After four games with the Indianapolis Colts last season before going down with a season-ending injury, quarterback Anthony Richardson looked like the player the team had been looking for ever since Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement in 2019.
Unfortunately, now that Richardson is healthy and has gotten some games under his belt in the 2024 NFL season, the young quarterback looks flawed and in need of a lot of polish in order to become the team’s franchise player under center.
In an attempt to salvage the season before it spiraled out of control with Richardson under center, the Colts chose to make a change at quarterback by handing the keys over to veteran journeyman Joe Flacco, who led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs in a very similar situation last year.
The move to go with Flacco moving forward came with some criticism in the media as some believed it might be too early to make this decision, but former NFL head coach Rex Ryan isn’t leaning that way, as he thinks it was the right move via NFL on ESPN.
“Absolutely,” Ryan said. “I mean, and not just the fact the guy did something I’ve never seen in 50 years or whatever. Takes himself out of a game, which was a horrible look, but the kid is playing poorly. He’s got the lowest completion percentage I think in history. Worse than Tim Tebow and all that.”
.@TedyBruschi and Rex Ryan disagree on the Colts benching Anthony Richardson ? pic.twitter.com/IC9wtifou8
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 3, 2024
In terms of putting the best quarterback on the field in hopes of making it to the NFL playoffs this season, the Colts coaching staff made the right move, as Flacco gives them a better chance to win games moving forward.
However, the genuine concern is the impact this demotion could have on the young quarterback, which jeopardizes the team’s long-term future at the quarterback position, which is the reason for these heated debates about Richardson.
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