<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/colts-news-joe-flacco-brutally-honest-on-benching');   ga('set', 'title', 'Colts’ Joe Flacco gets brutally honest on benching');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Colts-news-Joe-Flacco-gets-brutally-honest-on-benching.jpg"></figure><h1>Colts’ Joe Flacco gets brutally honest on benching</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-14T08:11:13-08:00">November 14th, 8:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-14T08:11:13-08:00">November 14th, 8:11am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indianapolis Colts</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>During a Wednesday press conference, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen shared that after just two weeks, the team would be benching Joe Flacco and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-shane-steichen-returns-anthony-richardson-joe-flacco-disaster">turning back to second-year QB Anthony Richardson for the rest of the season</a>. Steichen noted that the Colts’ coaching staff has stressed to Richardson the importance of taking command of his off-field preparation and attention to detail, and <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/42368492/colts-bench-joe-flacco-turn-back-anthony-richardson-qb" rel="noopener">over the past two weeks</a>, Richardson has made, “big-time strides in becoming a pro’s pro.”</p><p>After Shane Steichen and the Colts made the decision to make the change at QB, Richardson stated that the last two weeks on the bench have been an eye-opening experience. Apparently, it’s been an eye-opening experience for the 39-year-old Joe Flacco as well.</p><p>When Flacco addressed the media on Wednesday, he shared that he had hoped to <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/joe-flacco-wanted-to-provide-a-spark-wasnt-able-to-do-it" rel="noopener">“provide a spark”</a> to the Colts offense when he was inserted as the starter back on November 3rd. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/browns-news-joe-flacco-wins-comeback-player-of-the-year-resurgence-with-cleveland">reigning Comeback Player of the Year</a>.</p><p>“I really do feel disappointed in the way the last couple of weeks went,” Flacco said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “When you walk into this locker room, you want to be able to really, really hold your head high and feel like you’ve done the best for the team. And I didn’t necessarily feel like I did that.”</p><p>In these last two starts, Flacco has struggled mightily against the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills. The 17-year veteran has thrown just two touchdowns to four interceptions, and had a passer rating under 80 in each of the Colts’ two losses. This came after an early season stretch in which Flacco resembled the guy who played a huge part in leading the Cleveland Browns to the postseason. In Weeks 4 through 6, Flacco threw for 716 yards, 7 touchdowns, and had a passer rating of 102.2.</p><h2><b>Colts making another big bet on Anthony Richardson </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Anthony-Richardson-takes-off-against-the-Houston-Texans.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After selecting Anthony Richardson with the 4th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, there’s certainly no way the Colts saw his career trajectory going anything like this. Sure, Richardson was in some respects a project. He had limited reps with the Florida Gators, but possessed what seemed to be unlimited potential.</p><p>Thus far, with the exception of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-anthony-richardsons-60-yard-td-colts-fans-bonkers">a handful of “wow” plays</a>, Richardson hasn’t come close to reaching that potential. If anything, it seems that he has actually regressed from season one to season two.</p><p>In six games this year, Richardson has gone 3-3 as the Colts starter, and has completed just 44 percent of his passes, giving credence to the concerns many scouts had about his accuracy coming out of Florida. As Steichen noted, however, the biggest concerns with Richardson may be his commitment to his craft, and his commitment to the team.</p><p>Anthony Richardson made headlines a few weeks back when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-colts-qb-anthony-richardson-explains-decision-texans" rel="noopener">he asked to come out of a game against the Texans because he was tired</a>, and he was promptly bashed by analysts and former players. A Week 11 matchup with the New York Jets is Richardson’s chance to change the narrative, and the Colts’ chance to turn their season around.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Colts’ Joe Flacco gets brutally honest on benching

