Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen Says Team Doesn’t Have a Culture Problem

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INDIANAPOLIS–Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen was asked on Monday if his team has a culture problem.

“I don’t. I think you’re going to go through adversity in seasons. There are going to be ups and downs, whether it’s on the field, off the field, and how you handle them and how you react to them. You’ve got to move forward with those things. I think it happens around the league to teams, and you’ve got to handle it the best way you can handle it and put your best foot forward,” said Steichen.

After the Colts were eliminated from postseason play on Sunday with a 45-33 loss to the New York Giants, former Colt Pat McAfee got on X and said he was disgusted with the current state of the Colts organization. Current Colts Defensive Tackle DeForest Buckner said Monday that he understands where McAfee is coming from.

“He has every right to be mad. There’s times where we haven’t had people being accountable and that happens with almost every team,” said Buckner.

Steichen was asked if players are not showing up to meetings or practices on time.

“Yeah, I think with any team, not everyone is going to be on time every time, but there is accountability, and guys are held to a standard, and that is talked about in house. I don’t think that. With anything, I think Pat (McAfee), he’s a former player that wants to see the Colts do well just like all our fans want. You want us to do well, and when the standard isn’t – not getting into playoffs, it’s frustrating. So, it’s frustrating for a lot of people, myself included, and that’s why we talk about the standard just being raised so we’re not in these situations,” said Steichen.

The Colts are 7-9. They face the 4-12 Jacksonville Jaguars on January 5.