Ben Roethlisberger left speechless with Anthony Richardson tapping out of Texans game
Anthony Richardson substituted himself in the middle of a drive against the Texans because he was 'gassed out.'
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Anthony Richardson and Ben Roethlisberger (Images via IMAGO)
The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2024 season confident in quarterback Anthony Richardson‘s ability to lead the team. He was touted as a dual-threat quarterback with immense potential, one that could be an improved version of Lamar Jackson. However, eight weeks into the season, the team is no longer certain of that.
Anthony Richardson left mid-way through an offensive drive to go and rest on the sidelines in the matchup against the Houston Texans. Sure, he did come back and completed the drive scoring for his team, but his decision to substitute himself and leave the offense hanging has not sat well with veterans.
Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe called him out for ditching his teammates. Now Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger shared his disappointment with Richardson.
The former Steelers quarterback expressed his shock on the Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast. Big Ben was surprised at the decision of a quarterback to take himself out of the game.
Nope, don’t get it, never seen it…He’s not just a professional athlete, he’s the quarterback of the team, I get if a running back or a receiver (gets tired)…you call timeout if you have to, there’s a lot of things to do and I don’t even know the exact situation of what happened, what down it was, did they have a timeout, did they not, you don’t do that.
Ben Roethlisberger remarked
Through his 18 years in the NFL, he claimed has not seen a quarterback run off the field to catch his breath. He admits that had it been a receiver, a lineman, or a defensive back, in that case, it would be fair to empathize with them because those positions are physically demanding. But for a quarterback to do this? Simply unacceptable.
Ben Roethlisberger compares Anthony Richardson’s mentality to Joe Flacco’s
Big Ben would have preferred if the quarterback had called for a timeout instead. At that point, the Colts had timeouts, but Richardson chose to not call one because then he would have risked throwing that time away. In football, it is wiser to save timeouts and not utilize them unless absolutely necessary. It is likely that’s what was going through Anthony Richardson’s mind.
Ben Roethlisberger went on to add that veteran Joe Flacco would have been confused at this sight.
Flacco would probably be like ‘What?’…I don’t even what to think I mean again I’m not there in his shoes but I can’t for the life of me, I’ve never heard of a quarterback taking himself out tired…You know what, you find a way, you find a way…
Ben Roethlisberger said
The surprising part is that his substitute Joe Flacco, who is 39 years of age and in the games that he started in Richardson’s absence, not once did he feel the need to take a breather.
Ben Roethlisberger echoed the concerns of Shannon Sharpe. Anthony Richardson‘s move sent a bad message to his team. After all, in a third and long situation, the O-line is tired, the wide receivers are tired, so how does it make sense for the quarterback alone to check himself out at his behest and come back when he is ready?
I just can’t believe it happened and that a guy did that. I would love to have been a fly on the wall in that team meeting.
Ben Roethlisberger added
That makes you and the entire Colts fanbase Big Ben, it would be interesting to hear the details of what went down in the team’s meeting.
Anthony Richardson has been benched by the Colts. The narrative, as reported by ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin via Bleacher Report, is that the substitution fiasco did not prompt the benching, but it was his performance. This could also be Shane Steichen sending a stern message to the quarterback that his behavior has been unacceptable.
This season, he has led the Colts to a 3-3 record, completing just 44.4 percent of his passes for four touchdowns, and seven interceptions. It has been a rough year for the quarterback, who has had issued with staying healthy.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2242 Articles Published)