NEWS NOW: 5 Things Texas Coach Has Discovered Since the Colts’ Season Is Over
To Forget: A Play Call, a Personnel Decision Shane Steichen had an outstanding inaugural season as a head coach and play caller. But this was a terrible error at the most crucial time of the season. With 1:06 remaining in the game and facing a 4th-and-1, the Colts failed in both coaching and execution. With the game on the line, Steichen avoided an offensive line that had commanded the line of scrimmage in the second half against a battered Houston defense playing on a short field.Instead of putting the game on the right shoulder of a quarterback who was having one of the worst games of his 37-start professional career and a rushing back who had 6 career catches, the game was put on the right shoulder of a quarterback who was having one of the worst games of his 37-start professional career and a running back who had 6 career catches. Gardner Minshew’s one throw in Tyler Goodson’s way previous to the final play on Saturday night was also an errant pass out of the backfield. A “players, please” philosophy not plays” was not something Steichen adhered to on the most important play of the season. The head coach decided to take a timeout—which meant the Colts had no chance and getting the ball back had the 4th down failed—and kept Taylor off the field, not even using him as a decoy. In place of using Taylor then, the Colts didn’t even run a play for other reliable offensive threats in Michael Pittman Jr., or Josh Downs, or Zack Moss. Nope, it was a for a player that has been on the practice squad for the majority of the 2023 season. Taylor said he had repped that very play in practice this week, but the Colts still opted for Goodson in that moment. Could the play have been executed better—by both Minshew and Goodson? Certainly. But, more than anything, Steichen handcuffed the Colts, putting the season in the hands of two players who either lacked experience (Goodson) or ability (Minshew) on Saturday night to deliver. Again, Steichen had so much brilliance to his first season at the helm, but there’s no excusing leaving Taylor on the bench, and putting the season in the hands of two players who had not earned the game-day trust to be relied upon in that moment.
Nico Collins Torches Colts: One of the biggest reasons why I was confident in a Colts win on Saturday night came from how depleted the Houston wideout room was. Behind Nico Collins, the Texans entered Saturday with a No. 2 wideout (John Metchie III) having 15 total catches on the season. Given that, it meant the total secondary game plan for the Colts had to go towards limiting Collins. Well, whatever plan the Colts had looked elementary, the coverage they attempted on Collins offered little resistance and the tackling effort against him was poor. It was a three-pronged whiff against the only legitimate wide receiver threat the Texans had on Saturday. No bigger issue of that came on the first play of the game. On a 3-person route, the Texans had Collins running deep, a tight end running underneath and a running back coming out of the backfield, somehow it was Collins left 1-on-1 with JuJu Brents, C.J. Stroud uncorked a 75-yard touchdown offering quite the thunderbolt form the Texans. Collins finished Saturday night with 9 catches for 195 yards. All other Texans wideouts had 11 yards on 2 catches. It was a beyond inexcusable game plan from Gus Bradley/execution form his defenders. Is there an extended Steichen/Bradley conversation that needs to be had in the offseason?
Nico Collins Torches Colts: One of the biggest reasons why I was confident in a Colts win on Saturday night came from how depleted the Houston wideout room was. Behind Nico Collins, the Texans entered Saturday with a No. 2 wideout (John Metchie III) having 15 total catches on the season. Given that, it meant the total secondary game plan for the Colts had to go towards limiting Collins. Well, whatever plan the Colts had looked elementary, the coverage they attempted on Collins offered little resistance and the tackling effort against him was poor. It was a three-pronged whiff against the only legitimate wide receiver threat the Texans had on Saturday. No bigger issue of that came on the first play of the game. On a 3-person route, the Texans had Collins running deep, a tight end running underneath and a running back coming out of the backfield, somehow it was Collins left 1-on-1 with JuJu Brents, C.J. Stroud uncorked a 75-yard touchdown offering quite the thunderbolt form the Texans. Collins finished Saturday night with 9 catches for 195 yards. All other Texans wideouts had 11 yards on 2 catches. It was a beyond inexcusable game plan from Gus Bradley/execution form his defenders. Is there an extended Steichen/Bradley conversation that needs to be had in the offseason?
