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Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel didn’t hold back when discussing Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Anthony Richardson’s decision to sub himself out during Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans.
“What are we doing?” Daniel said on the Scoop City podcast with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini that was released Tuesday (29:50 mark). “You take yourself out of the game? And you do the pat on your head?
“Lie to the media. Do not ever say that again in your entire career. You just lost the respect of every football player and every quarterback and every offensive lineman to have ever played the game. I’m being harsh, but that’s what this is calling for. I’ve never seen this in my entire life. It is inexcusable, it is inexplicable. He should be seriously thought about getting benched. That’s how I feel about this.”
Richardson tapped his helmet and asked out of the game after multiple scrambles in a row during a drive. Joe Flacco temporarily came into the game in the immediate aftermath.
For his part, Richardson said he was “tied, I ain’t going to lie. That was a lot of running right there, and I didn’t think I was going to go that next play. I needed a break right there.”
Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters, “We had a conversation about it this morning in the quarterback room, which I’ll keep private, but obviously in those situations he knows on those types of deals, you can’t take yourself out.”
Houston ended up winning the game 23-20 and completed the season sweep over the division-rival Colts as a result. The Texans are now 6-2 and two games clear of Indianapolis in the division race.
Richardson struggled in the passing attack during the latest loss and went 10-of-32 for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was also sacked five times, which surely contributed to his fatigue levels.
At this point of his career, the questions about Richardson’s ability to live up to expectations as a franchise quarterback largely come down to his passing accuracy. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft has completed just 44.4 percent of his passes with four touchdown throws to seven interceptions this season.
He is at his best making plays with his legs, although that led to some of the fatigue Sunday and the situation where he is now being called out by a former player.
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