Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen is not just committing to veteran QB Joe Flacco for Week 9; he calls Flacco the team's starter "going forward" according to Mike Chappell of Fox59/CBS4 Sports.
In other words, this is not a temporary benching for Anthony Richardson, who has struggled mightily throughout his second pro season, with only three QBs posting a lower drop back success rate. Steichen said the team would not give up on Richardson, though it appears his 2024 season is over unless Flacco misses time. Asked if Richardson would ever again start for the Colts, Steichen said, “That would be great. We’ll see.”
Flacco will provide a major boost to everyone in the Indy offense. An NFL personnel evaluator told The Athletic this week that the Colts would need to take a long-term approach to developing Richardson, 22. “It’s really hard to develop a quarterback who is so far behind in learning to play the position that he’s in frantic mode all the time,” the personnel evaluator said. “This kid is truly a project more than a developmental player.”
And it is not just accuracy and timing where Richardson has so much to learn. His signal to be relieved during a critical juncture near the red zone in a close game last Sunday because he was "tired" invited questions about his leadership and professionalism.
At this point, it is not known if Richardson has played his last down in Indy. Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes sat on the bench for all but one game of his rookie season watching savvy veteran Alex Smith operate the Chiefs offense and absolutely no one thinks his development was stunted by the experience. But Richardson needs to both calm down and grow up before he takes the field again in the NFL.