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/colts-news-shane-steichen-returns-anthony-richardson-joe-flacco-disaster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Colts’ Shane Steichen returns to Anthony Richardson after Joe Flacco disaster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Shane-Steichen-returns-to-Anthony-Richardson-after-Joe-Flacco-disaster.jpg"></figure><h1>Colts’ Shane Steichen returns to Anthony Richardson after Joe Flacco disaster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-13T08:52:38-08:00">November 13th, 8:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-13T09:18:23-08:00">November 13th, 9:18am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indianapolis Colts</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has decided to go back to Anthony Richardson as the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season a day after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-why-making-right-decision-stick-joe-flacco-anthony-richardson">saying that Joe Flacco would be the starter</a> until he said “otherwise.”</p><p>Steichen said on Monday that<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-shane-steichen-doubles-down-joe-flacco-week-11"> Flacco would start</a> against the New York Jets and then said yesterday that “Joe’s our guy right now,” but after an additional day to stew on a pair of consecutive losses and poor showings from Flacco, the second-year coach is putting Richardson back in. Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-indianapolis-benching-anthony-richardson-joe-flacco">benched for Flacco</a> after a game against the Houston Texans in which he “tapped out.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shane Steichen: "(Anthony Richardson) will start this week and he will start the rest of the season" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Colts?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Colts</a> <a href="https://t.co/A5upn6gSns">pic.twitter.com/A5upn6gSns</a></p><p>— Dave Griffiths (@DaveG_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveG_Sports/status/1856737355358482624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>After Richardson controversially asked to be taken out of the Colts’ 23-20 loss to Houston, Steichen said he solely made the decision to replace Richardson with Flacco with winning in mind.</p><p>“Joe will be our quarterback going forward,” Steichen said at the time. “Joe gives us the best chance to win right now. I’m not giving up on Anthony Richardson.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anthony Richardson sat out a play because he was tired.</p><p>And now, he’s been benched.</p><p>In the 3rd quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Texans, Richardson tapped his helmet and took himself out of the game.</p><p>The reason?</p><p>“Tired, I ain’t gonna lie. That was a lot of running… I just told… <a href="https://t.co/55Rfo3T4XB">pic.twitter.com/55Rfo3T4XB</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1851357069758038243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Unfortunately, the move backfired on Steichen, whose team dropped an ugly game to the Minnesota Vikings on ‘Sunday Night Football’ last week before losing to the Buffalo Bills this past weekend. In those games, Flacco threw 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, including 3 against Buffalo.</p><p>Despite having lost three in a row, the Colts (4-6) are still in the mix for a playoff spot. According to the NFL’s Playoff Picture tool, Indianapolis currently has a 24% chance to make the postseason. With a win this weekend, the odds increase to 38%, but with a loss, they drop to 14%.</p><p>The Colts surely hope that Richardson’s play, after having a few weeks to sit and watch, will improve down the stretch. The second-year quarterback has completed just 44.4% of his passes this season, in addition to throwing 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.</p><p>Indianapolis visits New York to play the Jets this weekend.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Colts’ Shane Steichen returns to Anthony Richardson after Joe Flacco disaster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/colts-why-making-right-decision-stick-joe-flacco-anthony-richardson');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Colts aren’t making right decision to stick with Joe Flacco over Anthony Richardson');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Why-Colts-arearent-making-right-decision-to-stick-with-Joe-Flacco-over-Anthony-Richardson-in-Week-11.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Colts aren’t making right decision to stick with Joe Flacco over Anthony Richardson</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-11T20:34:49-08:00">November 11th, 8:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-11T20:34:49-08:00">November 11th, 8:34pm</time><address><a>Andrew Kulha</a>Andrew Kulha has been a professional sports writer since 2010. His work has been featured in publications such as Bleacher Report, 247Sports, Yardbarker, Forbes, Saturday Tradition, Saturday Down South, Prep Hoops and many others.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Indianapolis Colts gave Joe Flacco a shot to prove himself once more. Facing the reality of a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-shane-steichen-reveals-anthony-richardsons-road-qb1-status">struggling young quarterback in Anthony Richardson</a>, Colts head coach Shane Steichen gave the reigns of the offense to Flacco to see if he could recapture some of that veteran magic.</p><p>Remember, Flacco became the starter for the Cleveland Browns in Week 13 of the 2023 season and won four of five starts, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/browns-news-joe-flacco-comeback-player-year-speech-not-soon-forgotten">winning the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year</a> in the process. It was possible that Flacco’s stretch with the Browns was a fluke, or perhaps he really had bottled up some of that “elite” that helped him earn Super Bowl XLVII MVP honors when he won it all with the Baltimore Ravens in February of 2013.</p><p>Either way, Steichen was right to give Flacco a chance to prove himself, but now the Colts are 0-2 in his two 2024 starts, and they need to bring Richardson back in to see if he can right the ship.</p><p>Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be Steichen’s plan. When the Colts take on the New York Jets in Week 11, Flacco <a href="https://fox59.com/news/shane-steichen-sticking-with-joe-flacco-as-colts-starting-qb/" rel="noopener">will be under center</a>.</p><p>“Joe will be the starter for the Jets, yes,’’ Steichen said on Monday afternoon, according to Fox 59 in Indianapolis. “He’s had two games he would want back. You just stick with it. You grind through the process of this whole thing. It really is a process. We’re going through that process right now and right now, Joe’s still our guy.’’</p><p>That’s Steichen’s decision, but here’s why he’s wrong.</p><h2><b>The Colts said they still believe in Anthony Richardson </b></h2><p>Steichen says that Flacco is still the Colts’ answer moving forward, but just a few weeks ago when Richardson was in the fire, he made it clear that he still believed in the former No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.</p><p>The second-year head coach made it seem like he still had faith in Richardson but that Flacco gave the Colts the best chance to win at the time. Again, it was absolutely a change worth making, but the Colts are 0-2 in the last two games with Flacco as the starter and frankly, he’s looked putrid.</p><p>Any amount of veteran magic he had with the Browns is seemingly used up. He completed just 16-of-27 passes against the Minnesota Vikings for just 179 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Flacco then followed that up with a 26-of-35 performance against the Buffalo Bills in which he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.</p><p>He was sacked three times against the Vikings and four times against the Bills, making it painfully obvious that he’s a 39-year-old quarterback who was a statue in the pocket when he was in his prime, let alone pushing 40.</p><h2><b>Joe Flacco hasn’t given the Colts a spark</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Joe-Flacco-Indianapolis-Colts-QB.jpg"><figcaption>Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Perhaps more disappointing than anything, though, is the fact that any spark Flacco would have brought to the Colts at the moment is now vanished. There was at least the potential that he could fuel a second-half march like he did for the Browns in 2023, but now the Colts find themselves at 4-6 and riding a three-game losing streak. There also heading into MetLife Stadium to play a disappointing but dangerous Ne York Jets team that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jets-news-davante-adams-michael-jordan-take-aaron-rodgers-struggles" rel="noopener">may not have much going for it in the Aaron Rodgers-era</a>, but the Jets do have a strong passing defense. They give up just 168.3 yards per game through the air and their 32 sacks are the third best team mark in the NFL.</p><p>The Jets don’t do much well, but players like Will McDonald IV, Quinnen Williams and Haason Reddick know how to get after the quarterback, especially when that quarterback is old and immobile.</p><p>Now let’s put it all in perspective. While this has absolutely been a tough stretch for the Colts, the AFC South is still within reach with the 6-4 Houston Texans banged up as all get out while coming off two demoralizing losses in a row.</p><p>The division is still up for grabs, but sticking with Flacco after it has become painfully obvious that he no longer has the “it” factor would be signaling a white flag by Steichen and the Colts’ brass. On the other-hand, giving a young and athletic quarterback like Richardson a chance to at least see if he can make something happen with his feet against the Jets would be the right move.</p><p>After all, everyone says they hadn’t given up on Richardson.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Colts aren’t making right decision to stick with Joe Flacco over Anthony Richardson

