Colts Rumors: Shane Steichen Described as Having 'Mad Scientist' Qualities

The Indianapolis Colts named Shane Steichen their new head coach on Tuesday, and the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator really impressed the franchise with his "mad scientist" qualities, per ESPN's Stephen Holder.

One of those qualities was Steichen's "specific blueprint" on how to develop a young quarterback, according to Holder.

"Shane just knocked it out of the park and really showed the qualities that put him above during the whole process as our man," Colts owner Jim Irsay said.

The Colts are in a pivotal offseason in which they must address the quarterback position once and for all after years of mediocrity since Andrew Luck's abrupt retirement following the 2018 season.

Since Luck hung up the cleats, the Colts have tried out Jacoby Brissett, Brian Hoyer, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles under center. Rivers was the most successful, having led Indy to an 11-5 record in 2020.

However, Rivers opted to retire after the 2020 campaign, and it was back to the drawing board for the franchise at quarterback in 2021, so the Colts went out and acquired Wentz from the Eagles.

Wentz had his moments in his lone season with the Colts, but he ultimately was traded to the Washington Commanders ahead of the 2022 season. Indy then acquired Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons, but he put together arguably the worst year of his career, which contributed to Indy's 4-12-1 finish.

The Colts now have the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft this spring, and Steichen will be included in the draft process, which includes examining the signal-callers available. He outlined what he's looking for in a quarterback:

"I think accuracy, decision-making and the ability to create are the three things that I look at in a quarterback. I think those three things are very important. But the above the neck, the players that I've been around -- Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Philip Rivers -- they all have one thing in common: They're obsessed with their craft. And if you can find that in a quarterback, you're probably going to have some success."

Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Florida's Anthony Richardson are among the top signal-callers set to be available for the taking this spring.

Young is arguably the best quarterback in the class, and it's possible the Colts will trade up to get him. If they do, Steichen will likely be overjoyed.