The Indianapolis Colts locker room is thrilled to have Anthony Richardson back

In a shocking turn of events, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced that Anthony Richardson would be replacing Joe Flacco as the Colts' starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Previously, Steichen had benched Richardson, and then insisted that Flacco, who is nearly 40, would continue as QB1, despite back-to-back losses, a decision which had been roundly criticized by fans and analysts alike.

Furthermore, whispers had begun that Steichen lost the locker room after Richardson's benching, and those whispers only grew louder after multiple players, including two team captains, openly criticized the Colts to the media. And the vibe in the locker room, to say the least, has changed rather drastically.

The IndyStar's Gregg Doyle said the mood in the locker room had been akin to a mausoleum; now, he wrote, it's filled with excitement. "If you’re asking me if I’ve ever seen the Colts’ locker room that vibrant or happy on a Wednesday, in my 10 years of Wednesday visits – I’m a Wednesday expert, as I told Colts veterans EJ Speed, Braden Smith and Rodney Thomas II, hoping they’d tell me why this felt so different – the answer is: No. I’ve not seen a Wednesday as vibrant as this one. Certainly not after a second consecutive loss late in a season going nowhere," he wrote.

"And I’ve never seen the defensive line just take a seat to watch the show."

James Boyd, who covers the Colts for The Athletic, had similar observations during his locker room interviews. Zaire Franklin said he and the rest of the team had continued to stand behind Richardson, which may be why they were so overjoyed to see him back:

Josh Downs told Boyd that the team had been impressed with Richardson's attitude and ability to be a team player, even when benched; after the first half of the Minnesota Vikings game, for example, he was notably the last player to leave the field, giving encouragement to every other member of the team as they left.

“He could’ve just went in the tank and been like, ‘Man, I’m not playing around with these dudes no more.’ But he kept a good attitude. He went to work every day, and he was still a great teammate," Downs said. "So I'm happy he gets to go out there, have another opportunity. We're all in his corner, and we're happy for him."

Fans likewise have been overjoyed, and Richardson's return feels like the rejuvenation of a franchise that previously seemed to be practically committing football suicide. What caused such a 180 is anyone's guess -- pressure on Steichen from the front office, concerns over losing his job -- but it seems unlikely that Steichen legitimately had such a drastic change of heart in such a short amount of time. Remember, he had just announced that Flacco would continue to be the Colts' QB1 through the rest of the 2024 season, even after their humiliating loss to the Bills. It seems hard to believe that the story Steichen is selling, that Richardson somehow improved enough over the course of 24 hours to become the starter again, is the real one. But whatever truly prompted this decision, it's the right one for Steichen to make.

And for his part, Richardson appears to be remaining humble about himself and the growth he needs to have going forward. "I'm new to this, I'm still learning information," he said. "But when it comes to being a professional, you feel like you're doing a lot of things right, but when it comes to sacrifice, there's always more things to sacrifice, like time. Just being a pro and just learning more about that... I'm glad Shane gave me the opportunity to do so."