The Indianapolis Colts named Anthony Richardson the starting quarterback on Wednesday, just two weeks after benching the second-year signal caller after he tapped out of a game against the Houston Texans because he "was tired."
Head coach Shane Steichen made the surprising announcement ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets and faced a number of questions over the sudden about-face.
"It’s the attention to detail in everything he does. From the classrooms, to the walkthroughs, to practice, to the weight room — all those little things, right, it’s just gotta be at a higher standard. And that’s what was talked about and that’s where we went with it," Steichen said of his initial talks with Richardson.
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"So that was discussed with him two weeks ago, and those were the conversations that took place, and over the last two weeks, he’s made strides in those areas — big-time strides, becoming a pro’s pro. And is he a finished product? No, he’s not, and 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."
Steichen added that the goal was always to bring Richardson back into the starting role, despite announcing that Flacco would be Sunday’s starter only two days earlier. He said the plan is to have Richardson remain the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
"We’ve never lost faith or belief in him and his abilities. And he’s shown strides, he really has. And with that being said, he will be our starter again."
Steichen was questioned about the initial decision to bench Richardson, specifically if it was in relation to showing up late or a lack of effort. He said it was simply a matter of bringing it to "another level."
Steichen said the organization sees Richardson as their franchise quarterback, but his journey with the Colts has been anything but a dream.
After getting drafted with the No. 4 overall pick, Richardson missed his third NFL start due to a concussion. Just two games later, he would suffer a season-ending shoulder injury.
This season, he started the first four games of the year but missed two with a hip injury. He would return for two more starts before eventually getting benched.
"I just showed I'm willing to be a pro. I'm willing to sacrifice anything I need to do for the team," Richardson said Wednesday. "I feel that these past two weeks have definitely opened my eyes and allowed me to do that and do a deeper dive and look into myself and see what I'm made of, so I'm thankful for these past two weeks, and I'm real glad to have it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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