Being a Colts fan is rough year to year. All teams have had rough seasons, however, it seems the Colts have a rough season every year. Almost every year the Colts will get a new player that everyone sees as our savior, yet they seem to be a bust. Drafting Anthony Richardson, the former quarterback from the University of Florida, brought lots of excitement to Colts fans everywhere. After his season-ending injury early in his rookie season, Colts fans were drained of hope and a long-awaited successful season. Coming into this season, we Colts fans were ready to finally see a healthy Richardson dominate the opposing team’s defense. Yet again, another injury and a below-expected start for Richardson have broken our hearts again.

     Last year, Richardson’s rookie season was not bad for the Colts. Though our “so-called” savior Anthony Richardson got injured, Gardner Minshew and his “Minshew-Mania” won over our hearts for the season. Per ESPN.com, Minshew finished the season with 3,305 yards on 305 completions in just 17 games and also ran for 100 yards in 34 carries. However, he only finished the season with 18 total touchdowns. Placekicker, Matt Gay, picked up some of the slack on the scoreboard by putting up a total of 134 points across the season. Though the Colts finished above .500 and had a record of 9-8, it is still not good that the kicker had more points than the quarterback (ESPN). 

     Over the summer, the Colts signed quarterback, Joe Flacco, in case of any situations where we need a reliable and experienced backup. Joe Flacco has just entered his seventeenth season of his career as he was picked in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft (NFL.com). The level of experience he can bring to the youthful Colts offense is likely more valuable than the performance he can bring to the team on the field. Although Flacco is a great quarterback, he can help bring Anthony Richardson to a whole new level, since Richardson has only played a total of 26 regular season games, including his professional and collegiate career. The potential Coach Shane Steichen and the Colts staff see in Richardson is higher than most quarterbacks now. Although Richardson is freakishly athletic and also has a body frame of 6’4” and 244 lbs. (which makes it all the more impressive), he lacks the experience that Joe Flacco brings. Flacco is more of a pass-first and “field general” quarterback (as he does lead the NFL in passer rating at 115.6), while Richardson is aggressive and likes to make big plays and rush for yards. But, while Richardson is sidelined again for his often-recurring injuries, he can learn how to lead a team at the quarterback position like Flacco does. If Flacco can help develop Richardson into an even better quarterback, he could have Hall of Fame potential, and many Colts fans believe so too. Richardson will still have his place at starting quarterback for as long as he is healthy, but Flacco could always step onto the field and fans will be more than okay with him leading our team. 

     Ultimately, Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco are both great quarterbacks, and it is not easy to find ways for them to release their full potential, but both will benefit from each other working together. I believe all Colts fans will also fully support both Richardson and Flacco when they are on the field. After all, “This is our Colts, this our team, and we bleed blue.”