Colts' quarterback decision will signal where team's interest lies

But we aren't talking about a quarterback who has ever been known for his accuracy. In 13 college starts at Florida, Richardson only completed 54.2 percent of his passes.

He hasn't developed at the pace a franchise would like to see from a former first-round pick, and it could cost the Colts a playoff appearance.

In a weaker-than-expected AFC, a wild-card berth is within Indianapolis' grasp. Entering Week 9, the Colts (4-4) are a half-game behind the Chargers (4-3) for the conference's final wild-card.

It would be more likely to catch Los Angeles with Flacco starting.

He helped lead the Browns to the playoffs last season and has been excellent in three appearances with the Colts this season.

Flacco filled in for an injured Richardson in Week 4 and started the next two weeks, going 71-of-118 (65.7 percent) for 716 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.

The only case for starting Richardson is the draft capital Indianapolis used to select him.

Benching him after only 10 career starts would show an astonishing lack of patience in a quarterback selected fourth overall a year ago.

Steichen risks alienating the rest of the roster by putting Richardson's development over the team's success.

He has 52 other players on the active roster, plus practice squad members and coaches to consider.

It's time for Indianapolis to pause the Richardson experiment. Later, it will be determined whether he is its future franchise quarterback.

If winning is most important to Steichen, Flacco should be the starter for the rest of the season.