In a sudden change of plans after saying on Monday that Joe Flacco would start this week, Shane Steichen announced on Wednesday morning that Anthony Richardson would be the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback against the New York Jets in Week 11 and for the remainder of the season.
“You evaluate everything,” said Shane Steichen about the decision. “I evaluated it over the last 24 hours, had conversations again, and where Anthony has developed over the last two weeks and the growth that he’s made. Is he a finished product? No. But we’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to be our franchise quarterback because of the abilities he has and the person he is.”
When the Colts made the decision to bench Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco, the messaging was that Flacco gave Indianapolis the best chance to win. However, that messaging became hollow pretty quickly with the offense’s performance over the last two weeks.
But with the benching now behind the Colts, Steichen was more up front behind the reasoning for this move, not mentioning any one thing in particular that had to improve with Richardson, but noting that the little details on a day-to-day basis had to get better–which they have.
“In regards to Anthony’s situation, I’ve said ‘the process, the process’ for a long time,” Steichen said on Wednesday. “What I mean by that is the attention to detail in everything he does, from the classrooms, to the walk-throughs, to practice, to the weight room, all those little things have just got to be at a higher standard.
“That’s what was talked about, and that’s where we went with it. That was discussed with him two weeks ago, and those were the conversations that took place, and in the last two weeks, he’s made strides in those areas. Big-time strides at becoming a pro’s pro.”
Since the benching occurred, Steichen has been adamant that Richardson tapping out of the game for a play against Houston was not a factor in the decision, although given what we know now, perhaps it was the tipping point.
Maybe there was and we will never know, but if Richardson’s attention to detail was lacking enough that benching him was thought to be a necessary move on the Colts’ part, one would hope that there were actions before that point to help him course correct, rather than the benching being a sudden reaction nearly halfway through the season.
“Obviously, when stuff like this happens, you look back, could I have done things differently,” added Steichen. “It’s just one of those things. No excuses, no explanations, you can’t have regrets. Everyone’s got a different journey and a process. You go through it, you grind through it and you work through situations that come up.”
Steichen would go on to say that this decision didn’t have anything to do with Flacco’s play but is a reflection of the strides that Richardson has made over the last two weeks.
He also added that while Chris Ballard and Jim Irsay were in on the conversations, ultimately, this was Steichen’s call.
In six games this season, Richardson was completing a league-low 44 percent of his throws at 7.2 yards per attempt with four touchdown passes to seven interceptions.
Consistency, particularly on the short to intermediate throws is what was lacking, but with his arm talent, Richardson brought a big play element to the passing game, not to mention the boost his presence provides the run game.
Although at 4-6, the Colts still find themselves in the AFC playoff mix. With Richardson showcasing improved attention to detail off the field, the hope now is that will translate to his play on the field, and give the Indianapolis offense a much-needed boost.
“Obviously, the mental grind of the NFL season,” Steichen said. “Young players come into this league. Everyone wants the instant gratification.
“Sometimes it takes young players time to develop and going through the weekly process of the Monday through Saturday grind. He’s learning that. He’s learning it, it’s a process, everyone’s got a different journey, a different story to their development.”
