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Potential Offensive Coordinator Candidates for Shane Steichen

Shane Steichen will have a quite a few quality connections to choose from for his offensive coordinator position on the new staff.

Zach Hicks

The Indianapolis Colts have officially hired Philadelphia Eagles' Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen to be their next head coach. Steichen had his debut press conference on Tuesday afternoon, where he detailed his plan for success with the Colts.

With the biggest domino of the offseason finally out of the way, the Colts are going to start moving quickly to lock down other needs. The defensive staff, and special teams staff, is expected to stay the same under Steichen, but the young coach will have to completely revamp the offensive side of the ball. The main figurehead of that group will be the new offensive coordinator.

While Steichen did announce that he will be calling plays in Indianapolis going forward, the offensive coordinator position is a vital hire that will assist Steichen in the future. So today, let's look at what this role could entail and some prime candidates with connections to Steichen.

What Does a Non Play-Calling Offensive Coordinator Actually Do?

The primary function of an offensive coordinator in the NFL is to call plays. When they have that responsibility removed from them, everything regarding their role becomes auxiliary. Dan Duggan of NJ.com spoke to Mike Sullivan a few years prior about his experience as a non play-calling offensive coordinator with the New York Giants (under Ben McAdoo).

The two primary functions that Sullivan mentioned in the article is help with preparation throughout the week and his role in meeting with the quarterback after every series:

Sullivan meets with quarterback Eli Manning after every series and passes along suggestions to McAdoo, which are plastered to the coach's oversized play sheet on post-it notes.

So Sullivan, a coach known for his quarterback acumen, primarily assisted that Giants' offense with his knowledge of that spot. He helped Eli Manning from series to series on top of assisting in game-planning and preparation every week. There are also other ways that these coordinators can assist the offense, however.

Nick Sirianni was the non play-calling offensive coordinator under Frank Reich with the Colts from 2018-2020 (prior to landing the Eagles' head coach job). While he was a pivotal part of the game-planning and scouting process, as most OC's are, he also came in with a specialty.

Sirianni's major pull came from his ability to connect and communicate with his players. This isn't to say that Reich was poor in this regard, but Reich was mostly known for his ability as a master advanced scout that understood how to draw up a gameplan. Nick Sirianni was the one responsible for communicating that gameplan in a way that resonated best with the players.

So what are the Colts looking for in their new non play-calling offensive coordinator under Shane Steichen? To me, they should be looking for an experienced mind that brings something to the table that Shane Steichen doesn't. Whether that is personality or specialty (such as being an elite scout or run game designer for example), the Colts can't just hire another echo for their young coach.

They need to look for an attribute that complements yet challenges Steichen in every way as an offensive play-caller. That is exactly what Nick Sirianni was to Frank Reich, and the Colts would be wise to replicate that success in any way possible.

Possible Offensive Coordinator Candidates

So with this section, I am going to try to link some coaches that could bring that slightly different style while also having a past connection to Steichen during his career. Here are a few of the top options for the team:

Anthony Lynn, San Francisco 49ers Running Backs Coach

I know that this is a name that sends shivers down the spine of most football fans, but as a non play-calling OC, the Colts could certainly do much worse than Anthony Lynn. In contrast to Steichen's relatively limited experience in the NFL (just 12 years), Anthony Lynn has been around the league since 1992.

As a player, Lynn played for a variety of teams from 1992-1999 before landing his first coaching job in 2000. He has continually climbed the ranks in his career, serving stints as an offensive coordinator (Buffalo Bills in 2016, Detroit Lions in 2021) and even as a head coach (Los Angeles Chargers 2017-2020).

How does he differ from Steichen? Well, aside from the experience, Lynn is a coach that has always worked with running backs and the running game. If Steichen wanted to bring an experienced mind to assist him in that aspect, Lynn could be the guy. On top of that, Lynn brings a lot of quality experience under notable offensive coaches, including time spent under Gary Kubiak, Sean Payton, Greg Roman, and (recently) Kyle Shanahan.

If Steichen wants to hire a coach that he respects and that can bring an experienced perspective to the rushing attack, Anthony Lynn is the perfect fit for his vision.

Kevin Patullo, Philadelphia Eagles' Pass Game Coordinator

On the complete other side of the spectrum, Steichen could go with a younger coach in Kevin Patullo for the offensive coordinator role. This name should look familiar to Colts' fans, as he spent time with the team from 2018-2020 as a WR coach (and pass game specialist).

Patullo is a fairly young coach, as he is just 41 years old and has just 12 years of coaching experience in the NFL. He has always exclusively worked in the passing game, holding positions such as QB coach, WR coach, and pass game coordinator.

How does he differ from Steichen? Well, to flip the last section completely on its head, Patullo is a young offensive mind in this league. He has learned under some of the better passing minds in the NFL since 2007, primarily working under Chan Gailey, Ken Whisenhunt, and Frank Reich. If the Colts truly want to diversify and expand this passing attack, Patullo could be the guy to help Steichen open it up.

Patullo is certainly the more intriguing young name for this coordinator position, and hiring him would certainly show more of an emphasis on passing success going forward.

Pep Hamilton, Former Houston Texans' Offensive Coordinator

Okay hear me out.. I know that this is not a name that Colts' fans want to see in this article, but there is some logic to my madness. Just bear with me, I promise that it is going somewhere. Pep Hamilton makes a lot of sense as a non play-calling offensive coordinator in Indy.

Hamilton has been around the NFL mainly since the 2003 season. He did have a brief detour to work at Stanford (with Andrew Luck) from 2010-2012, but he made his return to the league in 2013 with the Colts. He has certainly had his struggles as the primary play-caller, but he has shown to be a strong quarterback developer in his time in the league.

How does he differ from Steichen? As I mentioned above, the appeal with Hamilton is his work with young, big armed quarterbacks. Andrew Luck had his best career season in 2014 with Hamilton on the Colts' staff. Justin Herbert also spoke highly of Hamilton during his rookie season with the Chargers back in 2020.

I understand the pause with a guy like Hamilton, but with the Colts needing a young passer, there are worse guys to have on staff than Pep Hamilton. He can specialize in working with the young quarterback, much like how he did in LA with Herbert back in 2020.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the Colts' offensive coordinator hire is going to have to be someone that is compatible yet challenging to Shane Steichen and his offensive philosophy. The guys I listed above are people from his past that could do that, but there are plenty of other options that could do that around the league as well.

The main takeaway that I want you all to walk away with is that this is an auxiliary position, but it is still an important one. Let's hope Steichen nails this hire (like we all expect him to).

Need your fill on daily Colts' content? Head over to the Locked On Colts' YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and myself hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!

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Zach Hicks
ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com.Β 

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