Indianapolis Colts’ Shane Steichen Reacts to Atlanta Falcons Win, Daniel Jones, Michael Badgley

Indianapolis Colts’ Shane Steichen Reacts to Atlanta Falcons Win, Daniel Jones, Michael Badgley

All right. Um, I’ll start off uh just obviously an incredible experience uh going over to Berlin and having that opportunity to go play there in front of that amazing crowd um for the Colts organization and for the NFL. Uh it was awesome to go over there and get a win. Um you know, got the bye-week now. So, um doing some self scout stuff um watching the game, cleaning that stuff up and then uh get some rest and get ready to go uh for Kansas City after the buy. Thanks, coach. If anyone has any questions, feel free to drop your name. Chap, you want to go ahead? Yeah, just to double check, is Grover okay? I know they checked him for the concussion. Did he come home okay? Yeah, he’s good. Yeah, he returned to the game and played uh in the game, too. So, he’s good. Also, again, players are off this week. Coaches, you give them are are you there for a couple days and then take off? What’s the plan there? Yeah, we’re working just some self scout stuff here today. Um, and then I’ll give them some time with their families. Uh, in during this week, when you look at when you look at the way things have gone the last couple games wi with the protection and the sacks and the pressure, I guess what’s your level of concern? And it I guess it once a team sees that you have that issue instead of weakness. H what do you look to fix that going forward? Yeah, I might I don’t have a huge level of concern. I think uh you know when you see the statline of sacks um I think every sack has a story to it and uh I always look at myself first and there’s certain calls that I could have called better to put our guys in better position uh so those don’t happen. So that’s on me. Those things that happened in the game um I got to do better you know for those guys. Jake. Hey Shane. Uh, on the first drive with the turnover on downs, second and six, it looked like Jonathan Deng got down to the first down marker, but he was called very short. Did you ever get an explanation on that? Yeah, I think I didn’t I didn’t, but they might have saw Borsne in the pile go down. That’s what it looked like watching the tape and that’s what they called. And so obviously we’re looking at challenging it and just didn’t get a quick enough copy on there to get that done. Otherwise definitely would have challenged you know that to get us to that you know third and one you know third and half a yard for sure. Gotcha. Thanks James Shane. When you look at um your offense as a whole I guess how would you evaluate Daniel Jones over the last two weeks? I say that because people outside of your building like, “Okay, he has seven turnovers the last two games. What changed between the first eight games when he only had three?” Yeah, I think uh he’s been doing a really good job. I mean, we talk about moving the football up and down the field. I think obviously just having two hands on the ball in the pocket um moving forward is a big part of it for us and uh he understands that. Um but I still think he’s been playing great for us. I mean, he played I thought yesterday he did some really good things. was obviously a game-winning drive there hitting Tyler. Uh some big down big time plays. He had some big time scramble plays in that game to keep the chains moving. I mean third and 21 uh there when we needed it and he got it to fourth and two and obviously hit Tyler on the fourth you know fourth and two there uh at the 40 yardd line to set up that you know the tying field goal to go to overtime. So um you know I think there’s a lot of good there a lot of good and we just got to keep improving and getting better. And then one followup uh now it’s probably going to be a meme for Daniel, but like he got hit in the mouth and had all the uh that going on in the game. Do you did you know that that was happening or were you like man my guys afterwards you’re like wow my guy was just doing his thing and never once said, “Hey, I’m probably bleeding a little more than you normal.” Yeah. No, I didn’t even notice it until after the game until people showed me. Um because he didn’t say a word and he just kept playing and that’s that’s part of it. That’s part of his toughness. That’s part of his grittiness. Uh, and it just keeps fighting. Hint, hey Shane, what goes into the decision to take the ball when you win the when you win the flip to begin the overtime? Um, part of that is, you know, people have different philosophies, but a little bit of it is like if you look around the league some of the times if you take the ball first and let’s just say you stall out for some reason, right? You punt them and back them up. Um and then they got to go the length of the field. So you got an opportunity to go score there and possibly use the clock, you know, and get it down. You might have a seven, eight minute drive and they only have two minutes left um in that situation. So that’s that’s part of the philosophy right there. And especially if you punt and back them up, then you get a stop there, then you get another shot at it. Um is is part of the philosophy there. Kent, thanks. Yeah, Chap. Yeah, coach, we’ve talked uh last year, this year about Alec Pierce and how he’s playing. H how do you track his progress over the last two or three years, just expanding his game, I guess? Yeah, I mean, he’s been arrow up um since he’s got here and uh you know, he’s making big-time plays down the field. Uh his intermediate game is making big strides. Um so, he’s able to do a lot for us offensively. Uh moving them around, trying to get certain matchups. um his route running ability coming in and out of the breaks have been huge for us. Um he’s made huge strides in that. His catch radius has been strong. Um so he’s he’s been awesome for us um last