Joe Flacco is Elite: Anthony Richardson Has Been Wally Pipped By 39-Year Old Joe Flacco

Anthony Richardson left the game in the first quarter with a hip (and head?) injury. He was replaced by Joe Flacco. Joe Flacco won the game. Barstool Sports is selling the shirt once again. This time in blue. Buy the shirt.

The "controversy" (if you want to call it that), surrounding Anthony Richardson's injury, has to do with the Colts' play calling. Anthony Richardson initially left the game after suffering a hip injury following a long run.

He left the game limping. When he returned to the field, he was still noticeably favoring his hip. But the Colts said, "Fuck it. We're going to keep running this guy."

Part of me thinks the Colts coaching staff said to themselves, "Well, the only way this guy is going to be effective for us is if he can run the ball. So we're going to make him run the ball. If his body holds up, then we might have something. But if his body can't handle it, then we have to go the Flacco direction."

If I was being cynical, I would say that the coaches didn't want to shoulder the load of benching Anthony Richardson, so they just ran his ass until he hurt himself and the decision was made for them. 

I think it's much more likely they thought they would catch the Steelers off-guard by running a QB fresh off a hip injury, but who am I to say. Regardless, I think everybody in that building knows that the Colts' best chance of winning this season is with Joe Flacco. You could see it the moment Flacco took over. Receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs immediately started to shine as players who are more than just the occasional deep pass downfield. The Colts went from an offense where every drive was essentially, "Anthony Richardson hits a 60-yard bomb or bust". To an offense that could actually execute simple 5-10 yard pass plays and matriculate down the field like a normal NFL offense is supposed to be able to do.

Awesome win for the Colts. Their rush defense appears to have turned a corner. Facing the Chicago Bears in Week 3 is a great remedy for a struggling defense. Maybe the Colts D being able singlehandedly win a game over the Bears was exactly what they needed to get their swagger back.

But back to Anthony Richardson. Anthony Richardson continues on his trajectory of being the most electric bust in the history of football. If I'm forgetting somebody else, please let me know. But never do I remember a quarterback who had so many, "Holy shit this guy is incredible", and "Holy shit this guy might be the worst QB in NFL history" moments in such a short period of time. 

On one hand, it would be extremely shortsighted to give up on Anthony Richardson already. He's played less than half-a-season's worth of games. Despite this being his second season, Anthony Richardson is still the 2nd youngest QB in the NFL (Drake Make is the only other QB who is 22 years old). 

In my opinion, if I'm the Colts, I think you keep Anthony Richardson as a backup for the next few years. Following his injury today, the man did everything right. He came sprinting back out of the tunnel. He tried to convince the coaches he was good to go. But when he was told no, and that Joe Flacco was the guy, instead of pouting for the rest of the game, he was the #1 cheerleader on the sideline. The guy is a team player. He might fucking suck at quarterback. But the Colts have a solid team right now. You might as well keep him around for a year or two, plug in a few experienced QB's, and let the guy learn a bit. Maybe eventually he'll grow into a real NFL QB. 

Or maybe not. But it doesn't hurt to try.