The Colts are going back to Plan A.
After a brief two game sojourn, Joe Flacco is resuming his role as back up and Anthony Richardson is back in.
Shane Steichen, the Colts head coach, has confirmed he is now the starter going forward.
Quite the about turn, as all week he has been saying that Joe Flacco would be the starting quarterback for this weeks game against the New York Jets.
The whole quarterback situation going on in Indianapolis may not seem a big issue to any non supporters of the Colts.
Players get benched. Big deal. It happens, and in the ‘what have you done for me recently’ mentality in the NFL.
It is always a shadow hovering over any player. Especially if you have not played as well as expected.
The reason the benching of the Richardson was so significant, is because of what he represented.
He offered a fanbase that thing which is intangible and precious amongst all supporters – hope.
He was supposed to signal a change in direction for a franchise stuck in a rut.
A carousel of veteran and bridge players had filled the position since the retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019. None had brought any real success and it felt like the team was going nowhere.
Draft brings hope to Indy
Fast forward to the draft 2023 and the Colts used their fourth overall pick to select Richardson. A prospect seen as totally unique to most NFL scouts given his athleticism.
Coupled with Steichen, himself appointed in 2023 in his first head coach role, the pair were the signal of a new era in Indianapolis.
Their first year working together was cut short after just four appearances for Richardson.
The then rookie suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and ruled him out for the whole of the 2023 season.
But the fans had seen enough in his short tenure for anticipation to build all through the off season. There was genuine excitement about what the young quarterback could do going into his second year.
Obviously it did not go to plan. There was a noticeable dip in his performances, and the now infamous ‘tap out’ against the Houston Texans, exacerbated matters.
But the performances were not as bad as the stats suggested. They rarely are.
AR5 benched for Flacco
The tape looked better than the stat sheet. So when it was announced Richardson was being benched it still came somewhat of a surprise.
He had managed 10 games as a starter. It was hardly enough to scratch the surface.
Was there room for improvement? Sure. There always will be. But to bench your potential franchise quarterback after such a short period seemed extreme. Especially for a player who at 22 is one of the youngest players in the entire league.
It felt like the Colts were abandoning their project. The team was back to where they were pre-draft 2023. Arguably, in a worse position as there seemed no direction at all.
You can sell patience when there is a pathway to a future. That patience disappeared the second Steichen made the decision to bench Richardson.
Well, now Richardson has been restored to his starting position. After a short detour the Colts appear to be going back to the original plan.
Is Richardson going to be the future at Lucas Oil Stadium? No one knows at this point. That still has not been established.
That was one of the main points of frustration, how could you tell after such a small sample size?
Regardless, Colts fans now have the chance to truly see if he will be the guy.
An element of hope has returned.
