The
Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback carousel of the past half-decade has reached its latest installment with the competition between 2023 fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson and free-agent signee Daniel Jones. With double-digit quarterbacks serving as band-aids since
Andrew Luck‘s untimely retirement ahead of the 2019 season, general manager
Chris Ballard’s efforts to right the ship have continuously fallen short.
After consecutive offseasons of bringing in aging veterans and/or reclamation projects at the sport’s most vital position, Ballard and Co. finally elected to start over by way of drafting a quarterback in the first round. Though, of course, Ballard’s persistence to keep the band together — the same team that was bad enough to have a top 5 draft selection — forced this rebuild into a retooling of sorts and thus, expediting
Anthony Richardson’s college-to-pros roadmap and eventually dealing more harm than help.
The Colts had brought in veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew to pair him alongside whichever young gun they may draft in the coming months. As the board fell, Richardson wound up a Colt, and so far at least, the rest is history.
Richardson’s inexperience, shortcomings, and overall rawness as a prospect offered more questions than answers from the jump. It was clear from day one that he’d be a work-in-progress to the likes of this league had never seen in such a high draft pick, and the Colts — from coaches to management to ownership — knew this.
From the beginning and from the top, the late great
Jim Irsay joined Pat McAfee’s show to prove they were understanding of the project at hand. “For Anthony Richardson, it’s going to be tough. We know that,” Irsay told McAfee. “But he has to play to get better. I mean, there’s no question. Gardner [Minshew] could come out and obviously play better early on just being a veteran, but we have to get Anthony on the field. That’s Shane [Steichen’s] call when he decides to do it.”
So immediately, we learn that all parties involved are on the same page. Jim Irsay and Chris Ballard were amidst a pivot for the regime, and such a move began with an overhaul of the coaching staff, most notably beginning with the addition of
Shane Steichen to relieve his predecessor, Frank Reich, of his duties. Steichen was a first-time head coach, and his track record in developing young quarterbacks proved to be an intriguing floor-setter going into the offseason, given the draft class had numerous playstyles and makeups to choose from. Not to mention, Steichen’s then-recent success with Jalen Hurts had cleared up the vision even more once Richardson was drafted.
Before continuing, it’s important to note that Anthony Richardson is by no means absolved of his shortcomings as an NFL player thus far. Although he was an unprecedented project that required gentle care, Richardson, too, could’ve done more to solidify himself as the team’s face of the franchise. He’s since admitted such himself, but this is more to pinpoint how and why the Colts failed Richardson; it’s not meant to provide a definitive answer to the entire saga in question.
With that being said, considering that the plan was in place, where did this experiment all go wrong, and where does the blame lie? For starters, you don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you this, but this experience was doomed from the beginning. That’s not to suggest that with the help of hindsight bias, Richardson should’ve never been drafted in the first place, but the subsequent development plan (or lack thereof) that followed doomed the young quarterback’s rookie contract before it could start.
Some revisionist history helps to see the light, and perhaps pushing him to start as early as they did was the only way they’d learn of such inadequacies behind the scenes, but given that Anthony Richardson has been revealed to have
some maturity issues — a likely thing for a freshly-turned 21-year-old to suffer from — in the seasons since, it begs to question why he was ever given the job in the first place, aside from the much-discussed fact at the time that he needed reps.
And if that was indeed the sole reason he anointed Richardson as the starter, it shows the move of an inexperienced coach. An ironic unfolding that the inexperienced coach let down the inexperienced prospect, and vice versa, though it’s almost poetic. Perhaps the only way either of them could evolve into the best version of themselves required such a lackluster start that resulted in finding success elsewhere.
How it all fell apart is threefold, a misstep from each party involved (there are multiple from each throughout the era but sticking to one that stands out a bit more than the others):
- Jim Irsay should’ve began anew and cut ties with the Ballard regime ahead of the 2023 season
- Chris Ballard should’ve chosen a more experienced HC to wade the waters of such a responsibility; OR not ran the ‘playoff-ready’ roster back to therefore put pressure on your rookie HC/QB + organization
- Shane Steichen should’ve sat Anthony Richardson from the start
As previously stated, it’s easy to say what should have happened with the help of hindsight bias, but it’s a bit clearer now. At least now it makes sense how such dysfunction can seemingly multiply over a short timeframe. You’ve also got to keep in mind that the pressure garnered from the years following Luck’s retirement only exacerbated the urge to turn it around.
