philadelphia. And despite the way

Starting point is 00:25:00 that the Indianapolis Colts offensive line played, I think they have the potential to play a lot better than they played just this past season. I mean, we saw them just two to three years ago look like an elite unit. And with being coached up the right way with the right scheme, getting some of those guys out on the move, I can even see Ryan Kelly coming back, you know,

Starting point is 00:25:20 and kind of playing that Jason Kelsey role in this particular blocking scheme, this can get fixed, I think, quicker than most people think. A lot of people are out on this offensive line. I'm not there yet. I do think you need to bring in, you know, a veteran guard or create some tackle at the left – create some – I'm sorry, create some competition at the left tackle position, yes.

Starting point is 00:25:41 But this offensive line has the opportunity to turn it around really quick. And I think Roy not having a shot in the league as an offensive line coach yet, I think this is the perfect opportunity for him. Like you said, he was understaffed for the last four years. A key component in that Eagles running game, developing the way it has. I know we like to credit just the quarterback and the players, but the scheme and the way it's coached is what's creating the differences here. You know, it's not just like the Eagles have just all elite players

Starting point is 00:26:12 across the line, across the offensive line. It's getting coached and blocked up a certain type of way, which is creating these opportunities for these guys to show their athleticism and gain advantages. It's just really a numbers game. When you break it all down, the run game is all about creating numbers and, you know,

Starting point is 00:26:28 having a mobile quarterback does that, which is why partially why Zach is so high on Anthony Richardson and, and beautiful piece, by the way, when you talked about the floor of these mobile quarterbacks and what they do to the numbers game, it gives you an advantage in a box and it almost handicaps the defense because now you're forced to leave these cornerbacks on this on islands and bring more guys into the box which

Starting point is 00:26:52 only helps you in the passing game you know it gives you more room for error in the passing game you don't have to have this pinpoint passer you know because you have advantages if you got guys that's on elite on the outside they're going to win a lot of these balls. We just saw it in the Super Bowl. You know, the Kansas City Chiefs was forced to load up the box. It gave one-on-one opportunities. And we're about one or two of those completions away from talking about the Eagles as the Super Bowl champions and not the Chiefs. So I think Roy gives you the best opportunity to replicate what Stoutland had in Philadelphia. And it just makes too much sense to me not to

Starting point is 00:27:26 lean in that direction. Yep. And for all you guys who don't care about running the football, I know there's a lot of you guys listening who don't like running the football and are all passing game. Jeff Stoutland has developed that Eagles offensive line to be like nine deep. Like these guys, I mean, Jordan Mailata came from playing rugby. You know, Isaac Suomalo was a third round pick or fourth round pick, I believe. Like these are guys who were not all first round picks, like a lot of the Colts guys here. You know, they're not all first round picks, but they've gotten that line to be at the level where you're comfortable with. You know, someone had to miss time. They have replacements and they're all quality players.

Starting point is 00:28:02 And I'm not saying Roy Esteban is guaranteed to be Jess Stoutland. There's no such thing as another Jess Stoutland. You're not going to get another one, but if he can even be 60 or 70% of that, sign me up, sign me up right now, especially what he can do in the run game and what he can do developing offensive linemen. The only other guy I threw in here was George Warhop, who was just let go by the Houston Texans. A guy who I was telling Jake this on yesterday's show. He's been an offensive line coach every single year in the NFL since 1996. Now he's jumped around a lot. He's jumped around a lot, but he is a guy who has worked with a ton of offensive linemen, a ton of different offensive lines. And honestly, that Texans offensive line

Starting point is 00:28:40 for how bad that team was, it was actually mostly fine for that for last year like it wasn't too bad but at the end of the day this offensive line coach hire is the most important hire for Shane Steichen he needs someone who can get Quinton Nelson Ryan Kelly Braden Smith playing back at that elite level and also a guy who can help him out in the run game and help him design that run game that Philly had this past season so if it's Warhawk it's István it's some random guy that we don't even know from like the college ranks or something like that this needs to be the home run hire for Shane Steichen I don't care as much about offensive coordinator or a bunch of position coaches O-line coach needs to be the home run hire and I think Shane Steichen knows this I think I guarantee he knows how

Starting point is 00:29:24 important this is because he's been so close to a Jeff Stout in the last couple of years. Yeah, that's the best way to replicate success. Just go with the familiar guy. Speaking of George Warhop, I think it's hilarious that the Texans are looking at Chris Strasser potentially. So it's kind of like we're just swapping you know we'll trade you Chris Strasser for George Warhop and you know but that that that has that option has to get exhausted after you see what's going on with Roy and I can't imagine Roy turning it down you know because he's never going to move up any further with that organization because what Stoutland has just built there I think Stoutland will be there as long as he wants to be there. You know, it probably gave him a key to the city after this last season that he just had. You know, familiar, just a fabulous talent with Stoutland is.

Starting point is 00:30:14 And I think Roy being that protege and kind of that successor. I know it's funny saying a man with 30 plus coaching years of experience is a protege, but that's kind of what he has been, you know, at this level in the NFL. I think he has the best chance to get these guys back trending in the right direction after the season that they've just had. Yep. Yep. For sure. Well, I think that's all we have for today, guys, that, you know, it's our potential coordinator and main coach hires here that we have. Obviously we could have thrown in some more names and guys to watch, you know, like young guys on the Eagle staff or, or maybe a former quarterback joining the staff. I don't know. We don't,

Starting point is 00:30:49 who knows what's going to happen going forward all of this year. But all we know is we are past the speculation. We're past the Jeff Saturday era and we are entering the Shane Steichen era. And I'm extremely excited about it. I'm happy to talk about it. Right? Praise the Lord. Oh, man. Yeah, I'm ready to move on.

Starting point is 00:31:12 But, man, good talking to you, Rashad. Happy to have you here with HorseshoeHuddle.com. If you guys want to follow Rashad here on Twitter, it's at RashadMcGinnis. Obviously, I'm at ZachHicks2. He gets to be the only RashadMcGinnis. I had to be the second of the Zach Hicks's here. I thought maybe you had Zach Hicks one, but, you know, it was taken. You used it as your burner or something like that.

Starting point is 00:31:35 Zach Hicks hair, right? Yeah. That's not my burner. That's not my burner. It's somebody else's burner. Oh, geez, Shad. All right. You guys can also follow Jake on Twitter at

Starting point is 00:31:45 JakeArthurNFL and also the Locked On Colts podcast account at Locked On Colts. Also subscribe to Locked On Colts on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And thank you guys for making us your first listen of the day. For your next listen, check out Locked On NFL podcast. Bring you the local insights you love to the national spotlight with daily conversations on the biggest

Starting point is 00:32:02 NFL stories. Locked On NFL available on YouTube wherever you get your podcast. We'll see you guys tomorrow.

Your Ad Here

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Shane Steichen Staff Options, Is Pep Hamilton Coming Back to Indy?

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.