We all knew the news and decision would come at some point. It was the outcome that surprised some of the fanbase. Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen confirmed the decision to make Daniel Jones the starter this season at his press conference. Steichen also confirmed that this is not the end of the road for Anthony Richardson.
Make no mistake, this is the end of the Anthony Richardson era in Indianapolis.
Shane Steichen mentioned in the past that all aspects of the game would go into this final decision. As of late, he really singled out understanding installs, protection, and consistency. Let’s be honest, neither of these quarterbacks has been consistent this offseason.
Anthony Richardson could be leaving the Indianapolis Colts sooner than expected
The injury that Richardson suffered in the preseason, while minor, could have been prevented. He missed protection and got crushed by David Ojabo and leaving with a dislocated pinky finger. Richardson also missed the offseason minicamp with a re-aggravation of his past shoulder injury.
Was it truly about consistency and on-field play? It appears not. The injuries continue to be a factor in these decisions. Was the tapping out last season truly the last straw? Did he lose the job at that moment, and was Jones brought in to be the starter from the beginning? The locker room continues to support both quarterbacks, and I don’t see that changing.
I don’t say this lightly, if I were Anthony Richardson, I would ask for a trade immediately. It’s apparent that he has lost the trust of the front office. Steichen does not trust in his abilities anymore, and whether you think Steichen will be back next season is irrelevant now. Both Steichen and Richardson share blame for this not working.
Most of this falls on Richardson and his inability to grasp the concepts of being a professional athlete. We talked before about Richardson being an employee of the franchise. In fact, he is the CEO of the product on the field. To put this much on him at his age and with such little time at Florida was a risk. He was unable to beat out a quarterback who has an overall record of 24-44-1.
To think either of these quarterbacks was going to bring us out of mediocrity was just delusional. Richardson gave you a better chance to get out of mediocrity, but again, there was not much hope this season.
If there is one thing this roster decision brings to us is some clarity to the expectations this season. The expectation is to win. Just win. We have moved from being patient to winning now. Which is fine but having two wildly average quarterbacks puts a lot on the plate for Shane Steichen and this staff to overcome.
While this was likely a joint decision by all outlets of the staff, Steichen knew they were going to take a rookie quarterback when he took the job. Whether he knew it was going to be Richardson is unknown to us, but it’s very likely.
So, where does Chris Ballard fall in this level of blame? Since the day Andrew Luck retired, the clock truly started for him to put his signature on this football team. I doubt I get much argument to say; this continues the failure of his tenure. Do I give him credit for taking the risk of drafting a prospect with only raw talent? I certainly do, but you are dammed if you do and damned if you don’t.
He had no choice but to take a quarterback, and this one has clearly not worked out. He has not hit on a slew of important draft picks and has shown inconsistency in roster construction, especially last season. It also appears that he has failed in finding the right coach to lead this organization yet again. He failed with Frank Reich, and it's now a sinking ship with Shane Steichen.
I do think his fate was sealed once new ownership started this season, but this should be the final straw for Ballard. Entering his eighth season and he has been unable to put out a consistent, winning product. The record now stands 54-60-1 with ZERO division titles. Now, he has two potentially failed coaches that he hired and a handful of failed quarterbacks as well.
At some point, the bleeding must stop, and the entire organization is now in the hands of Daniel Jones. The organization has given us no reason to believe it will work in the past, and has no reason to believe it will work now.