Ballard treated his second term of sorts, which restarted in 2023, as if he truly were on the hot seat when, in reality, drafting Richardson, or any quarterback for that matter, essentially reset his clock. It was Steichen’s decision to start Richardson as a rookie, but it’s hard to argue that he didn’t feel pressure to do so. Even Ballard was questioned this very thing regarding him and ownership earlier today, and he was vehemently disgusted at that being a possibility — he was very adamant that Irsay was hands off in that regard, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
We’ve just kicked off year three of the Anthony Richardson experience. In the time since he was drafted, Richardson has posted a career 50.6 completion percentage, has missed 57% of possible games played, and was just recently benched for the second time.
When it comes to the quarterback competition, Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen are simply not in a position to forfeit wins to allocate time and resources to Richardson’s development. As true as it is that Richardson has improved on the gridiron, even if marginally in some areas, the rest of his portfolio isn’t at a level worth betting on over Daniel Jones, or so that’s what Ballard and Steichen’s jobs depend upon, at least.
It’s more evident than ever that the Colts are just as fed up as the fanbase when it comes to answering questions on the never-ending quarterback instability in Indianapolis. Shane Steichen continues to master the art of deflection in his media availability via coach speak, whereas Chris Ballard, for example, was visibly annoyed that
his press conference began earlier today with several straight questions about the quarterbacks. I get both sides of the argument. Ballard is both annoyed and genuinely wants to showcase players on the bottom of the depth chart, whereas the media and fans alike want answers to this closed-down rollercoaster ride.
As far as where we’re at in the Anthony Richardson experiment in Indianapolis, it’s not over, but it’s hanging on by a thread. Ballard confirmed today in his presser that the team will not be shopping Richardson, so he’ll remain a Colt for at least the 2025-26 season. It remains to be seen whether the trio of Ballard, Steichen, and Richardson is indeed a package deal like it was conveyed back when they were brought together in the 2023 offseason, but it almost feels like Ballard’s last shot at righting the ship includes an effort to salvage all parties involved.
When asked earlier today what a long-term plan for Anthony Richardson even looks like after such an uninspiring start to his career, Chris Ballard
went on a 2-minute father-to-son-like spiel that concluded with the nitty-gritty.
“There’s two ways you can handle this: you can go in the dumps or you can accept the challenge,” Ballard said to Richardson through the screen. “Accept the challenge to keep getting better, be prepared, continue to work on your fundamentals, continue to work on the daily game planning has to happen as a quarterback. To collaborate with the other quarterbacks in your game planning, and then being ready to go because you’re one snap away — and that’s real. It’s about daily work and doing it without the pressure of being the starter.”
So yes, Richardson is still not where he needs to be as far as operating as the CEO goes, but he’s inching that way after going the opposite direction entirely last year. He’s got a ways to go, as evidenced by losing the job entering his third season, but at least he’s shown legitimate growth.
It’s clear as day, especially with Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Co. now manning the ship, that Chris Ballard’s seat is as warm as ever entering the season. With their backs against the wall in every proverbial way, Ballard and Steichen likely need to make the playoffs and/or win the AFC South to give themselves a fighting chance to return to Indianapolis. Even if people disagree with Steichen and Co.‘s analysis that
Daniel Jones gives the Colts their best chance to win this year, those in charge have to go with what they feel is the best option.
The process may prove to be as broken as it’s been in years past, but Ballard has undeniably altered operations as a last-ditch effort. He has been the most aggressive during his entire Colts tenure in this offseason and has even shown to forgo some of the loyalty that came back to bite him previously.
Perhaps it’ll all be for nothing, but a plan has at least been realized, regardless of whether it was birthed from trying times. Ironically, the Colts are quite literally back at square one with another reclamation project starting and his hopeful successor waiting in the wings. Even though it’s long overdue, this season now allows Anthony Richardson a full season of health and instruction, something he’s yet to be afforded during his career playing the sport. This could very well end disastrously, though at least there seems to be an avenue where each party can rebound, even if that means said success would be found elsewhere following the season.
(@QB1TATT00) 
