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Former Florida Gators QB Benched for Fossil Flacco by Colts

The once promising QB prospect for the Florida Gators has now been benched in favor of a Super Bowl MVP turned journeyman

Harrison Smajovits

Former Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson has been benched in favor of Joe Flacco
Former Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson has been benched in favor of Joe Flacco / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Former Florida Gators and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has been benched in favor of veteran Joe Flacco. 

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Colts coaching staff made the decision after a meeting Tuesday morning.

This decision comes just two days after Richardson pulled himself out of Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans because he “was tired.” 

Colts' head coach said on Monday that this would not have an influence on where the the team went going forward. Though, it’s hard to imagine that it didn’t. It’s a very peculiar situation to be in. However, his performance wasn’t helping his case to remain the starter to begin with.

Richardson went 10-of-32 (31.3%) for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the 23-20 loss. 

In four games this season, Flacco has completed 65.7% of his passes and had seven touchdowns to just one interception.

He hasn’t been any better during the season. Richardson has completed just 59 of his 133 pass attempts (44.4%) so far this season with four touchdowns to seven picks and 958 passing yards. Heading into the game on Oct. 27, he hadn’t had a touchdown pass in over a month. 

Now, he’s had some fantastic highlights mixed in there. Even against the Texans, he had a 69-yard touchdown pass.

When he completes a pass, he makes it count - especially when it’s a deep ball. But that’s it, and these moments just aren’t enough. 

Richardson was the fourth-overall pick out of UF less than 18 months ago. In his four games last season, he looked like he had the promise to take a step forward. He completed 59.4% of his passes for 577 yards with three touchdowns to one interception.  This was while battling injuries, mind you.

In many ways, the Colts drafting Richardson was a gamble that isn’t paying off. He didn’t have a lot of experience as a starter at Florida. He has one full season under his belt and along being thrown to wolves at times when Emory Jones was struggling. 

When you’re projected to be a top pick in the draft, you gotta go. A lot of money is being left on the table if you stay in school. But from a developmental standpoint, he needed more time. He was drafted purely on potential - the dude is a stellar athlete and had a lot of hype when he came to Gainesville. 

He just hasn’t had many chances to work on being a more accurate passer and improving his ability to read a defense. In his only full season as a college starter, he completed just 53.8% of his passes and had 17 touchdowns to nine interceptions. On top of that, he had nine rushing touchdowns. The passing aspect of his game just wasn’t ready yet. It could have been, but he hasn’t had the time to develop. 

Now, the Colts have made what could be a franchise-altering decision. The almost 40-year-old QB, albeit a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP, is now considered a safer bet than the 22-year-old in his sophomore. They aren’t quitting on Richardson, but they’re starting to question if he can be their guy. 

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Harrison Smajovits
HARRISON SMAJOVITS

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