Vikings coach shockingly defends Anthony Richardson’s ‘tap out’ play

By now, most football fans have heard or seen plenty about Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and the now-dubbed "tap out" play from this past Sunday.

In the third quarter of the Colts' Week 8 game against the Houston Texans, Richardson took himself out of the game on a third-and-goal following a play where he had scrambled around a bit. Richardson had just gotten done scrambling, shedding a defensive lineman's would-be tackle, and then proceeded to exit the game before the following play.

After the game, when Richardson was asked why he took himself out, he simply said he was tired. That response did not take long to set off a wildfire of reactions across the sports world, and amongst both fans and media.

Just two days after the stunt was pulled, Colts head coach Shane Steichen made the decision to bench Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco as the team goes into a Week 9 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football.

This was a consequence that many had called for after not only seeing Richardson's ridiculous decision on that lone play, but also due to his inconsistent performance on the season thus far.

Also on Tuesday, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores had been asked about Richardson during his media availability, thinking that Minnesota might still end up facing the second-year quarterback (this coming before the announcement of Richardson's benching).

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores publicly defended Anthony Richardson's 'tap-out' play

Prior to getting into the juicier topic, Flores complimented Richardson on his huge arm and talked about how the Colts are in every game. He gave credit to the Colts' running back and receiver room, noting that there's a reason they are competitive in every game.

But then, Flores went on to touch on the popularly-hot topic of Richardson pulling himself out of the game.

"I know there's been a lot of talk about the play where he came out, but did you watch the play? The guy throws a 300-pounder off him, he runs around, you know, I thought it was an incredible play. I got tired watching him," Flores said.

Well, count this as a first. Over the last couple of days, there haven't been many folks who have come out and defended Richardson after the shenanigans he pulled on Sunday afternoon. Yet, that's exactly what Flores did here.

""I got tired watching him""

Flores also went on to talk about how talented he believes Richardson is.

"I think he's a very, very talented young player. He's a dangerous player," Flores said.

If there's a positive to take away from this Flores interview, it's that one of the best defensive coaches in the league, today, believes in the talent of Richardson. Hearing Flores speak highly of Richardson could very well be your typical "coach speak," but nonetheless, it could offer hope to those who question just what the Colts are doing right now.