The Indianapolis Colts sealed their second win in a row against a struggling Miami Dolphins team. Although there were bright moments from the defense being able to shut down Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Colts’ offensive performance, led by Anthony Richardson, needs to be addressed. Once again, Richardson failed to complete half of his passes. On top of that, he surrendered one fumble on a botched exchange which stifled a potential scoring drive. He finished the game going 10/24 for 129 yards. He did not take a sack and led the team in rushing with 56 yards.
Certainly, the Colts are aware that their experiment with Anthony Richardson requires a lot of growth and development and therefore his performance will be inconsistent. However, it is hard to believe that they thought there would need to be this much growth and development. There is no question that Richardson possesses transcendent talent as an athlete. However, so far, he has struggled to put all of his talent into being a reliably solid quarterback. That being said, the Colts coaching staff has clarified that Anthony Richardson will be their starting quarterback if he is healthy. They are also willing to stick with him despite his continuously shaky performances.
Why the Colts are Sticking with Anthony Richardson
He Is the Long-term Solution
Aside from the Colts drafting a first-round quarterback in 2025 or signing a young free agent, Anthony Richardson is the long-term solution. Ever since Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019, the Colts have been searching for a long-term answer at quarterback. They tried the one-time veteran approach and found that it does not bring long-term success. They tried getting a young veteran with MVP-type talent, but his playing style just did not fit the offense. They tried going with another veteran, who could provide a short-term solution, but he was way past his prime.
Needless to say, the Colts have tried the quarterback carousel and that strategy has failed. Therefore, their only resort, for now, is to stick with the transcendent talent that they have at quarterback and be patient as he develops and grows. General Manager, Chris Ballard knew that this process was going to be a long one with Richardson. He plainly stated that they drafted Richardson for what he “could do in the future”. The coaching staff was aware that they were not going to win the Super Bowl with Richardson on day one or even make the playoffs. The reason why the Colts invested so much into an unproven talent is because of his potential.
He Has Shown Signs of Greatness
There is no question that Anthony Richardson is a transcendently talented athlete. During his combine, he ranked best in athleticism amongst quarterbacks. He also ran a 4.43, had a 40.5 vertical, and a broad jump of almost 11 feet. All of that ability has slowly shown life at the NFL level. The most notable ability is his arm strength. Through Week 7, the Colts rank third as a team in yards per completion with 11.9. This is due in large part to Anthony Richardson’s deep ball ability. By himself, Richardson is averaging 15.9 yards per completion. He has also productively utilized his legs. He has rushed for 197 yards, which ranks seventh amongst quarterbacks.
Again, Richardson is a very athletic quarterback who possesses transcendent abilities. The issue is that he hasn’t quite put all of the tools together to be a good quarterback. He is a great athlete but hasn’t translated that into the quarterback position just yet. The Colts made a risky gamble by taking a 20-year-old quarterback with 13 starts under his belt in college. Nonetheless, throughout even this season, fans have seen why he was the number four overall pick.
He Needs Time to Develop and Grow
The main reason why the Colts are sticking with Anthony Richardson is because he needs playing time. He must have the opportunity to get into games, play through adversity, and learn. Unfortunately, this process has been, at times, hard to watch. Richardson’s completion percentage is worst in the league amongst quarterbacks with 50 or more attempts. However, his accuracy goes beyond just completion percentage. There are times in which Richardson misses wide-open receivers on more than two occasions. The good news, however, is that accuracy can be taught.
Richardson is also tied for third in interceptions thrown with six. A lot of these interceptions are at the hands of just poor decision-making. The good news here is that decision-making can be taught as well. Richardson has the type of arm strength where he can hit the home run on any given down. However, there are times when the check-down is the best decision. It might not get the first down, but it will allow for the offense to have a chance.
Bottom Line
In the offseason, NFL analytic experts projected that the Colts would have a losing record. This was with a healthy Anthony Richardson and a healthy Jonathan Taylor. Both playmakers have been banged up and the Colts already have four wins and a winning record. The wins have not been pretty with Anthony Richardson leading the way. However, he is the Colts’ long-term solution (at least for now). He needs to continue to play so that he can be better. Lastly, he has shown why he was the number four overall pick throughout his short NFL career. If Richardson can get the accuracy up, make better decisions, and stay healthy, this league will not be ready for the kind of talent that will be leading the Indianapolis Colts.
Main Photo: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
