The Indianapolis Colts and head coach Shane Steichen fell to 2-3 in Week 5 after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defense was shredded on the ground. Jaylen Warren was able to rush for 101 yards on just 15 carries. The 5.8 yards per attempt allowed painted another bad light on Lou Anarumo’s unit. The team, led by Steichen, is going to have to clean up a lot of issues ahead of Week 6. The Tennessee Titans may be 0-5, but AFC South matchups always bring intense competition. Plenty of players and coaches will have to look in the mirror, as they could have done several things better on Sunday.
One major issue for the Colts was the inability to tackle. Steelers playmakers were bouncing off of defenders and seemingly getting way too many yards after contact. This was evident on a game-changing 50-yard run by Warren. Fans would expect the head coach to be furious, but he was more so at a loss for words.
Shane Steichen Has No Answers For Defense’s Poor Tackling
There has to be some accountability moving forward following the loss to Pittsburgh. The Colts have several areas that they need to get better in. The tackling is at the top of the list. Steichen needs to make it a priority.
The Athletic‘s James Boyd reported on what Steichen had to say about the defensive failures.
““I don’t know,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said after the game when asked why Indy is having tackling issues. “It’s something we gotta look at hard. We do tackling drills every day in practice.””
Certainly, some things are going to need top be fixed internally by Steichen and Co. It is nearly impossible to win if opposing ball carriers are running rampant after initial contact. As long as missed tackles continue to happen, it will be hard for the Colts to be victorious.
This will certainly be a focus for Steichen and his staff prior to taking on the Titans. It is inexcusable at the professional level to not focus on the fundamentals.
Colts Get Odd Response From Their Head Coach
The answer from Steichen was a bit surprising. He didn’t take a lot of accountability and simply seemed flabbergasted. He referenced the practice sessions involving tackling, but clearly they have not worked as well as the staff would have hoped.
Shane Steichen Has Terrible Response To Colts’ Tackling Issues