Shane Steichen has obviously hitched his wagon to Daniel Jones for better or for worse.
And it appears he’s willing to go off the cliff with Jones as the Indianapolis Colts season continues to crash on the rocks at the bottom of the ravine.
Jones gave another less-than-stellar performance Sunday as the Colts fell a game further from relevance with a 16-10 loss at Minnesota. It was an outing by the Indianapolis quarterback that was highlighted — rather, lowlighted — by another unnecessary turnover with the game on the line.
That is a scenario that has reared its ugly head far too many times this season for the Colts to be successful. And once again, when he was questioned about the poor decision-making that has become an all-too-familiar calling card of Daniel Jones under center, he simply responded with the “aww shucks” type of a response I remember giving my parents when I misbehaved.
“I don’t know,” Jones said. “Go back and look at it. Obviously, got to protect the ball and keep the team in good position.”
“I don’t know”?
I understand Minnesota has a rock-solid defense and that Jones wasn’t helped when the one consistent part of the team — kicker Spencer Shrader — missed a pair of field goals. But 13-22 for 108 yards with an interception is simply not going to get it done.
Neither is relying on the placekicker as the team’s best source of offense.
The guys in that locker room deserve better. Jonathan Taylor deserves better and so do Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner, Akeem Davis-Gaither and every other player who puts on the horseshoe and puts his body at risk week in and week out.
When asked about it, Steichen seems to believe that this is as good as its going to get.
Any thoughts on changing quarterbacks?
“No, I have not thought about a quarterback change,” was the response, begging the obvious follow-up question.
Why not?
“Because I got a ton of faith in Daniel (Jones),” Steichen said Sunday. “The game plan today was to go in and run the football. Obviously, at the end, he had the interception, and that happens in football.”
Someone else deserves better; the fans who spend a lot of money on tickets, parking, jerseys and popcorn.
I have no idea if Anthony Richardson will do any better, and I don’t have any inside information on whether the franchise has any long-range plans for their top-five draft pick from 2023. I also have no clue what — if any — effect his arrest earlier this month on marijuana charges will have on Richardson’s status.
I think it’s time to find out. “Fish or cut bait” I believe is the phrase, appropriate when the backup quarterback in question is a former Gator.
This season is not the fault of Daniel Jones. There is plenty of blame to go around, and the clock is ticking on Steichen’s tenure with the franchise.
There has been a lot of talk about a “sense of urgency,” and here’s a chance to prove it. The franchise is past due in finding out what they have with Richardson.