The Indianapolis Colts surprised the NFL world by benching fourth overall selection (2023 NFL Draft), quarterback Anthony Richardson, in favor of backup 17-year veteran signal-caller, Joe Flacco. As expected, the Indianapolis media had many inquiries today about this decision for head coach Shane Steichen at the podium.
Steichen started by taking ownership of the decision, saying it was his choice to start Flacco over Richardson. Steichen then followed an explanation of the decision and how Indianapolis’ 2024 season factored in. Steichen said:
“I’m just looking at where we’re at as a football team. Sitting at .500, with a lot of football left. Just felt that Joe gives us the best chance going forward.”
While Richardson’s passing woes have been as bad as possible, Flacco is also as immobile as they come at QB. Richardson’s insane athleticism amplifies big-play possibilities and allows more creativity from the ground game and Jonathan Taylor. Flacco also lost to a bad Jacksonville Jaguars team while barely defeating a lost Tennessee Titans squad, so ‘best chance’ hardly holds weight given the level of difficulty from those two opponents.
Oct 20, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen leaves the field Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, after defeating the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars/IndyStar USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Grace Hollars/IndyStar USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images-Imagn Images
Steichen later mentioned that he had the guys on the roster in mind when switching QBs, saying:
“It’s my obligation to 53 guys in this organization to win football games. Right now I’m focused on the present of winning football games. We’ll get to the future when we have to get to the future.”
This is a stark contrast to what Steichen, Chris Ballard, and the rest of Indy’s front office preached all offseason, that Richardson needed on-field experience and snaps to learn the ways of a franchise signal-caller in the NFL. Steichen mentioned that getting time to learn from a veteran like Flacco can be another way to develop Richardson.
“I know I said that and you know, things change there. I think right now sitting back and seeing a veteran thats done it at a high level for a long time, you can develop that way as well.”
Steichen isn’t generally the most animated interview for the media, but his tone doesn’t establish much confidence in Richardson. While it’s just an interview and Steichen answered many questions, nobody can seriously say they walked away from his answers thinking highly of Richardson’s future. One last comment that stood out was if he believes Richardson will ever start at quarterback again for Indianapolis, Steichen gave an ambiguous reply:
“I can’t predict that. I’m not losing faith in that, I can promise you that. I can’t predict the future, but I mean, that’d be great, we’ll see.”
While it’s hard to tell if Steichen made the decision himself entirely, it’s the opposite of how he’s felt about the former Florida Gator. Steichen was high enough on Richardson’s abilities to pound the table to get him in the 2023 NFL Draft, so it’s curious that his tone has changed drastically after Richardson’s 10th NFL start against the Houston Texans. Steichen is a master QB evaluator, so to imagine he was displeased with Richardson enough to bench him in the middle of on-field development is insane to consider.
We’ll see what implications are ahead after this decision. So many questions have arisen: “Is Richardson’s confidence shot?” “Can the Colts still get a franchise quarterback out of Richardson?” Unfortunately, none of these questions have a convenient answer given the complex situation surrounding Indianapolis. While it’s tough for Richardson and the fans to accept, Flacco is the field general for the rest of 2024 unless something drastic happens.
