What an absolute whirlwind it's been for the Indianapolis Colts over the past few days. Since losing in Week 8, the Colts have had nothing but drama within their own walls.
Following the loss, everyone wanted to know why quarterback Anthony Richardson took himself out of the game in the third quarter for a single play. Of course, we know by now, Richardson's explanation for his actions was simply that he was "tired."
Not only has Richardson been inconsistent in his performance on the field but that stunt in and of itself was enough to warrant a message being sent. Sure enough, head coach Shane Steichen ended up announcing, on Tuesday, he would indeed bench Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco as the team's new starter.
Not only was Richardson being benched, but Flacco was going to be "the guy" going forward. Richardson is now the season-long backup, as long as Steichen is concerned.
Since the news broke of Richardson's benching, there have been countless layers to sort through, including the Steichen, himself, acknowledging that he cannot speak on behalf of his players when asked about whether this team is "unified" in his decision.
That's great ... everything is fine.
But, we're far from done, here. Star wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. told the media that he found out about Richardson's benching via social media. It would appear that Steichen opted not to tell his team about the decision before it went public.
Once again ... everything is fine.
But no, it doesn't stop there, either. How about we hear from the man of the hour?
This is good to see pic.twitter.com/PU924N8bxM
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 30, 2024
So, when Richardson was asked about losing the starting job, his response was that he was not sure why Steichen had benched him.
Everything is fine ... is there an echo in here?
Anthony Richardson not knowing why he isn't starting is concerning for multiple reasons
First and foremost, Richardson should very well know why he's been benched. Regardless of his limited amount of starts, he's not been good. That's a fact. Now, has he been affected by some drops here and there? Of course he has; that's fair.
But, all in all, he's been inaccurate and far from consistent.
Even besides that fact, the stunt he pulled on the "tap out" play, as it's now been dubbed, was enough reason to have him sit on the bench for a game. How he does not know this is beyond me, to be frank.
Secondly, Steichen should have made it very clear in communicating with his quarterback as to why the benching was happening. As the head coach making a decision about a highly-drafted quarterback just last year, this seems like it shouldn't have to be said.
Communicate clearly, coach. That's all you had to do, yet it did not happen.
This entire situation is turning into a mess. Based on what we know, the locker room is not unified in this decision, the players did not find out from their head coach himself, and there is confusion as to why Richardson was benched in the first place.
It's become a situation that Steichen must get under control, and quickly.