Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon ‘learned a lot of ball’ in his time with Colts, Shane Steichen

WESTFIELD, Ind. — A lot has been made about Arizona Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. stepping foot in Indianapolis, especially after what he put on tape during Day 1 of joint practices. Harrison, whose father starred in Indy, isn’t the only one with deep ties to the Colts.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon has more than a few meaningful connections.

It all started in 2018 when Gannon was given the keys the Colts’ defensive backs room under former head coach Frank Reich, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and general manager Chris Ballard. With the opportunity, came plenty of growth for Gannon.

“It was really my first main position job. Had really good players, was around a lot of good coaches,” Gannon said Wednesday. “The city’s awesome. (Owner Jim Irsay) and his family took really good care of my family. It was a really cool experience. Chris Ballard’s as good as they come. It’s good to see everybody right now.

“(Learned) a lot. … Just different ways of doing things that was new to me at the time,” the head coach added. “It really opened up my mind under Coach Eberflus, who’s the head coach of Chicago now … A different style and I took a lot with me honestly. You learn from everybody as you go but it really expanded my mind from 2018-2020.”

Gannon’s time with the Colts played a part in his decision to ship his team out to Indianapolis for joint practices ahead of Saturday’s preseason game.

But it was Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who really moved the needle for Gannon given their history together.

Before they went their separate head-coaching ways in 2023, the duo spent two seasons together as coordinators under head coach Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia.

“The first thing is he’s a great communicator and a great teacher,” Gannon said of Steichen. “I learned a lot of ball in two years from Shane and just how he thinks about the game, the relationship he has with his players, just how he thinks about the staff and everything like that.

“We worked for a really good boss in coach Sirianni but we were kind of in the foxhole together, if you will. Just really learned a lot about him. You can tell he’s got the ‘it’ factor.”

As for that Paul Rudd “hey, look at us” moment? Maybe next time.

“As soon as we all packed in that restaurant (the night before practice), he put up a PowerPoint of, ‘This is where we’re going. This is what we’re doing.’ He’s very detailed out so I’m like, ‘Woah, let me grab a notebook.’ He just goes about his business and goes to work.”

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