Colts coach sheds some light on the confusion surrounding Anthony Richardson being benched
To say the last few weeks have been frustrating for the Colts would be an understatement. They have now lost three straight games and sit on the outside looking in on the AFC playoff picture. The topic on everyone's mind has been the Colts' decision to bench Anthony Richardson and roll with veteran Joe Flacco as […]
To say the last few weeks have been frustrating for the Colts would be an understatement.
They have now lost three straight games and sit on the outside looking in on the AFC playoff picture. The topic on everyone's mind has been the Colts' decision to bench Anthony Richardson and roll with veteran Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback.
There hasn't been much clarity provided on where things stand for Richardson, and the fan base has gotten louder and louder each week, demanding that he be reinserted into the starting lineup.
When Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter spoke to the media, he didn't offer any more information on where things stand. But he did explain why there was so much vagueness and confusion surrounding the situation.
Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter explains the vagueness surrounding Anthony Richardson's benching
"It's more in our interest to be less vague with him and more vague with you guys. I don't always love coaching guys through the media. I like coaching them for real.
We're trying to communicate like crazy. We're teachers, and thus, we're communicators at our core. That's what we do as coaches. If something doesn't quite happen the way you think it should, a lot of times as a coach, you probably ought to look at how you said it. 'How did I coach this guy? How did I teach that thing?'
We're making sure that we detail that out. We're making sure we have a good plan for that so that process is getting more consistent as these weeks go. So Anthony and all our guys have a clear view of what that is and what it can be to be a little bit better.
Vagueness is a key sometimes, sitting in front of this big-screen TV with the microphone. Thie opposite is a little bit better with the players."– Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter
Since the controversial decision to bench Richardson, the Colts offense has had their two worst offensive performances of the season. This has led fans and people around the league to wonder what has to happen to see Richardson back on the field this season. We may never know exactly what boxes the team needs Richardson to check, but it was refreshing to hear Jim Bob Cooter give a thorough answer on why they aren't telling the media/the public their plan.
At the end of the day, the only people who have any say on when Richardson returns to the field are the coaches and front office members in the building and, of course, the team's ownership. But what fans needed to hear was why they had taken such a vague approach when answering questions regarding Richardson and his future with the team. How the team has approached the topic with the media has begun to take away fans' hope, and for some, their love for the team overall has begun to slowly diminish day by day.
I think this candidness from Jim Bob will help explain to those on the outside watching that the team has a plan. And while they are leaving the media and the fans in the dark, Richardson and the team fully understand the plan. Is that plan going to work? We have no idea and will have to wait and let everything play out in the coming weeks and potentially into the offseason. But one thing is certain: the Colts are running out of time to get their 2024 season back on track, so that plan has to begin with a win over the New York Jets in Week 11.
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