Anthony Richardson’s Indianapolis Colts teammates speak out about benching

When Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen was asked if the decision to bench quarterback Anthony Richardson was unanimous in the locker room, he couldn’t answer.

“I can’t speak for our team,” Steichen said.

Luckily, many of Richardson’s teammates were asked what they thought about him being benched and veteran Joe Flacco in the starting lineup. Here are comments from various Colts players for the week and the key takeaways.

What’s next for the Colts? Don’t miss any news and analytics! Take a second and Sign up for our free newsletter and get the latest Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

QB Joe Flacco “I know that when I was so young, there was no chance that I would have the perspective and just the right head on my shoulders to deal with it and accept it in the right way. But now that I’m 17, So if you can give him any of this in terms of fairness, it shouldn’t be a negative thing, there could be a lot of positive things on his part. this.

“Like I said, he’s very young, he has a bright future, and there are a lot of guys who come into this league and don’t play right away. And like I said, if I was as young as him, I wouldn’t have taken it the right way, right away. But I do believe that I have a lot of positives. Look, there’s a bunch of guys in the league who didn’t play right when they came into the league but got a second or third chance as they kind of matured and grew a little bit.

“I think there are a lot of benefits to being able to step back a little bit and observe from a distance and learn and do those things. The whole point of the thought process, at least a little, is to try to help him.”

RB Jonathan Taylor “Of course I was surprised, but I just realized that this is a difficult business, so there will be a lot of adversity. Everyone, every person will face adversity, but in the end… .. Just let him know: “Look, you have to stay the course. You have to be able to change your routine where necessary, but still show up and be professional every day, every day.” and every week.” This will help you go far in this business.”

WR Michael Pittman Jr. “Obviously it was kind of a shock. This took me by surprise. And that’s the good and bad thing about football: there’s opportunity for everyone and I don’t think that’s over. I think he’ll come back better after this… The way he reacts to things, I think he’s doing the right thing. He showed up here early and did everything he did before he heard the news. It’s just a testament to who he is. is, and he will continue to work at it, even if it is hard.”

WR Josh Downes – Yes, a little surprised, of course. I don’t… I don’t know. They made this decision, so the coaches can only trust. But yeah, I just felt bad for 5 years… After all, Joe is about 40 years old. So I would say he still has a lot of years left. AR is 22 or 23. He’s still the No. 4 overall pick and he’ll just learn from it and get better. So, I know he’s going to start again.”

WR Alec Pierce – “He is 22 years old. I think he will be in the league for a long time. He will have a long career. Just take it as a chance to relax and learn from some things, kind of let it slow down a little. It’s certainly frustrating, but I think he understands that this is part of his journey and it will make him a better person in the end.”

G Quenton Nelson “And I still do that (playing for Richardson). It’s just a crazy situation and I still believe in AR and know that when he gets his next opportunity he will do well. I still think He did a lot of good things there during the game. He handled pressure well, dodged sacks, and had good throws… Yeah, I was surprised.”

WITH Ryan Kelly “I was a little surprised. Shane warned me, so I respect him for that. I think it was a good courtesy call. Although it’s always tough when you make changes like that during the season… I think AR handled it as well as it could.

DT DeForest Buckner “Obviously, it’s difficult in such situations. Obviously, this requires a lot of thought and discussion. … I made it clear to AR that despite the situation, the guys always supported him and we are always there for him, I just told him that you should use this moment as a growth experience and continue to develop as a defender and a leader, and also, I mean, just don’t let that moment define him as a player, as a player. Human.”

LB Zaire Franklin “I mean, the reality of the situation is that unfortunately, this is part of his journey, part of his process. You know, I called him and talked to him yesterday when the news came out or whatever, and obviously I know he’s very upset about it, but he’s a professional and a great teammate. So, I know he’s going to keep going and doing whatever he can to help his team win.

“I still believe he is the future of this team. I know this sounds crazy to everyone right now, but I still truly believe he is the future of the Indianapolis Colts. It’s hard. I wouldn’t say he lost the locker room at all. I mean, look, he’s a young player who made mistakes and we knew we needed to grow with him.

“So, the things that he was struggling with or trying to work on at the time were things that we all understood, especially on the defensive side of the ball. So I would never say it was a loss of confidence because we knew he would have ups and downs in everything as he became the face of the franchise.”

KB Kenny Moore II – “Stay persistent. I wrote AR every time I learned about everything from the media. I just told him that I support him. I fully support him. Whenever he gets a chance again, just make the most of it.” »

Takeaway

The universal reaction in the dressing room when they heard the news was one of shock. It still seems strange that the change was not announced to the team and most had to find out about it through social media. However, it didn’t take long for the players to hear that Richardson had been benched.

If Richardson has lost the Colts’ locker room, his teammates are doing a good job of hiding it. All of his teammates who have spoken publicly on the issue have vowed that they still support Richardson and believe this is not the end of the road. Franklin was especially confident that Richardson would remain the future at Indy’s quarterback position.

The two players who seemed most frustrated were Downs and Nelson. Downs has grown incredibly close with Richardson since the two were drafted in the spring of 2023. Nelson has repeatedly advocated for his quarterback and has been one of Richardson’s staunchest supporters. Both will continue to support Richardson as he steps into this new role.

While Flacco may be the quarterback leading this team for now, Richardson, who projects to be the Colts’ franchise quarterback for years to come, is still the perfect ending to this entire saga. His teammates certainly aren’t giving up on what the young defenseman can become. Let’s see if this belief turns into reality in the future.

Want more Colts content? Watch the latest episode of the series Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook And Xand subscribe to YouTube for several live Colts podcasts a week.