Colts reported reasoning for benching Anthony Richardson is indictment of the franchise

The Indianapolis Colts will start Joe Flacco at quarterback on Sunday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. Shane Steichen, we'd all agree, is a very talented offensive play-caller. Flacco, even at 39 years old, is clearly Indy's best option under center in a vacuum. So, why are folks so upset about this?

Well, because football is not played in a vacuum. The Colts need to be thinking about the short and long-term implications of every decision. Flacco's start comes at the expense of 22-year-old NFL sophomore Anthony Richardson, who was benched after 10 career starts.

It has been a challenging campaign for Richardson, whose 44.4 percent completion rate is almost Westbrookian. After missing a large chunk of his rookie season with a shoulder ailment, it's clear that Richardson is not up to speed for his second go-around. For all the electrifying flashes, Richardson's processing speed and decision-making just isn't where it needs to be for an NFL quarterback.

Here's the thing, though. He's 22. He has 10 starts under his belt. Of course Richardson isn't up to speed, nor should he need to be. The Colts are a woefully average team. This is not a Super Bowl contender. What's the rush to the middle of the road when there's a one-percent athlete that is more than worthy of your patient development?

The Colts' decision to bench Richardson, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, was rooted primarily in his lack of polish.

"As for second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, I get the same answer when I ask people in the know about the benching -- that it wasn't just one thing. The tap-out play against the Texans in Week 8 was not a deciding factor, though it couldn't have helped his cause. Talking to opposing coaches who have played the Colts, they agree Richardson had trouble seeing the field and mastering the position, forcing Indy into a near-inevitable call. He has completed just 44.4% of his passes this season. Still, Richardson is an immense talent, and the Colts' sentiment that this isn't the end for him in Indy does feel genuine."

Colts don't have a good reason for benching Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco

The Colts are yanking the plug on Richardson in hopes that Flacco can break .500 and put the Colts in a Wild Card slot. That's what is happening here. The Colts are pushing in all their chips on the presence, hoping that Richardson adjusts amicably to life as the backup.

It's not that quarterbacks can't develop from the sidelines — that was once the standard practice with highly touted QBs — but the Colts were clearly dead set on making Richardson work, right up until he hit a mild rough patch 10 games into his career. Lest we forget, Richardson completed 59.5 percent of his passes last season and only threw one interception through four starts before the injury.

This sophomore slump is not Richardson's norm. He has a lot to work on fundamentally, but the raw talent is off the charts. He has one of the strongest arms in the sport and he's electric in the open field, capable of making tacklers miss like Derrick Henry. The dude is 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, improvising outside the pocket, breaking off long scrambles up the sideline, and muscling through tackles for the extra yard. He needs to play smarter at times, more within himself, but Richardson's peak far exceeds what Flacco can provide at this stage of his career. It's a shame that Indianapolis won't see if Richardson can achieve that peak.

Odds are, Flacco will help Indy win a few more games this season and remain competitive in the AFC South. But does that matter? The Colts aren't winning a Super Bowl. Is there much glory is getting bounced by Kansas City in the first round? One might argue that it's worth taking a few extra L's to get more reps under Richardson's belt. The best teacher is a live game, especially when the alternative is nuking your first-round pick's confidence and casting a dark cloud over the entire fandom.