Anthony Richardson, a former starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, braved the onslaught of microphones during his weekly press conference on Wednesday. However, Richardson did not have the broad smile that we have been accustomed to seeing on his face.
On Tuesday, head coach Shane Steichen benched Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco, forcing the rookie quarterback to watch from the sidelines.
By stating that Flacco would be the starting quarterback “going forward,” Steichen hinted that Richardson’s 2024 playing days would be coming to an end.
The Colts formally demoted the player they selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after just ten career starts, a move that rocked the whole football world.
“Everyone is aware of the news, of course. Richardson started on Wednesday, saying, “I’m not starting this coming week.” “It hurts, of course.
It’s all nice, but as a competitor, you really don’t want to be told that you’re not the guy anymore for the next week. I’m taking advantage of this chance to develop and just learn from my errors.”
The action follows Steichen’s statement that the Colts were “evaluating everything” going forward, including the team’s current quarterback.
The head coach summoned Richardson to his office to deliver the news after Steichen and the other Colts coaches reached a decision. It appears that the discussion was brief.
Richardson disclosed, “(Steichen) just told me they were going to go with Joe, and that was that.” “I had to just take the information and just grow.”
Following a loss against the Houston Texans in which he only completed 10 of 32 (31%) passes for 175 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, the move was made.
Richardson’s performance was not as poor as the stat line would suggest, as the movie showed. Additionally, the inexperienced quarterback’s offensive line and receivers did not provide much assistance.
Richardson’s decision to substitute himself out of the game prior to a third-and-goal play in the third quarter has also made headlines in recent days.
Richardson stated that he was too exhausted to continue with another play. The action sparked a massive backlash from a variety of sources.
After the game, Steichen and Ryan Kelly had discussions about removing himself from the play. Richardson has expressed regret for his actions and promised to grow from them.
Richardson acknowledged, “I know I can’t do that as a leader,” in reference to giving up. “Especially as this team’s quarterback. particularly as a general football player.
Particularly during crucial moments like that, I can’t just pull myself out of the game like that. However, you must learn from your experiences and move on.
Steichen has maintained that Richardson’s demotion and the quarterback position’s assessment were unaffected by his decision to tap out of the game.
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It’s unclear if that fact is accurate or not. It’s clear that the Colts are going in a completely different direction with Richardson than they had when they selected the Florida native.
From the start, Steichen, general manager Chris Ballard, and owner Jim Irsay all agreed that playing and gaining as many live reps as possible would be the best way for Richardson to get better.
As anticipated for a quarterback who entered the NFL with just 13 collegiate starts, they acknowledged that there would be ups and downs along the way. However, the main decision-makers encouraged both the media and the fan base to be patient.
As it happens, the Colts were the ones who lost patience, benching Richardson to gain experience and turning to Flacco because he provides the club with “the best chance to win now.” It will be interesting to watch how much winning Flacco accomplishes as the starter.
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