Colts coach Shane Steichen noncommittal on kicker Michael Badgley

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen was noncommittal about the status of kicker Michael Badgley on Monday, deferring any decision-making to general manager Chris Ballard.

Badgley missed an extra point after the first Colts touchdown of Sunday’s 20-16 loss to Houston, a game that was altered considerably in the second half because of Badgley’s missed kick, forcing Indianapolis to play for a go-ahead touchdown rather than kicking a field goal to tie.

Indianapolis brought in seven other kickers when the Colts signed Badgley to fill the hole left by the torn ACL Spencer Shrader suffered in the team’s win over Las Vegas.

But it is unclear at this point if the Colts plan to bring in kickers for a tryout. At least one of the kickers who tried out in October, Harrison Mevis, is now kicking for the Rams, and another, Lucas Havrisik, is on Green Bay’s practice squad as insurance.

“Chris and his staff handle all of that stuff,” Steichen said. “I’ll defer to Chris on those things.”

The Colts bet on Badgley’s consistency inside the 50-yard line when they signed him, gambling that his accuracy on shorter kicks would offset his lack of leg strength.

Badgley has made 10 of 11 field goals in an Indianapolis uniform, the only miss coming on a 53-yard attempt he left short in cold, misty conditions in Berlin, but he has now missed three extra points, and the Colts found out Sunday how much those kicks can matter down the stretch.

“Yeah, you’ve got to make those points,” Badgley said after Sunday’s game. “I mean, you make that extra point, you give us a chance at the end there to tie it up. So, just got to score when we can and got to do my job.”

Steichen’s tone on Badgley has changed somewhat in the wake of the kicker’s latest miss.

When Badgley missed two kicks in Berlin, the Colts head coach said he had “a ton of faith in Badge,” but it hasn’t been the same message in the 24 hours since the Indianapolis loss to Houston.

“Badge knows he’s got to make the PATs,” Steichen said. “I love Badge the player. I love Badge the person. We’ll see where it goes, but whoever’s out there kicking for us, we’ve got a ton of faith in whoever it is. Badge, he’s done a hell of a job, he’s made big-time kicks, but obviously, we’ve got to make the PATs there.”

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Michael Badgley: Colts coach Shane Steichen noncommittal on kicker