Mike Tomlin takes brutal shot at Anthony Richardson

Anthony Richardson may not be starting at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, but he is still catching strays from opponents.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin took a pretty brutal shot at Richardson during his Tuesday press conference. Tomlin was discussing the challenges of facing a backup quarterback who is less mobile than the starter, as his team will do against Carson Wentz and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. Tomlin pointed out that the Steelers faced a similar situation last season when facing the Colts, who had Joe Flacco backing up Richardson.

“I told the guys last year keep Richardson upright, don’t let Flacco in the game,” Tomlin said, via Brian Batko of the Post-Gazette.

In other words, the Steelers did not want to knock Richardson out of the game because they preferred to face him instead of Flacco. There was actually something to Tomlin’s message: Richardson was knocked out of the game, and Flacco did lead Indianapolis to a 27-24 victory.

Richardson lost his starting job to Daniel Jones this season, and Jones has performed very well. The Colts, on the other hand, seem exasperated with Richardson and his lack of improvement. The fact that at least one other team was eager to keep him in the game pretty much says it all.