The Colts QB saga has become the norm it seems. With Anthony Richardson now on IR, que the “Minshew Mania” Gardner Minshew, as the starting QB. Gardner has been in my opinion, C to D average thus far. I believe his relationship with Coach Shane Steichen has a lot to do with him still behind center.

His play has been very inconsistent. One day, throwing 3 interceptions against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the following week, rushing for two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns. Both games ended up in losses due to a number of turnovers and some poor officiating.

Now, with the Colts standing at third place in the AFC South with a record of 4-5, week 10 is here and they are off to Germany to take on an old rival, the New England Patriots. Next week is the bye week so they’ll be well rested from the trip and ready to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 12, in what I like to call the, “Thanksgiving Game.” It will be the Salute to Service game for the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on November, 26th.

The Patriots now sit at the bottom of the AFC East and the entire AFC with a dismal record of 2-7. Something Colts fans are all too familiar with. That’s something you haven’t seen from the Patriots in a long time. Last year, also finishing with a losing record of 8-9 and not making the playoffs.

It’s safe to bet that the Colts should easily claim victory over the Patriots on Sunday but, what if they don’t? Is it time for Sam Ehlinger?

Do the Colts really want to “play musical chairs” with QBs like they did last year? I don’t think so but somethings have to change with the QB position if Gardner fails to get a victory on Sunday. It’ll be the talk all over Colts Nation if he does a poor job and loses.

Of course, no one expects your star QB to get hurt and taken out for the season so early and having to have the backup start but, if Minshew does poorly again this Sunday and loses to the worse team in football, is he still the best chance they have or is Sam?

Can Sam be the one to help them for the rest of the season and hopefully have a chance of making it into the playoffs?

I think Sam should have gotten a lot more playing time last year. When they drafted him in 2021, they should have started a rebuild then and worked him at the position more.

I was not a fan of Carson Wentz and I think Sam should have been the guy. Sam broke a lot of records while playing at the University of Texas. Yes, college is not the same but having won a Big 12 Championship and beating countless records, that says a lot about his talent.

When they drafted him, what was Chris Ballard thinking if they weren’t going to start him at any point?

He had to have seen some talent coming out of Texas so why is he always on the sidelines?

With the Colts being plagued by injuries and turnovers, and possible jet lag this coming Sunday, the certainty of victory isn’t 100%.

The consistency of winning hasn’t been there. The consistency of playing hasn’t been there. Chalk some points up to the defense and the mighty, highly accurate leg of Matt Gay. I haven’t seen a solid passing game from week-to-week yet. It’s really been up and down.

In week 9, Minshew looked terrible. Only completing 17-26 and 127 yards passing. On the bright side, he didn’t throw any interceptions.

The Colts have an arsenal of weapons. Gardner Minshew has an arsenal of weapons: Two top tier Running Backs (J. Taylor & Z. Moss), a diverse receiving corps with WRs Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Isaiah McKenzie, Juwann Winfree; TEs Drew Ogletree, Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Will Mallory, and hopefully soon, the return of Jelani Woods.

Ogletree and Woods I think are very talented and will be tough duo in the future. Some players have been injured and haven’t been able to play a full game but there’s still plenty to choose from.

The not-so-consistent playing of Gardner Minshew leaves me with some doubts every.single.game!

I never know which Minshew is going to be on the field and lately, if he turns the ball over or doesn’t throw well, it’s really been no surprise. So, with week 10 here and a nice 9 hour flight, which Minshew will show up?

My point of this article is, if the Colts lose to the worst team in the NFL, Gardner needs to be benched. Give Sam a chance. Build his skills and take away the headset. It can’t possibly be any worse.

I welcome comments, feedback, and your thoughts about the QB position going forward.

– By Daniel Shearer

*Photo credit to Sporting News