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Stephen Holder, ESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had a sullen look on the night of Aug. 24, 2019, as he watched the centerpiece of his franchise unexpectedly walk away from the game.
Andrew Good Fortune is done with the NFL, the former Pro Bowl quarterback announcing his departure hours after a preseason game. The Scoop Collision Irsay got sunburned because he was waiting for what used to be to return.
The following seasons proved difficult for his team, going from one veteran quarterback to the next, and each and every possible decision was more inappropriate than most.
Their boldest struggle to find a solution, selecting Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in 2023, was destined to bring the quarterback carousel to a standstill. However, on Tuesday, the Colts raised a host of new questions by benching Richardson in the middle of a difficult time of the season in favor of 39-year-old veteran Joe Flacco.
It’s a dramatic shift for the Colts, who are prioritizing the fate of their wave season over the long-term build of their franchise quarterback. The Colts insist they are not done with Richardson, who, at 22, used to be the youngest quarterback in the NFL. What all this means for the future remains to be revealed.
The Colts fell in love with Richardson before the draft, settling on him after he made 13 starts at Florida and vowing to rely on his good luck.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Irsay said afterward. “We know that. But he has to play to get better. There’s no doubt… We have to get Anthony on the field.”
Head coach Shane Steichen, who was hired three months before Richardson was drafted with the idea that he would help develop a tender quarterback, added at the time: “Guys have to get reps and learn the system and learn the offense. We have to build this around the quarterback.”
As of Tuesday, that development process was put on hold.
Richardson has the second-lowest finishing touch percentage (44.4%) of any player in the last two decades with at least 100 attempts in a season. He also has the second-highest interception rate (5.3%) this season, behind Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers.
After Richardson’s 10-for-32 passing efficiency in a loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, Steichen said Monday that he was considering his decisions and was “evaluating” the placement.
That investigation led Steichen and his team to Flacco, who will begin Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings with the Colts 4-4 in rivalry in a strong AFC race. The Texans (6-2) lead the category.
Steichen said Monday that Richardson’s much-criticized decision to withdraw from Sunday’s game for one game after consecutive runs because “he was tired” would play a negative role in his team’s decisions.
Rather, the Colts say they are being pushed through a difficult postseason that comes with Minnesota, the Buffalo Expenses and the Detroit Lions.
“Right now, obviously, sitting at .500, we’re right in the thick of it,” Steichen said in this life. “We have to start accelerating. November is coming. November, December, we have to play our best game.
“Everything we want to accomplish is right in front of us, folks, and we’ve been given the opportunity to do it.”
2:15
Schefter: Colts benching Richardson ‘seismic move on many levels’
Adam Schefter joins Pat McAfee and reports on the Colts’ decision to bench Anthony Richardson instead of Joe Flacco.
FLACCO HAS PLAYED well since his surprising run at the end of last season with the Cleveland Browns, when he won the Comeback Player of the Year award. Since 2023, he ranks first in yards per game (309.1) and touchdowns per game (2.6) for QBs with a minimum of five starts. He also has four games in which he recorded 300 passing yards and three passing touchdowns, tied with Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott and Baker Mayfield for the most in the NFL in that same span.
Oddsmakers gave the underdog Colts a small boost after Tuesday’s news, adjusting the Colts-Vikings point differential from Colts +6 to +5.5. Also on Tuesday, ESPN Analytics adjusted its playoff model to reflect the move and determined that the Colts have a 64% chance of making the postseason with Flacco versus 46% with Richardson, according to ESPN Research.
“He’s a guy who’s been doing it for a long time,” Steichen said earlier this month. “It has revealed a lot of football, which abounds in that place.”
That gives Flacco an edge over the talented Richardson, who is tied with the Chicago Bears’ second overall pick in the 2017 draft, Mitch Trubisky, for fewest college starts for a quarterback taken in the first round. .
But there will be some differences with Flacco at center.
The Colts won’t be as dynamic in the running game because Richardson provided significant rushing potential as a dual-threat quarterback. Richardson is sixth among quarterbacks with 242 rushing yards, despite missing two games with an oblique injury.
The Colts could also have fewer explosive plays. Richardson led the NFL in passing yards per pass attempt (12.3). That might have been largely offset by his historically low completion rate, but it also resulted in some big plays. The Colts lead the NFL with 44 pass attempts of 20 yards or more, and Richardson has touchdown passes of 69, 60 and 54 yards this season.
The Colts are banking on Flacco’s consistency being a net gain for their offense. In four games this season, Flacco completed 65.7% of his passes (averaging 6.6 yards per play) and throwing seven touchdowns and one interception.
THE LONG TERM The impact of Tuesday’s decision is murkier.
After the Colts’ long wait to reset their quarterback position, could they face more uncertainty at the position?
A team source indicated that is not the expectation.
The source was adamant: “We are not giving up on Anthony. That would be the story, however, that is not the case,” adding that Richardson’s benching and subsequent downtime could be an “alternative expansion”.
The Colts named Richardson the starter after one preseason game in his rookie season. Richardson ended up playing four games as a rookie due to injuries, including a season-ending shoulder injury. He completed 59.5% of his passes last season with three touchdowns and one interception.
“Taking a step again is usually the right factor,” the team source said.
Richardson, a source close to the player said, was greatly affected by the news. But that source indicated he believes Richardson will handle the demotion professionally and remain ready if called upon.
If Richardson ultimately doesn’t become the Colts’ franchise quarterback, what will it mean for general manager Chris Ballard and Steichen? Ballard was hired in 2017 and the Colts have not won a playoff game since 2018. They have not qualified for the postseason since 2020.
Steichen’s experience at quarterback was a driving force behind his hiring, particularly his success under Jalen Hurts as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator.
“Understanding that we’re committed to needing to find a younger quarterback to build up, that’s a key factor,” Irsay said in introducing Steichen as his new teacher in February 2023.
The Colts’ pace is most uncertain at the most notable position. The vacancy that Irsay sensed the night Richardson was drafted has changed with the fact that the Colts cannot say at this time who their quarterback will be after the season.
As for quarterback, the Colts, for now, are back where they started: looking for solutions.
