Colts' Shane Steichen Has Found a Go-To Short Yardage Play: Film

The clever design of the sweep run is how the Colts dress it up differently each time. Against the Dolphins, the Colts used a push motion to move the running back out of the backfield and then motioned the back again to fake the jet sweep. Against the Houston Texans, the Colts ran a read option keeper on the sweep. Against the Jets, the running back was simply motioned out of the backfield to put Richardson in empty.

Regardless of how the Colts dress up this play in the backfield, the core elements of the call remain the same. Richardson is taking the snap and breaking to the outside as the Colts are running a pin/pull sweep with the receivers pinning down the line and the tight end and offensive tackle play side pulling out in front.

This design gives Richardson a convoy to the edge and forces smaller defenders to take on blocks while also somehow taking down a 250 pound quarterback in the open field.

Steichen likely had a few different influences when installing this type of play into his playbook. Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator) has run a similar type of play with Lamar Jackson over the past two seasons. The Ravens like to pull the guard and center out front of Jackson on their design but the core aspect of the call is quite similar.

Another potential influence could be Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss Head Coach) at the collegiate level. Kiffin has long used QB sweep in the red zone with a fair amount of window dressing in the backfield. The pin/pull action is also quite similar to how the Colts run their play, but the Colts just add more variations to their backfield motion.

Regardless of how the Colts went about adding this run to their playbook, the result is a key staple to the teams' short yardage call sheet. This team has lacked an identity on offense all season long and has been in desperate need of surefire staples to lean on when the game gets tight. This play, while not to be used too many times in one game, is a near-unstoppable short-yardage call that the Colts can rely on when needed.

The quarterback sweep led to a game-winning touchdown against the Jets this past weekend, and I'm sure it will bring even more positive conversions for the offense going forward.