Quenton Nelson on Colts QB changes: 'I would be lying if I said it wasn't (frustrating)'
A message he wanted to resonate for a franchise that has been searching for some semblance of continuity at quarterback since Andrew Luck's shocking retirement in 2019.
Buckner has been in this position longer than just about anybody else in the Indianapolis locker room.
Before he was traded to the Colts, Buckner spent his first four seasons in San Francisco, playing under the same kind of quarterback uncertainty he's gone through in Indianapolis, and he learned an important lesson in his time with the 49ers.
'In moments, with guys who haven't experienced certain things, sometimes I do go back to my experience in San Francisco,' Buckner said. 'Telling guys, like I've been saying, as long as we're doing our job around the quarterback position and we're doing it at a high level, we can accomplish special things. … Jimmy (Garappolo)'s my guy, and he's a great quarterback, but you see it all the time, you don't have straight-up elite quarterbacks in the Super Bowl every year, or in the playoffs.'
Buckner wasn't trying to say a team doesn't need an elite quarterback to win.
What he was saying is the Colts can still be successful with either player in the starting role. When Jimmy Garoppolo finally stayed healthy in San Francisco for an entire season, Buckner's 49ers reached the Super Bowl, coming within a quarter of hosting the trophy.
But he is fully aware of the importance of the quarterback position.
Jones will be the 15th starting quarterback of Buckner's 10 seasons in the NFL, and the star defensive tackle has been to the playoffs just twice.
An ever-revolving door at quarterback is the biggest reason for the Colts' four-year playoff drought, and the constant churn at the game's most important position has taken its toll on the roster. When Jones starts the season opener against the Dolphins, he'll be the seventh different opening-day starter in Indianapolis since 2018, Luck's final NFL season.
'I would be lying if I said it wasn't (frustrating),' All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson said. 'You look around the league and just look at the consistency of having Patrick Mahomes or a quarterback behind you that's been the franchise player for years and years and years, and getting to build the chemistry with that quarterback year after year is something that there is an advantage to when it comes to o-line play.'
Richardson was supposed to stop the revolving door at quarterback.
Unfortunately, the 23-year-old hasn't been able to establish himself as a bona fide starter in the NFL, held back by injuries, inaccuracy and inexperience in everything asked of quarterbacks.
'Obviously, we'd all love to go into it with Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes,' assistant general manager Ed Dodds said. 'But that's not life.'
Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen's decision to start Jones over Richardson left the locker room with conflicting emotions.
'I'm excited for Daniel, confident in him and his ability, what he can do for this team,' wide receiver Alec Pierce said. 'I feel for AR, that's definitely a tough spot to be in; I thought he handled it like a pro, thought they came in, had a good battle and ultimately made it a tough decision on the coaches.'
Steichen made the final decision.
The Indianapolis head coach consulted with principal owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon and general manager Chris Ballard before revealing the decision to the team on Tuesday, but it was ultimately his decision.
'Whoever he gave the keys to the car to was going to put us in the best position to win,' veteran linebacker Zaire Franklin said.
Indianapolis is going to need its entire roster to put Jones in a position to win.
When Jones led the Giants to the playoffs in 2022, he was a key cog in a full-team effort, the kind Buckner has been emphasizing ever since the Colts declared an open competition for the starting quarterback job in the offseason.
'Whoever the quarterback is, as long as we're supporting him and taking some of the pressure off of him, that's going to help us go very far,' Buckner said. 'I truly believe that.'
The Colts now know the hand they're playing.
And it's not time to fold now.
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