With the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected quarterback Anthony Richardson. The Florida product was considered raw but has all of the tools to succeed at the next level.
Looking like a created player in a video game, he won the starting job in the offseason against Gardner Minshew. That potential was on full display, albeit in a limited capacity, as injuries derailed his rookie campaign.
Heading into Year 2 of his NFL career, keeping Anthony Richardson healthy is the No. 1 concern for the Indianapolis Colts. One way people thought they would look to limit him was to scale back his rushing attempts.
He ran into trouble when he escaped the pocket. Crushing hits were delivered to him, as he left all but one of the four games he started as a rookie early because of injury.
Learning how to protect himself is imperative, but the team isn’t going to put training wheels on him. They want him to play his style, taking advantage of his unique skill set whenever appropriate.
That means Anthony Richardson is going to still be running the ball. The coaching staff would be doing themselves a disservice by not leaning into his greatest strength, which at this time, is his rushing ability.
“It’s just like, ‘Hey, are you going to limit the run game?'” Steichen asked rhetorically . “And I kind of think like, ‘Shoot, are you going to limit Steph Curry from shooting three pointers?’ Well, that’s one of Anthony’s strengths, right? So, we’re not going to get away from that. That’s what he does.”
People may see a comparison to one of the greatest basketball players of all time as a wild one, but there are some similarities. While shooting 3-pointers doesn’t put Curry at risk as running the ball does for Anthony Richardson, he took had to overcome injury adversity early in his career.
Some people were ready to write off the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made because of ankle woes. He was able to figure things out, and the Indianapolis Colts are hopeful the same will happen with their young quarterback.
Last season, Anthony Richardson averaged 5.4 yards per carry. That was eighth among quarterbacks with at least 25 rushes, as the performance he put on at the 2023 NFL Combine was beginning to translate.
“I think it’s exciting because the playbook is open to everything,” Steichen said . “You’ve got a quarterback that can do everything. He can throw from the pocket, get out of the pocket, he can run the football. And then you have [running back] Jonathan Taylor who’s one of the best backs in the league. To have both of those guys in the backfield is going to be critical to our success.”
With the supporting cast around Anthony Richardson improving, the Indianapolis Colts are an offense on the rise. If he can stay healthy, this will be one of the more explosive units in the NFL.
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