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/colts-news-shane-steichen-doubles-down-joe-flacco-week-11');   ga('set', 'title', 'Colts’ Shane Steichen doubles down on Joe Flacco decision for Week 11');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Colts-news-Shane-Steichen-doubles-down-on-Joe-Flacco-decision-for-Week-11.jpg"></figure><h1>Colts’ Shane Steichen doubles down on Joe Flacco decision for Week 11</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-11T13:01:38-08:00">November 11th, 1:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-11T13:01:38-08:00">November 11th, 1:01pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indianapolis Colts</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>What does it take to become an NFL head coach? With the Indianapolis Colts, it takes a guy who keeps Anthony Richardson hunting for playing time while ancient mariner Joe <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-shane-steichen-wont-bench-flacco-4-turnover-game">Flacco rolls right along despite four turnovers</a>. Guess he’s not as bad as Jared Goff in that regard, right? But Colts head coach Shane Steichen doubled down on his Joe Flacco starting decision for Week 11.</p><p>Flacco <a href="https://x.com/mchappell51/status/1856057731502784936" rel="noopener">retained his spot</a> as the Colts’ QB 1, according to a post on X by Mike Chappell.</p><p>“Colts HC Shane Steichen: Joe will be starter at Jets”</p><p>Flacco threw for 272 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the 30-20 loss to the Bills. But he authored three picks — including a pick-six — and lost a fumble — in a 10-point game.</p><h2><b>Colts QB Joe Flacco hanging on at age 39</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Indianapolis-Colts-QB-Joe-Flacco_f1ce52.jpg"><figcaption>Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s not like there’s no reason to go with Flacco. He’s going to complete more passes and keep the offense on the field. Richardson’s embarrassing 20-for-56 performance over his last two starts prove he has major accuracy problems.</p><p>But the problem isn’t so much whether Flacco is better than Richardson. The problem is whether Flacco is better than anyone. If the Colts had been serious about remaining in the playoff hunt, maybe they trade Richardson and bring in a different player to start at quarterback. Let it play out for the remainder of the 2024 season, and see what the signal-caller landscape looks like at that point.</p><p>But the Colts are still acting like Richardson is a long-term solution. And if that’s the truth, he needs to be playing and see if he can work through the issues. Flacco isn’t bringing wins to the table, so what’s the point?</p><h2><b>How are Colts players, others responding to the situation?</b></h2><p>Cornerback Kenny Moore II <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-cb-kenny-moore-calls-out-teammates-after-loss-to-bills-i-dont-think-the-effort-is-there-231035345.html#:~:text='I%20don't%20think%20everybody,possible%2C%20and%20obviously%20it's%20showing'&amp;text=Kenny%20Moore%20II%20didn't,loss%20to%20the%20Buffalo%20Bills." rel="noopener">called out the team</a> after the loss to the Bills, according Dominic Miranda via yahoo.com.</p><p>“I don’t think everybody is working as hard as possible, and obviously it’s showing,” Moore said. “I’m not the type to sugarcoat it, honestly. I don’t think the urgency is there, (and) I don’t think the details are there. I don’t think the effort is there, (and) I don’t see everything correlating from meetings to practice to games, and it shows. Year to year, it’s the same thing.”</p><p>Colts insider Heather Lloyd <a href="https://www.wishtv.com/sports/indianapolis-colts/overdue-bills-colts-insider-says-buffalo-loss-exposes-festering-problems/" rel="noopener">dissected the problems</a> on Daybreak via wishtv.com.</p><p>“I think one of the things we’ve learned is that it doesn’t really matter what quarterback they play,” said Lloyd. “Even when it looked like they were going to turn it around and get some momentum, it would be another overthrow, another drop, another mistake.”</p><p>And she added Steichen seems like a waffle maker.</p><p>“What I make of that is that he’s not committed to Joe Flacco,” Lloyd said. “When Steichen made the change two weeks ago, the message was, ‘Joe Flacco is our quarterback going forward.’ Now it’s, ‘Right now,’ which he reiterated several times yesterday.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Colts’ Shane Steichen doubles down on Joe Flacco decision for Week 11

