Colts see Joe Flacco as key for Anthony Richardson

INDIANAPOLIS — In Andrew Luck's second season with the Colts in 2013, Indianapolis signed veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

His days as a starter were clearly over, as the Tennessee Titans moved on from the former Seattle Seahawks franchise quarterback and Super Bowl XL starter.

What seemed like a mundane transaction at the time actually paid big dividends for the Colts, who benefited from Hasselbeck keeping their young starter cool and, when necessary, stepping in and filling his big shoes. Hasselbeck went on to play three seasons with Indianapolis, going 5-3 as a starter, but just as importantly, serving as an extra pair of eyes and ears for Luck and the offensive coaches.

Now, the Colts' current young quarterback – Anthony Richardson – appears to have landed his own Hasselbeck.

The Colts' signing of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to a one-year deal on Wednesday is a great potential duo between a confident veteran and former Super Bowl winner and a raw but tantalizing second-year quarterback who can grow under the guardianship of his teammate.

Richardson, who started just 13 games at the University of Florida and spent 13 games on the sideline while injured last season, will likely experience ups and downs as a rookie during his second season. Last year's fourth overall pick is just beginning to return to action after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury that interrupted his promising early season performance.

When the 21-year-old encounters those inevitable setbacks that come with being a young quarterback – the untimely interceptions, missed reads and more – it will be comforting to know that Richardson will be greeted on the sidelines by Flacco, a 39 years old. years who's been there, done that.

It is worth noting that Richardson has already demonstrated his ability to be teachable.

“He had a chance to sit back, watch and learn,” coach Shane Steichen said of Richardson’s rookie season. “I had some good meetings with him throughout the season, just one-on-one, me and him, sitting around talking football.

“He soaked it up and he was plugged in all year round.”

Beyond that, Flacco's signing is important because of the most obvious element of a backup quarterback's job. Flacco demonstrated last season that he still has the ability to play, making a playoff run with the Cleveland Browns, who have historically had bad luck with quarterback injuries, and earning Most Valuable Player honors back of the year.

Flacco came off the proverbial couch to go 4-1 as a starter down the stretch to help Cleveland secure a wild-card spot. He gained renewed credibility through running and established himself as a viable free agent option this offseason.

Last season, the Colts showed that backup quarterback was a priority by signing Gardner Minshew, a player who had started in previous stops and was familiar with Steichen's offensive scheme. The fact that Minshew was called upon to start 13 games only reinforced that philosophy.

After last season, general manager Chris Ballard summed up Minshew's contributions succinctly.

“Thank God we got him,” he said.

With so much of the franchise's attention devoted to Richardson's success, the reality is that the backup quarterback will ideally be an afterthought on the field. The Colts needed someone who could succeed despite that.

“The backup role doesn’t get a lot of reps during the week,” Steichen said. “They really don't have any. They have the scout team reps. So you have to be ready to go in if you have to go in there and play with basically no reps, but know the game plan.”

Flacco seems to be the ideal player for such a role. He's seen every coverage and blitz imaginable. He also thrived as a starter and coming off the bench.

Like Hasselbeck was to Luck, Flacco could be exactly what a promising young quarterback like Richardson needs.