2 weeks Ago By Jack Savage
It's very rare to see an NFL quarterback take himself out in the middle of a game, barring injury. It's even rarer for a 22-year-old quarterback to tap out because he is "tired." That simply doesn't happen.
Apparently it does if you're Indianapolis Colts ' quarterback, Anthony Richardson. In a 23-30 defeat at the hands of C.J.
Stroud and the Houston Texans , Richardson - the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft - made an interesting choice in a pivotal moment of the game. Late in the third quarter, facing a third-and-goal at Houston's 23, Richardson went to the sideline tapping his helmet and immediately took a knee. Colts' fans held their breath.
They've seen this movie one too many times. In Week 5 of Richardson's rookie season, he suffered a grade three AC joint sprain that required shoulder surgery, causing him to miss the majority of the year. He's already missed two games this year due to an oblique injury.
Only this time, this movie came with a twist. Richardson came out of the game, not due to injury, but due to fatigue. "I was tired," Richardson told the media after the game.
"I ain't gonna lie. That was a lot of running right there. "I didn't think I was going to be able to go that next play, so I just told Shane I just needed a break right there.
" Joe Flacco entered the game, and handed the ball off to Jonathan Taylor to set up Matt Gay’s 37-yard field goal. It was a puzzling decision for Richardson to take himself out of the game in that moment. Granted, he had scrambled around for a good bit on the previous of couple of plays, it is still an unacceptable excuse to leave the game.
Colts' head coach, Shane Steichen, didn't seem to have a problem with it. "He needed a breather," Steichen said. "He ran three times in a row and it was third and long, so we were going to hand the ball off.
” The explanation makes sense, but still doesn't make it okay. Even more so, it is perhaps something that you probably just keep to yourself, or between you and your head coach. It speaks to a lack of awareness and maturity from the 22-year-old.
A 22-year-old that was heralded as an athletic specimen and phenom when he entered the league. “Quarterbacks aren’t supposed to do that," The Athletic's Zak Keefer noted when watching Richardson's Florida tape. “Well, quarterbacks aren’t supposed to look like this and do that.
" Richardson oozes all the physical traits, but hasn't yet quite put it all together. And now he's taking himself out of games. Colts fans sure don't like seeing that.
Especially the biggest Colts fan (and legendary former punter) with the biggest platform. Pat McAfee took to X , to post his thoughts on what Richardson had to say. "I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson.
The QB is your franchise. The message it sends is loud and influential." The message was loud, but the Colts are still very much in the postseason hunt at 4-4.
It will be up to Richardson and his conditioning to see how far the Colts can go. talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, join us on Monday night for live coverage on talkSPORT2 of the New York Giants visit to Pittsburgh Steelers Catch up on the latest from around the NFL with our dedicated YouTube channel - the latest episode of our weekly 'Rundown' show.
