Anthony Richardson has taken considerable heat after he acknowledged that fatigue was the reason for his voluntary exit during last Sunday's loss to the Texans. Richardson, though, does have one public supporter who feels that the Colts quarterback is taking some unnecessary heat.
That person is Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who is now preparing for Joe Flacco for Sunday night's game against the Colts after Richardson lost his starting job earlier this week.
"I think Anthony, he's a young player still trying to find his way to a degree," Flores said. "Still makes a lot of plays. I know there's been a lot of talk about the play where he can out, but did you watch the play? The guy throws a 300-pounder off him, he runs around, I thought it was an incredible play. I got tired watching him.
"I think he's a very, very talented young player. He's a dangerous player, and on any snap, he can break a couple of tackles and go the distance. He's fast. He's got a huge arm. When you talk about QB mobility and off-script plays, that's what he does to keep his team in the game. Even when not every throw is perfect for him, he still has that explosive-play ability, and if you have two or three of those, you're in the game."
If you haven't seen it, here is the sequence of events that took place during Sunday's game, as Richardson took himself out for one play after he broke the tackle attempt of 318-pound defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi.
Here’s the sequence when #Colts QB Anthony Richardson was sacked in the 3Q and then subbed himself out of the game. Richardson would later explain he was “tired.”
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 27, 2024
“That was a lot of running right there that I did, and I didn’t think I was gonna be able to go that next play.” pic.twitter.com/yjInUrJ01F
Two days after that sequence, the Colts decided to make a change at the quarterback position, although the tired comment reportedly had nothing to do with said change. The move is also reportedly not considered long term and that Richardson is expected to have another opportunity to lead the Colts offense sometime down the road.
There's some irony to Flores' public support of Richardson. Two months ago, Flores' name was in the news after his former quarterback in Miami, Tua Tagovailoa, referred to him as a "terrible person" who failed to give him the desired level of support during their time together. Flores responded to those comments at the time and acknowledged that he could have handled certain situations with Tagovailoa better.
Given what transpired in late August, it's safe to assume that Flores is making a concerted effort to give more praise to players, regardless of the team that they play for. Whatever he is doing with his own defense is working, as the Vikings are currently in the top 10 in the league in several major defensive categories entering Sunday's game against the Colts.
