He greeted a group of prepared hounds with a smile, not unlike the one he showed the night he was drafted fourth overall 18 months ago. Richardson then defined his next steps.
“It’s just another opportunity to grow, look back and reflect on the things I could have done better for the team… and focus on that,” he said.
Richardson, who was replaced by Joe Flacco for Sunday night’s 21-13 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings, went on to say that he believes he will be eager to step up to the team’s inaugural quarterback spot. Colts maestro Shane Steichen helped plant the seed that Richardson could have a second job in Indy, insisting the franchise isn’t taking any chances with him.
“There’s no way I’m giving up on Anthony,” Steichen said. “He is a young player with a lot of talent and will take advantage of this time to continue developing and growing as a professional.”
Flacco struggled against the Vikings, completing 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards and no touchdowns. He threw one interception and was once sacked 3 times. The Colts produced season lows in offensive troubles (six), yards (227) and primary attempts (13)..
But when asked if Flacco would remain a starter, Steichen responded: “For now, yes.”
If history is any indication, Richardson faces long odds to regain his position as the Colts’ long-term starter.
Younger NFL quarterbacks who miss their inaugural jobs almost never get their old jobs back, at least not with the same team and by no means under the same coaching staff or front office.
Whether or not Richardson can back up the rest of the rage is distinguishable.
According to ESPN Analysis, the rejected quarterback selected in the top 10 since 2000 has lost his bench activity and his intact team fully regained that inaugural activity with the same club.
There are many examples of redemption stories, including Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold having a professional event. But Darnold, the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, may be on his fourth team.
In fact, quarterback comeback stories almost always occur in a different uniform.
Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks are players who changed teams before regaining their position as long-term opening quarterbacks.
Given how rare a bench starter discovers his long ago, Steichen was once asked if he thought that could happen with Richardson in Indianapolis.
“I can’t predict the future,” he said. “I really can’t. But we’re not going to lose faith in him.”
An NFL executive who spoke on condition of anonymity wanted to know what happens next, telling ESPN: “I think [Richardson] It will be there next year and they will try to start it, but they will have a backup or a bridge. [QB] They think they can take over if it doesn’t work.
If Richardson fails at that point, the manager said, the Colts would most likely sign him.
This may be a departure from the way those conditions generally play out. However, some variations in Richardson’s status are worth noting.
It is a former outlier of its place. Neny’s first-round quarterback has had fewer high school starts than Richardson’s 13 at the University of Florida. [Mitch Trubisky also had 13 when he was the No. 2 pick in 2017 by the Chicago Bears]. Richardson could also be much younger. He was once drafted at age twenty and, at 22, remained the NFL’s youngest inaugural quarterback before being benched.
Internally, the Colts view the benching as a timeout of sorts for Richardson.
According to some sources, it is being presented as an opportunity for him to strengthen his game preparation and better understand the severity of the activity, something the team believes it has been missing. This, assets said, was more of a factor in the decision than Richardson’s performance on the field.
It is less clear whether or not such expectations had been communicated to Richardson in the past. Richardson was caught off guard during the bench, according to a source associated with Richardson, because he didn’t realize he was slipping downward in this department.
Richardson’s 10 starts constitute a significantly smaller sample size than many top-10 picks who lost their jobs. Even Josh Rosen, considered one of the draft’s biggest busts, started 13 games for the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie in 2018 before the team left the scene at the 10th overall pick in the draft.
Zach Wilson, the 2021 second overall pick of the Unutilized York Jets, started 22 games at Unutilized York before the team hit the eject button and traded for Aaron Rodgers’ latest event. Bryce Younger, Negar of the Carolina Panthers. 1 select final game overall, started 18 games with the team before being benched in 3 this season. He returned to the starting lineup after veteran Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury, but his day in Carolina remained hidden. He led the Panthers to a 23-22 victory over the unused Orleans Saints on Sunday.
By comparison, Richardson had 4 starts as a rookie before a season-ending trauma, and 6 starts this season before getting the hook.
That would possibly help explain why the locker room’s response to Richardson’s benching has ranged between amazement and hesitation.
“It’s a crazy situation, and I still have a lot of faith in AR and know that when he gets his next opportunity he’s going to do well,” said captain and all-pro reserve Quenton Nelson. “Yes, I was surprised.”
The move meant the Colts’ revolving door at quarterback likely isn’t working. When Richardson started at While 1 this season, he was the first Colts quarterback since Andrew Fortune in 2015-16 to start back-to-back season starts.
Asked if he was frustrated by the team’s constant quarterback turnover, center Ryan Kelly, the broadcast’s longest-tenured participant and another captain, said, “I’d be lying to you if I said no.” He added that he was once “a little surprised” on the bench.
But the decision has been made, at least for the lowest promise. Now the question is what’s wrong with Richardson?
“I’m still going to prepare as if I were the starter,” he said. “I feel like there’s an opportunity to get back on the field and when it presents itself, I’ll take advantage of it.”
Only a moment will tell if that opportunity comes with the Colts or some other team.
