A Night of Ups and Downs
[Richardson’s] odds of being a boom-or-bust QB are likely high…
The Indianapolis Colts completed their 2024 NFL preseason on Thursday night with a 27-14 win over Cincinnati. But all anyone wants to talk about is second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson after an inconsistent showing.
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Kirk Herbstreit was on the call for Amazon Prime Video, and he opened the third quarter with a doozy when he suggested the Colts could have a quarterback controversy if Richardson struggles while they have Joe Flacco, last year’s Comeback Player of the Year, waiting to take over.
Early in the second half, Kirk Herbstreit speculated on a possible QB conflict in Indianapolis between Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco.pic.twitter.com/AxTlnuRy4H
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 23, 2024
My gut says Herbstreit still sounds unnatural when calling NFL games instead of college football, and he was likely just fishing for some excitement and maybe starting some NFL rumors by throwing this Richardson scenario out there.
However, there is a legitimate concern that we still know so little about Richardson’s ability, and it makes it hard to predict what kind of season the team will have. The Flacco angle is also valid as he could excel in coach Shane Steichen’s offense that still had success with Gardner Minshew replacing an injured Richardson in 2023.
The craziest part is the Colts could have avoided this NFL news had they just pulled Richardson after a great opening drive.
Richardson vs Bengals
The Anthony Richardson stats on Thursday’s (likely scripted) opening drive were great as he was 7-of-8 for 65 yards and a touchdown:
The @Colts opening drive 🔥
Anthony Richardson goes 7/8 for 65 yards and finds rookie WR Adonai Mitchell for the TD! pic.twitter.com/Bp3IvzZEX1
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2024
Had the Colts benched him right there, you’d say he was going into Week 1 with some confidence and hope. But maybe this is the problem with barely playing Richardson in the first preseason game, and then not playing him at all in Week 2. You like to see your starters get some work in these games, so the Colts put him back out there following that drive.
What happened next was rough as Richardson was off with his tight end, which resulted in an easy pick-six for Cincinnati:
.@JordanMBattle with the pick-six 😏
📺: #CINvsIND on Prime Video pic.twitter.com/ivXKQDFWzp
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 23, 2024
He came out for a couple of three-and-outs after missing more throws, then nearly lost the ball on a strip-sack that killed the drive and mercifully ended Richardson’s night.
Richardson Is a Wild Card
Look, Richardson was the definition of a raw prospect from Florida where he only threw 393 passes. He showed this inconsistent play as a rookie with the 2023 Colts, but there were also flashes of potential with big passing plays and great mobility.
Anthony Richardson is so much fun, evades only the greatest defensive player in football for the score. pic.twitter.com/HQTuD1iMk1
— Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) October 2, 2023
His odds of being a boom-or-bust QB are likely high, but injuries are still the main concern for him. In four appearances last year, Richardson only played 100% of the snaps once. The Colts lost both games he mostly played and won both games he missed most of the snaps from. Not ideal.
Steichen did an admirable job with so many backups last year, but they have to stick with Richardson, a No. 4 pick, even if he has inconsistent weeks like Herbstreit mused about.
But if he really is this snakebitten at picking up injuries, then chances are we see Flacco on the field at some point this year. Then it does get very interesting if Flacco plays well like he did for Cleveland. Do you stick with the hot hand or bring the inconsistent Richardson back?
For the Colts, they better hope Richardson stays healthy and avoids these questions or it will be a long season.
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