Source: Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Richardson, once he returns to full health, is the Colts starting quarterback.
In case anyone need clarity on a Richardson vs. Joe Flacco quarterback debate, Steichen was direct in his answer on Monday.
“Yes, he is our starting quarterback,” Shane Steichen said of Richardson, during his Week 6 Monday Zoom call.
When Steichen was pressed further on the balance of starting Richardson vs. “winning now,” the head coach doubled down on starting a healthy AR over Joe Flacco.
“We are trying to win football games,” the second-year head coach said. “That’s the bottom line. We are trying to win football games. Obviously, when Anthony is out there, he makes a lot of big plays for us. That’s where it’s at.”
For those in the group wanting to see Flacco get the starting reigns moving forward, the Colts are not seriously entertaining that.
Should they?
Only if the short-term goals is outweighing the long-term vision when they drafted Richardson 4 th overall, although Steichen would push back on that.
The Colts have had recent seasons of 7-to-11 wins with quarterbacks named Brissett, Rivers, Wentz and Minshew.
Would another such year with a 39-year-old Flacco get you anywhere differently?
Whether the Colts fan base wants to admit it or not, when the franchise drafted Richardson 4 th overall they (indirectly) sent a message that the focus on the present wasn’t top priority. It was about the Richardson growth, knowing inevitable growing pains were coming.
A benching of Richardson some 8 starts into his NFL career would be premature when you acknowledge how little football he’s played since high school.
Often, people use the names of Josh Allen and/or Jalen Hurts when trying to comp Richardson to others.
Well, playoff teams in the Bills and Eagles drafted those QBs, knowing a level of patience was going to have to be practiced if the fruits were to be rewarded down the road.
Sure enough, rocky starts for those two, especially with inaccuracy, turned into Pro Bowl campaigns.
Simply, the potential of developing a young quarterback is more important for the Colts than debating a 7-10 vs. 9-8 season when it comes to a soon-to-be 40-year-old QB.
While this entire question has been much more debated publicly than inside of Colts headquarters, the health of Richardson remains a question entering Week 6.
It was clear as last week moved along that the Colts, despite Shane Steichen’s public gamesmanship, weren’t too serious about starting Richardson against the Jaguars.
The young QB might have practiced all 3 days last week, but he was very limited in those sessions.
Despite the 3 days of practice last week, the Colts also chose not to have Richardson dress as the team’s 3 rd QB for Sunday’s game with Jacksonville. That has been Sam Ehlinger’s role through the first four games of the season. Some teams have had a banged-up QB in that emergency spot (i.e. Russell Wilson for the Steelers), but Richardson didn’t do that on Sunday.
When Steichen was asked last Friday if Richardson had taken any team reps during the week of practice , the poker-faced head coach said the following:
“He was limited this week.”
On Monday, Steichen said this when asked what Richardson needs to show this week to be ready for the road game in Tennessee.
“Just making sure that he feels really good with his body. Obviously, the medical staff and all of those different things. But going through that process, the rehab, the practice and making sure he feels ready to go.”
The head coach added Richardson, and Jonathan Taylor (ankle), are both feeling “really good” after the starting duo missed the loss in Jacksonville.
While Steichen has cleared up anyone curious about a healthy Richardson vs. Flacco debate, the health of the young QB again will receive intense attention this coming week.
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