Colts Notebook: Richardson remains in good standing despite demotion

INDIANAPOLIS — Shane Steichen again said Friday second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson remains in good standing with the Indianapolis Colts despite his demotion as the starter in favor of Joe Flacco this week.

And he said the 22-year-old understands the franchise’s reasoning behind the move.

“(W)e had a really good conversation,” the head coach said. “Me and (general manager) Chris (Ballard) sat down with him for a while, about a half hour, 40 minutes. But I’ll keep that private.”

According to a league source, the move is less about placing blame on Richardson than it is an organizational shift in philosophy.

The feeling is the quarterback was rushed onto the field too soon and must now be given a chance to develop away from the weekly pressure.

Two things were emphasized. This is not being viewed as the end for Richardson in Indianapolis, and the plan is to be more patient moving forward as the Colts attempt to unlock the quarterback’s vast potential.

Whispers of concerns over Richardson’s work ethic and/or maturity were characterized as overblown, and multiple comments from players have made it clear the locker room remains in the now back-up quarterback’s corner.

“It’s a crazy situation,” left guard Quenton Nelson, long one of Richardson’s strongest supporters, said. “And (I) still have a bunch of faith in AR and know that when he gets his next opportunity that he’s gonna do well. And I still think that there was a lot of things good he did when playing.

“He did a great job escaping pressure, evading sacks, and he also had some good throws, too.”

Richardson leads the NFL with an average of 16.2 yards per completion — the highest rate for any player with at least 100 pass attempts since 1998 — and he has four completions of 50 yards or more.

But Richardson also has completed just 44.4% of his passes and has thrown seven interceptions and fumbled the ball six times.

Steichen has repeatedly suggested he also could do a better job of putting the quarterback in better positions to succeed.

He hasn’t moved off that stance.

“I think I’ve said this before, I mean obviously, it starts with myself — doing better,” Steichen said. “Everyone’s got to do better, and I’ll consistently say that.”

It’s Flacco’s job for the foreseeable future, however, and the 39-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the offense.

His career with the Baltimore Ravens came to an end after he was benched in 2018 in favor of a rookie Lamar Jackson, who went 6-1 to finish the season and guided the team to the playoffs.

But Flacco said there’s not much anyone can tell Richardson about how to handle his own benching that will be more valuable than the lessons he gleans from experiencing it himself.

“I mean, you can listen to other people and try to see their perspective and have that help you throughout this process, but until you go through it on your own and really come out of that on the other side, it’s not until then that you really see (the benefits),” Flacco said. “So hopefully he hears this, and I think he’s got … there are positives that can come from this. You grow in so many ways from little things like this that you think are setbacks, but really they are growth opportunities that are going to propel you forward.”

INJURY REPORT

Steichen ruled out left tackle Bernhard Raimann (concussion) for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. Either rookie Matt Goncalves or second-year tackle Blake Freeland will get the job of protecting Flacco’s blindside.

Defensive end Kwity Paye (hamstring) was listed as questionable after practicing on a limited basis Thursday and Friday.

Linebacker Blake Cashman (toe) and defensive tackle Taki Taimani (ankle) were ruled out for the Vikings.

Cornerback Akayleb Evans (hip) and offensive guard Dalton Risner (back) were listed as questionable. Evans was limited Friday. Risner was a full participant all week.