It took Flacco 20 NFL games before the light came on; how long with it take Anthony Richardson?

Every game, it seems, is a referendum on the Colts' young quarterback. Take my advice: Be patient. He's still a toddler when it comes to the game and the position. His time will come -- eventually.

We know Anthony Richardson is an athletic unicorn, a young man with physical gifts that make him one of the most intriguing prospects to grace the NFL in a very long time. We’ve seen it in spurts, in the first four games of last year, the three 50-plus yard pass completions against Houston to open this season, the late-game gotta-have-it TD run in the Packers game. We have witnessed the possible, and we’ve seen the harsh reality that comes with counting on a quarterback who’s started just 13 regular-season games since high school.

Just know this: Whatever happens this year, the good, the bad, the ugly, all of it, Richardson has to play every snap of every game. I don’t care how sloppy it gets, whether he continually throws picks and makes questionable decisions, there is no circumstance – none – by which Richardson should be consigned to the bench in favor of Joe Flacco.

That’s no reflection on Flacco, who stands as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league; that’s the uncomfortable reality. I don’t care if the Colts are 0-5 and struggling to score, this has got to be Richardson’s show. That might not help Chris Ballard’s job security – will he still be here when the lights come on and Richardson comes of age? – but if the Colts accomplish anything this season after this 0-2 start, they must completely commit to getting Richardson the reps he so desperately needs.

Nobody knows this better than Flacco, who Ballard smartly signed this year to replace current Raider Gardner Minshew. He was a rookie once. He went through the rookie struggles – 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a run-heavy Baltimore team that miraculously went 11-5 and reached the AFC title game. In a locker room conversation Wednesday, he told me he didn’t feel settled and comfortable in his own skin until the 20^th game in his career, the opener in his second season, 2009. Richardson, by the way, is heading into his seventh game this Sunday at home against the Chicago Bears.

“I was fortunate to play a lot my rookie year, but I was so locked in, I felt like I never came up for air,” Flacco said. “That first offseason heading into my second season, I could finally see things for what they are. I remember we played 19 games my rookie year (regular season plus three playoff games) and my confidence was so much greater, you feel better because you’ve proven yourself to your teammate, you’re far more comfortable, and where the confidence comes from, now you’re excited about playing football the way you know how and there’s this shift in the mindset.

“You go from making sure you’re doing the right thing to being excited about doing the right thing.”