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/colts-news-shane-steichen-wont-bench-flacco-4-turnover-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Colts’ Shane Steichen still won’t bench Joe Flacco despite 4-turnover game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Colts-news-Shane-Steichen-still-wont-bench-Joe-Flacco-despite-4-turnover-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Colts’ Shane Steichen still won’t bench Joe Flacco despite 4-turnover game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-10T15:48:18-08:00">November 10th, 3:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-10T15:48:18-08:00">November 10th, 3:48pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indianapolis Colts</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Talk surfaced before the game <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-colts-should-start-anthony-richardson-week-10-joe-flacco-dud-vikings">whether Anthony Richardson should return</a> as the starter for the Indianapolis Colts. And Joe <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-news-boo-birds-already-out-after-brutal-joe-flacco-pick-6-vs-bills">Flacco’s early pick-six brought more noise</a>. But head coach Shane Steichen said Flacco <a href="https://x.com/RomeovilleKid/status/1855725058250940811" rel="noopener">won’t be benched</a> despite his four-turnover game against the Bills, according to a post on X by James Boyd.</p><p>“#Colts HC Shane Steichen says QB Joe Flacco will remain QB1 until he says otherwise.”</p><p>The Colts fell to 4-6 on the season with the disappointing 30-20 home loss to the Bills in Week 10.</p><h2><b>Colts QB Joe Flacco making plenty of mistakes</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Indianapolis-Colts-head-coach-Shane-Steichen.jpg"><figcaption>Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There’s little doubt that Flacco brings more accuracy to the offense. He hit on 26 of 35 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Those are numbers Richardson could only dream of posting at this stage in his career.</p><p>But Flacco tossed a trio of interceptions and got ripped to the ground four times for sacks. He also coughed up a fumble for the Colts. Steichen turned the job over to Flacco with the belief the 39-year-old veteran gave his team the best chance to win. But against the Bills, Flacco instead played like a quarterback the Colts had to overcome. He made several situational mistakes veterans are supposed to avoid.</p><p>Included in the mix, Flacco threw an ill-advised screen pass toward running back Jonathan Taylor. Bills nose tackle Austin Johnson intercepted, which set up a Buffalo field goal and gave the Bills an early 10-0 lead.</p><p>Despite the problems, Steichen said Flacco is still his guy. He’s hoping the experience pays off <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/colts-coach-shane-steichen-going-213343393.html#:~:text=Steichen%20initially%20said%20he%20was,Joe's%20our%20guy%20right%20now." rel="noopener">in the long run</a>, according to yahoo.com.</p><p>“Until I say otherwise, Joe’s our guy right now,” Steichen said. “(He’s) a guy that’s a veteran guy. We’ve had two games that we’d like to have back. Right now, Joe’s the guy.”</p><p>One thing is for sure, the Colts can lose with Richardson behind center. Plus, they would have the hop he could develop into a bonafide NFL quarterback at some point. The logic of that thinking hasn’t been lost on Steichen.</p><p>“I understand,” Steichen said. “I’m going to go back and look at everything. But right now, that’s where I’m at.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
PASSING YDS	PASSING TDS	INTERCEPTIONS	POSITION RANK
1992.1	15.4	14.6	30

2024 SEASON STATS
PASSING YDS	PASSING TDS	INTERCEPTIONS	POSITION RANK
1992.1	15.4	14.6	30

Joe
Flacco

2022 Projected vs Actual Pts

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