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While discussing why the Indianapolis Colts made the correct decision in benching Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco on social media, Robert Griffin III made a pretty bold statement about quarterbacks like Joe Flacco: teams don't want to sign highly successful backup quarterbacks.
Wait what? What does that even mean? Well, the former second-overall pick discussed just that, letting fans know that if teams don't have a truly elite option under center, they might avoid subjecting themselves to unnecessary drama.
“Well I'll be d**ned, the Indianapolis Colts just benched Anthony Richardson. I mean, none of us are really surprised because he has been playing like poo queso, but that's not the point. He's supposed to be their future and they just put him on lawaway. This Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco situation is exactly why NFL teams do not want an accomplished starter on their roster behind a young guy or a struggling starter,” RGIII explained.
“The microwave sports society that we live in today puts pressure on the coach to win now. The bottom line is it's a lot easier to allow a guy to develop on-the-job or work through his struggles when the backup hasn't won any awards, hasn't won any Super Bowls, or played meaningful football with success because at any level of football, when things don't go right, the backup quarterback is the favorite player on the team, and dang sure for the fans.”
Wait, teams actually avoid signing highly successful backup quarterbacks because they are worried about how it will sit with fans and ownership groups should a starter struggle? RGIII had plenty more to say on the subject, including some very interesting inside from a man who has spent a solid portion of his career as a reserve.
RGIII blames Anthony Richardson for giving Joe Flacco the ball
Discussing the matter further, RGIII noted that while Flacco's presence certainly influenced the Colts' decision-making, Richardson's play ultimately cost him his starting spot, as he tapped himself out, not the other way around.
“It's a lot easier for the team and the coach to handle the situation if the backup quarterback is Cooper Rush, not Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Yes, at any time a coach could just perfer the backup quarterback and Anthony Richardson becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to tap himself out of a football game because he was tired certainly didn't help,” RGIII declared.
“But ultimately, the Indianapolis Colts invested so much into Anthony Richardson, it's very clear and obvious that they would not be making this decision to bench him if Uncle Rico was their backup QB, no offense to Uncle Rico. They certainly wouldn't be making this decision if Anthony Richardson hadn't tapped himself out of that ball game, and they certainly wouldn't be making this decision if they didn't understand the ramifications of what this does to AR's credibility in the locker room. But they don't have to worry about that because Anthony Richardson eroded that all by himself last week.”
Would Richardson be on the bench if Flacco was swapped out with Tim Boyle? No, it's safe to say he would still be on the field for Week 9 and would be on the field for the rest of the season, barring injury. But because Flacco already showed he could run the offense better than Richardson in 2024, his decision to consciously take a step out of the game made Shane Steichian's decision a whole lot easier, especially since Jim Irsey was pushing for it, too.
