As the world turns, so has the Colts' quarterback situation.
After pulling Anthony Richardson in favor of the veteran Joe Flacco two weeks ago, Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced on Wednesday that he is reversing course and is reinserting Richardson into the lineup as the team's starter for Week 11 against the New York Jets and the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
Cynics will be quick to point out Steichen said the same thing when he replaced Richardson with Flacco following Indianapolis' Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans, and they're right. But the magic that Flacco brought to the table during his early season appearances failed to materialize once he took over as the starter, and much of his two performances directly contributed to Indianapolis' losing streak, which now stands at three games.
At 4-6, the Colts aren't yet out of the running. But Steichen only needed to see Flacco's three-interception outing in the Colts' Week 10 loss to the Buffalo Bills to know he might have to renege on his decision under center.
Naturally, the coach framed it as the result of significant strides made by Richardson during his time on the bench in the last two-plus weeks. Those improvements could only be realized after Richardson appeared to disappoint the entire organization by asking to come out of the game for one play during a crucial spot in the loss to Houston because he was tired -- a faux pas in professional sports, and especially for a quarterback.
"Classrooms, the walkthroughs, the practice, the weight room all those little things just gotta be at a higher standard," Steichen explained on Wednesday. "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 over the last two weeks he's made strides in those areas, big-time strides. Becoming a pro's pro."
Richardson's play wasn't exactly stellar during the stretch that preceded his benching, either. He was remarkably inaccurate and carried a greater threat as a runner than a passer, admitting to his teammates he needed to be better after a 16-10 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 7.
The next week, he completed 10 of 32 passes for a touchdown, an interception and fumbled twice in the 23-20 loss to Houston.
Richardson's initial benching could be (and was) explained by pointing out his inconsistencies on the field. But judging by Steichen's comments on Wednesday, it was more about professionalism and dedication to his craft than his play. After all, if the former is in line, the latter will inevitably improve over time.
Changes in demeanor and focus -- plus Flacco's 2-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in two straight losses -- appear to have convinced Steichen it's time to turn back to the youngster.
"Is he a finished product? No. He's not," Steichen said of Richardson. "It's my job to help him get there along with the rest of the coaching staff. But he's a hell of a talent, we've never lost faith or belief in him or his abilities. And he's shown strides. He really has. With that being said, he will be our starter again. He will start this week, he will start the rest of the season."
Teammate Josh Downs -- who benefitted from a higher rate of targets and production with Flacco on the field earlier this season -- backed his fellow 2023 draft classmate, telling reporters on Wednesday "he's been working hard. He's been doing a lot of meetings, and he's ready to get back out there."
"I mean I trust the coaches' decision," Downs continued. "They felt that it was best and I know he's been working. I know that he's had his head down and he's had a good attitude about this whole thing. I'm excited for him to get back out there this week."
Given a serving of humble pie, Richardson sounded like a wiser man when asked about the change Wednesday.
"Just shows that I'm willing to be a pro and I'm willing to sacrifice anything that I need to do for the team," Richardson said. "I feel like these past few weeks has definitely opened my eyes and allowed me to do that and take a deeper dive into myself and see what I'm made of. I'm thankful for these past two weeks and low-key glad it happened."
When Richardson entered the NFL, two main concerns followed him: He hadn't played a ton of football at Florida, and thus, he'd failed to prove he could be a consistent quarterback at the next level. But the potential was too tantalizing to scare off the Colts, who selected him with the fourth-overall pick, watched him find success as a new-age Cam Newton in his first month as a rookie before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season. Indy then spent the rest of 2023 (and half of 2024) wondering if he might be able to pick up where he left off.
Richardson's lack of experience as a leader showed when he tapped out of the key moment in Houston. He's since been given time to reflect and prove he's willing to be the professional the Colts need him to be in order to lead this franchise.
After three straight losses, Steichen knows the Colts don't have much time to waste. He's willing to risk it with the quarterback who has his whole career ahead of him -- a career that could occur exclusively in Indianapolis if things go well.
It's now up to Richardson to prove his coach right.
"As a competitor you never want to be on the sideline. You always feel like there's opportunity to go out there and help the team," Richardson said. "But just sitting one the sideline just allowed me to look and see the certain things I could correct about myself. Certain things that the team needed help with. I'm just forever grateful for the opportunity. I'm glad Shane feels like I'm the guy once again."
