INDIANAPOLIS – His teams will grind. They’ll outwork their opponents.

They’ll throw to score points and run to win.

Surrounded by owner Jim Irsay and GM Chris Ballard, new Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen laid out his coaching philosophy during his Feb. 14 introductory news conference.

Steichen outlined his four pillars:

Character: “Character is very important to me. We’re going to treat people with respect. And we want to feed the positive and weed out the negative.”

Preparation: “I truly believe this: the separation in this league is in the preparation. How we prepare as a football team and organization Monday through Saturday will ultimately dictate the outcome of the football game. Now, is it gonna guarantee us a victory? No, but it’s gonna give us a fighting chance, I promise you that.”

Consistency: “We’ve gotta be consistent, and it starts with us as coaches, being consistent with our message to the players and telling them exactly how we want it to look and how we want it to be done.”

Relentless: “We’ve gotta be relentless in our pursuit to be the best. The best players, the best coaches I’ve been around are obsessed with their craft, and that’s what we want to build here, and that’s what we want to get done.”

Steichen confirmed he will call the plays. He said he goes with his gut a lot, especially when it comes to gamedays and play calling. He will employ an offense designed to play to the strengths of his quarterback and the players surrounding him.

Steichen’s cerebral approach to the game, and his ability to make on-the-fly decisions, are what ultimately won over Ballard and Irsay after their exhaustive six-week search.

His teams will throw, which is a necessity in today’s NFL. Just as important, Steichen said his teams will emphasize the running game.

He made his intentions clear with a concise mantra.

“We’re gonna throw to score points and run to win,” Steichen said Tuesday afternoon.

The new coach also addressed his approach toward quarterback. After riding a carousel of veterans since 2019, the Colts are widely expected to pick a new quarterback in April’s NFL Draft.

It will be up to Steichen to help mold that player into a pro. He told the media he values accuracy and decision-making abilities in a QB. Another key? The ability to create plays.

Three of the notable quarterbacks he’s worked with—Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts—are all “obsessed with their craft,” Steichen said. Whoever fills the quarterback room in Indianapolis must be prepared to do the same.

They’ll have to learn. Grind. Grow.

And they’ll have to do it under Steichen’s watchful, detail-oriented eye.