Colts' Anthony Richardson 'Thankful' for Benching, Renewed Opportunity

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is back in the starting lineup and plans to stay there.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen shocked the football world when he benched starting quarterback Anthony Richardson in favor of veteran backup Joe Flacco.

The move was made after a poor showing from Richardson against the Houston Texans that included the second-year quarterback tapping out before a third-and-goal play because he was "tired." Flacco gave the Colts the best chance to win now, Steichen said, and would allow Richardson to reset.

Two weeks after Steichen announced the quarterback switch, the Colts' head coach is ready to give the keys back to the kid they took with the No.4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

"I've said the process, the process, for a long time and what I mean by that – it's the attention to detail in everything (Richardson) does," Steichen said. "From the classrooms to the walkthroughs to practice to the weight room, all those little things – it’s just got to be at a higher standard. That’s what was talked about and that's where we went with it. So that was discussed with him two weeks ago and those are the conversations that took place.

"Over the last two weeks, he's made strides in those areas, big-time strides becoming a pro’s pro. Is he a finished product? No, he's not. It's my job to help him get there, along with the rest of the coaching staff, but he's a hell of a talent. Like I’ve said, we've never lost faith or belief in him and his abilities. He's shown strides, he really has. With that being said, he will be our starter again. He's going to start this week. He's going to start the rest of the season and we're going to go from there."

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass against the Houston Texans in the second half at NRG Stadium. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Richardson will command the Colts' offense when Indy takes the field against the New York Jets. The benching was a wake-up call for Richardson, who did not know if he would have the opportunity to start another game for the Colts.

But Richardson took the benching as a teaching moment, going back to the drawing board and working to prove he understood what it meant to be a pro and a franchise quarterback.

“Just show that I'm willing to be a pro and I'm willing to sacrifice anything that I need to do for the team," Richardson admitted. "I feel like these past two weeks, it's definitely opened my eyes and allowed me to have the opportunity to do that and just take a deeper dive and look into myself and see what I'm really made of. So, I'm thankful for these past two weeks and I'm lowkey glad it happened.”

Steichen and the Colts wanted to see more from Richardson in everything he did. The best quarterbacks in the NFL have an intense work ethic that supersedes anyone else in the locker room. Attention to detail has to be present in every aspect of the day-to-day work.

That attention to detail is what Richardson was lacking. Learning how to be a pro during the week and what all that entails as a franchise quarterback is what the 22-year-old Richardson is actively trying to accomplish.

"I'm new to this. I'm still new to this. I'm still learning information," Richardson said candidly. "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 are always more things to sacrifice – like time and stuff like that. So just being a pro and just learning more about that. I’m glad Shane gave me the opportunity to do so.”

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Richardson has also taken these past two weeks to focus on consistency in his work on and off the field. While much of the attention has been put on how the quarterback is improving with his play, the Colts wanted to see improvement in his preparation.

Since the benching, Richardson has been more meticulous with his film study and in the meeting rooms, staying an active participant despite not seeing the field. Now that he is back on the field as the starter, that same attention to detail not only needs to be there but taken to even another level.

"I've been working on consistency," Richardson remarked. "That's always been a thing of mine. Just trying to perfect that and just get better at that. Just being consistent in all aspects. But this week, and the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to focus on sacrificing more. The guys asked me to do certain things – even if I didn't feel like doing it man, you got to do it because it's sacrifice, and they are doing it. So, why not do it?”

That sacrifice of spending more time in the building with film study, in the weight room, on the practice field, and all around preparation is needed from a franchise quarterback. Richardson did not know if he would ever get the opportunity to prove he could be a franchise quarterback for the Colts ever again. While the Colts never gave up on Richardson, it would be up to him whether he earned another chance at the starting job.

The benching forced Richardson to look in the mirror and examine the areas he lacked in preparation and attention to detail. If he was ever going to reach the field again, those changes needed to be made.

The Colts now feel like Richardson gets it and is doing the things necessary for him to be successful.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) talks with Indianapolis Colts Shane Steichen on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Christine Tannous/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

“As a competitor, you never want to just be on the sideline," Richardson explained. "You always feel like there's an opportunity for you to go out there and help the team. But just sitting on the sideline, it just allowed me to just look and see the certain things I could correct about myself – certain things that the team needed help with and I'm just forever grateful for the opportunity. I'm glad that Shane felt like I'm the guy once again.”

Through the benching, Richardson never lost the faith of the locker room. He never lost the faith of the coaching staff and front office. And Richardson never lost faith in Steichen, knowing that even though it was not what he wanted, his head coach had decided to bench him with his best interests at heart.

Meanwhile, Steichen took a large amount of criticism in the media and by fans for putting the young quarterback on the shelf. The ambiguity of the situation caused numerous rumors to run wild and frustration amongst a fanbase that felt they had been lied to. Some are still holding out on completely trusting Steichen and the organization for how they handled these unique circumstances.

But winning cures a lot of things. If Steichen's decision to return to Richardson leads to a more focused and successful quarterback that can bring home wins and keep the Colts in the thick of the playoff hunt, much will be forgiven.

For Richardson, all that is on his mind is doing whatever he can for his team to win football games.

"The only thing I'm willing to prove now is just like, I'm willing to be the guy for this team," Richardson stated. "Anything they need from me, anything they ask of me, I’m going to try to do it the best way I can. Whether that's leadership, note taking, meetings, play style – anything that they need from me, I’m willing to do that and showcase that for the team and for the fan base because we all are trying to win and that’s the goal.”

Richardson is back in the starting lineup for the Colts after receiving the message loud and clear that what he was doing previously was not up to the standard. With Richardson now working to not only meet but exceed that standard, time will tell if the benching ends up being the turning point for a successful career as the Colts' franchise quarterback.

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