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Joe Flacco is still a starter. Daniel Jones might get benched. Bryce Young earned another opportunity. Caleb Williams isn’t losing his job.
The quarterback carousel isn’t spinning. It should in some cases.
The Colts are sticking with Flacco over Anthony Richardson despite another poor performance in a 30-20 loss to Buffalo on Sunday. Flacco is 1-3 as a starter this season and has six turnovers, including four interceptions, in the past two games.
Coach Shane Steichen made the switch from Richardson to Flacco because he felt the 39-year-old veteran gave Indianapolis a better chance to win now. That hasn’t happened and the Colts (4-6) are headed nowhere.
Even if they manage to make the playoffs, this team isn’t a Super Bowl contender. The 22-year-old Richardson needs game experience. He threw just 393 passes in college at Florida before Indianapolis selected him with the fourth pick overall in last year’s NFL draft.
Richardson has raw talent but coaches have to help him develop. It made sense to turn to Flacco a few weeks ago. But the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year hasn’t sparked the Colts the way he did for the Browns last season. So going back to Richardson is the right move now for the future. Finding out if he can be the franchise quarterback should be the priority over the final seven games.
The New York Giants (2-8) have a different situation with Jones, whose contract is a factor. Jones has an injury guarantee for $23 million for 2025. Benching him to prevent an injury is a likely scenario. The Broncos did it to Russell Wilson last year and the Raiders did it with Derek Carr in 2022.
The Giants are in position to get the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft so they’d be wise to start whichever quarterback — Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito — gives them the least chance of winning. Securing the top pick would give New York its choice of college quarterbacks whether it’s Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Miami’s Cam Ward or Georgia’s Carson Beck.
The Carolina Panthers already benched Young, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick. But Young returned to the lineup when Andy Dalton was injured three weeks ago and he’s shown improvement while leading the Panthers (3-7) to consecutive wins.
Like the Colts and Richardson, the Panthers need to find out what they have in Young. Playing him the rest of the season is the best way to learn.
In Chicago, Williams has regressed since an excellent stretch helped the Bears win three straight games. But they’ve gone from 4-2 to 4-5 and Williams has struggled. He has completed just 50.5% of his passes with no TDs and no interceptions over a three-game losing streak.
Embattled Bears coach Matt Eberflus has no plans to bench the rookie No. 1 overall pick. And, he shouldn’t. Offensive scheme and system is the bigger problem in Chicago and that cost Shane Waldron his job. Thomas Brown was been promoted to offensive coordinator to replace him on Tuesday.
Micah’s mouth
Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons returned from an ankle injury and made more headlines with postgame comments about coach Mike McCarthy. Parsons had two sacks and forced a fumble but Dallas lost 34-6 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Asked about McCarthy’s job status, Parsons said: “That’s above my paygrade if Mike is coaching again next year. All coaching aside, Mike (McCarthy) can leave and go wherever he wants. Guys I kind of feel bad for (are) guys like (guard) Zack Martin and guys who might be on their last year or on their way out, because that’s who I wanted to hold the trophy for. You want to win games and do great things with those types of legends who put in more time and work than Mike McCarthy ever did.”
Parsons was heavily criticized for throwing McCarthy under the bus. Former Jets and Bills coach Rex Ryan blasted him on ESPN.
“I never once threw, or even intended to throw Mike McCarthy under the bus,” Parsons explained on his podcast Monday. “The question that was asked about here and the Dallas Cowboys, did I see Mike McCarthy in our future? I said, ‘That’s above my pay grade.’”
McCarthy took the high road.
“Micah and I had a conversation this morning about it, and we handled those things as men should handle it,” McCarthy said. “That wasn’t his intent, but that’s something he can talk on.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defended Parsons in his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
“It wasn’t meant as a critique of the coach. It was meant as a concern for veteran players, like Zack Martin, who might not have that much more left in their career,” Jones said. “That’s how it was meant. There is no doubt in my mind that it was meant that way. Micah does not feel a lack of appreciation for (McCarthy). I visited extensively with everyone involved here."
The Cowboys (3-6) have lost four in a row and Dak Prescott is done for the season. With McCarthy in the final year of his contract, Jones and his players are going to hear the same question over the final eight weeks.
Everyone has to answer it better than Parsons did.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
