Indianapolis Colts' head coach Shane Steichen received some recognition for his play-calling abilities from several of his counterparts.
The Athletic's Jeff Howe spent the offseason speaking with a total of 20 GMs, head coaches, coordinators, and NFL execs, asking them to vote on various categories.
One question asked by Howe was, "Who are the three best offensive play callers in the NFL not named Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan?"
Steichen earned four votes, which ranked tied for sixth among those who received votes.
Through 10 games last season, we saw the full effects of what the Steichen offense can be. Jones was among the most productive quarterbacks in football, while the offense was among the highest-scoring units during that first half of the season.
Steichen molding the offense around Phillip Rivers on the fly was impressive as well. Oftentimes with unstable quarterback play over the last few years, Steichen has found ways to keep the Colts in games.
All that said, Steichen's ability to game plan and call plays hasn't translated into a playoff appearance, and there are a variety of reasons for that. Finishing and finding ways to win those must-have games have eluded this Colts team.
That said, Steichen's game planning and play calling abilities illustrate one reason why the Colts were comfortable largely running things back on the offensive side of the ball. Now Steichen and the offense must put it all together for a full 17-game season.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts HC Shane Steichen recognized by counterparts in anonymous survey
