Colts' Flacco on Becoming Starter: 'I've Been Doing This a Long Time'

Joe Flacco discusses the move to starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) reacts after the Colts defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-17 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts shocked the football world on Tuesday by announcing the move to bench 22-year-old former first-round pick Anthony Richardson in favor of 39-year-old veteran Joe Flacco.

The Colts are coming off of their third divisional loss of the season and are currently two games out of first place in the AFC South following the loss to the Houston Texans. At 4-4 with a crucial stretch of games upcoming, the team has decided to forgo the developmental project of Richardson in order to focus on winning more games right now.

Head coach Shane Steichen was adamant that this move is not a one week punishment for Richardson and that Flacco will be the team's starting quarterback for the rest of the season "right now." Obviously that is subject to change if Flacco struggles over the next month, but it is very likely that we have seen the last of Richardson starting for the Colts in 2024 (and maybe in general).

Flacco, the Colts' new starter at quarterback, had this to say about the monumental move:

Listen, I've been doing this for a long time. I'm just going to go out there and play my game and do the best I can to elevate everybody and give them confidence. I'm just gonna do my thing like I have... I've already played a couple games this year so I think everybody knows what to expect and we can just roll right into it.

- Joe Flacco

Colts HC Shane Steichen clarified that Joe Flacco is Indianapolis’ starting QB “going forward”. This is not an experiment. pic.twitter.com/WvyuQEgpER

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2024

Flacco has unequivocally outperformed Richardson as a passer this season, albeit against slightly easier competition. Flacco has thrown for 716 yards, seven touchdowns, and just one interception in games started against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans (along with logging snaps in clean-up duty against the Pittsburgh Steelers). He also ranks as the second-best quarterback in the NFL in EPA per play on third down this season (whereas Richardson was the worst among 51 qualifying players).

Flacco will certainly get the passing game moving a bit better for the Colts the rest of the season but is that worth tossing aside the development project of a 22 year old super athlete? Time will only tell if the Colts' decision to pass on the future in favor of better immediate results will bite them in the butt like so many decisions in recent memory have.

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