The Indianapolis Colts walked into 2023 with a new attitude and a shift in culture after the floor fell out from under the team the previous season. This fresh feel was largely due to new head coach Shane Steichen breathing revamped life into the franchise.

After a bevy of issues that followed Indy in his first season, Steichen still scratched out an impressive 9-8 record, with many expecting five or six victories. This was also without quarterback Anthony Richardson. Even though the Florida product was a rookie with a lot to adjust to, he was potentially poised to overshoot the doubters with a QB-savvy coach like Steichen as his mentor.

But alas, backup Gardner Minshew led the dance for nearly the entire season, which makes the winning record more impressive. When it’s included that this team nearly won the AFC South division, it should be enough for Steichen to be a shoo-in as a Coach of the Year finalist.

However, this didn’t happen, as Steichen was not selected for one of the final five spots.

Below are the coaches and their final regular season records:

Dan Campbell | Detroit Lions (12-5)

John Harbaugh | Baltimore Ravens (13-4)

DeMeco Ryans | Houston Texans (10-7)

Kyle Shanahan | San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

Kevin Stefanski | Cleveland Browns (11-6)

While names like Campbell, Harbaugh, and Ryans stand out as deserving, Shanahan and Stefanski are more questionable.

Shanahan’s 49ers boasted one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. Along with this, names like quarterback Brock Purdy (16 games), running back Christian McCaffrey (16 games), wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (16 games), tight end George Kittle (16 games), and defensive end Nick Bosa (17 games) were on the field for nearly the entire season.

Not saying Shanahan isn’t a strong coach, as he’s one of the best the league has to offer. But he also has access to a high-end roster in which the key players were almost 100% healthy. Along with this, the offensive and defensive fronts for the 49ers are disgustingly good.

As for Browns coach Stefanski, he has more of an argument than Shanahan.