year and obviously this year the way he’s playing has just been phenomenal for our football team. And the trust factor that that a quarterback has to have on the 50/50 balls. I mean that was a perfect example on the touchdown, wasn’t it? Yeah, it was huge. this the quarter safety was kind of a little bit low there and he wheeled back around and Daniel saw him there and sent it um and gave him a chance and obviously going up and getting that thing uh to get our second touchdown, second score of the game was huge for us. But yeah, a lot of trust and faith uh when that ball’s up in the air that he’s going to come down with it. Just a few more, Jake. Uh 24 hours later, what’ you think of Saus’s performance? you know, coming from Jersey to Indie and then Indie to Germany and being able to play an entire game. Uh, I thought he played great. Um, wa going back and watching the tape on the plane and then this morning again watching it. Um, just the stickiness and coverage that he had. Um, you know, shoot, he almost got the pick six there on the one third down. Uh, he was all over it. Uh, reading the quarterback and jumping that route. Um, that’s the instincts, that’s the feel that he has. So really excited to have him uh on our football team going forward cuz he’s a hell of a player. Unrelated, but do you guys anticipate evaluating the kicking position throughout the by-week? Uh not right now. No. Okay. We got a lot of faith in Badge. Obviously he kicked that game tying field goal. Um obviously he’d want to have those other ones back. Um but that’s all part of football. Okay. We’ll go with Nathan and then James will be our last question. Um, I know this was announced when you guys were in Germany, but not being there. Wanted to try to get a little bit more clarity. I know, um, Buckner was put on IR on Friday. You told us last week that I think there were no injuries that you guys knew of coming out of the game on Monday. Can you give us any sense of the timeline on when his injury really flared up um that kind, you know, started him with missing practice Wednesday and Thursday and then being put on IR a couple days later? Yeah, I think uh that was just one of those deals that happened early in the week. uh he came in um you know whatever Monday or Tuesday or whatever it was um and just had some pain there in the neck. So not a we don’t we don’t have a timetable on his return but we’re very hopeful that he’ll be back um this season for sure. And then I had one um other followup the I know you were asked earlier about the offensive line and and Daniel we saw some great moments with him scrambling um I think he had seven rushes for 53 yards including that really key one there on the uh third and 21. What what differences are you seeing in those moments when he’s ends up taking a sack versus those plays where he’s able to get out of the pocket? Is there anything schematically that you guys are getting differently in those places or is it um him just being able to get out of the pocket better in those instances and then he’s got a lot of open field? Yeah, I think it just depends on the play type, what’s going on around him, how the pocket is, if it’s collapsed on him, does he have space to get out and make a play. Um sometimes you don’t, sometimes you do. Um, like I said, he made some big scrambles like you said uh yesterday for us in those situations. Um, and then like I said earlier, there’s some situations that I could have done better job of putting him in uh on some of those plays. Gotcha. Thanks. And then James, last question. Well, two more and I promise you go to the bye-week. Um, one the uh and he talked about Alec Pierce the development as a route runner, but on JT’s I think 83 yard run, he’s coming across the field to block. Um, as much as he’s grown as a pass catcher and he’s entering a higher level, I think of being a wide receiver in this league, how much did plays like that still define who Alec Pierce is because that’s not going to go in a stat book anywhere. But, you know, JT was talking about when he breaks, you know, one, he knows 14’s going to go find somebody to put, you know, on the ground. Yeah, that’s the effort that you look for on tape. I mean, even when we’re watching opponents on tape, you know, guys that chase and run to the football, I mean, that’s the standard, right? And so, obviously, he does the standard in the pass game, but he also does it in the run game, like you said, on that 83 yard run. He’s hauling down there uh to get that block on the third level defender. So, that’s what you want out of your guys. Um, and he’s been doing a hell of a job of that for us all year. And then the last one and I know again if you convert all your fourth downs or or you you know chance you take no one has an opinion. So how do you balance the aggression because obviously it always gets louder after last game because it’s like oh you should have took the points. So how do you view it when you know you’ve had so much success and then you didn’t have it you know here in Berlin. Look, we I understand that this is, you know, results driven uh on fourth downs and I got a lot of faith in our guys going for those and those situations and we’ve been pretty darn good at them all year and obviously I think we were 50% or whatever it was yesterday on some of those. Um and credit to Atlanta, you know, they they stopped us on those. Um but yeah, I I do I feel good about it. And like I said, when I go for those situations, it it does depend on the game situation, where it’s at, time on the clock, what the score is. um when I do make those decisions.

Indianapolis Colts HC Shane Steichen spoke to reporters about the team’s 31-25 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Germany. Steichen addressed Daniel Jones’ turnovers, Michael Badgley’s status, and more. (video via Jake Arthur)

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