WESTFIELD – Colts backup quarterbacks Sam Ehlinger, Jason Bean and Kedon Slovis spent most of their joint practices against Arizona watching from the sidelines.
But they will have a lot of work to do in Saturday’s warm-up game against the Cardinals.
Indianapolis will not allow starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, backup quarterback Joe Flacco or the team’s other regular players to play on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I will not let the regular players play,” said Steichen. “They have done most of the work in the last two days. The twos and threes will go.”
Steichen’s decision comes as no surprise.
For years, even before Steichen was hired as head coach in Indianapolis, the Colts have given their core players a rest after two days of practice together, a common practice in the NFL. NFL coaches like to have core players do the majority of the work in group practice sessions because it allows them to work on certain situations such as the red zone, two-minute and goal line with less risk of injury.
Indianapolis has a joint practice with the Bengals in Cincinnati next week before the season finale.
However, this may not affect the starter’s playing time. When the Colts had a joint practice with the Eagles last year, Indianapolis’ starters played almost the entire first half.
Steichen has not yet given any indication of the finale.
“I will make a decision for Cincinnati,” Steichen said.
For Arizona, the game goes to Ehlinger and the rookies.
