Getty Image / David Eulitt
The Indianapolis Colts have had a tumultuous last 12 months. The team had high hopes in 2022 coming off a promising 2021 that saw them just miss the playoffs. And, they added quarterback Matt Ryan to bring a veteran presence to a rotating cast of characters at quarterback since Andrew Luck left the team to retire in 2019.
But, the Indianapolis Colts were downright terrible. Matt Ryan looked completely washed. Running back Jonathan Taylor tore up the league in 2021, but battled injuries and an offensive line that did not play up to their pedigree as he rushed for a career-low 861 yards. All that added up to a 4-12-1 season under Frank Reich, who was fired by the team and replaced by Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Streichen.
The Indianapolis Colts had the 4th overall pick in the 2023 draft, and they decided to select quarterback Anthony Richardson out of Florida.
The moment Anthony Richardson received the call from the Colts. 🙌
🎥: fineprintmedia/IG #NFLDraft x #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/oazAdWlfte
— Indy SportsOne (@IndySportsOne) April 28, 2023
Richardson only had 13 career starts in college, throwing for just over 3000 and 24 touchdowns alongside 15 interceptions. He’s a great runner, though, and ran for over 1000 yards and 16 touchdowns.
But, despite a great arm and good vision, he’s a raw passer in terms of accuracy. And, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard spoke out about how they don’t plan to put too much pressure on Richardson too early. Here is Pro Football Talk with more details.
“He’s got to come in and earn his way like every player we bring in. Let’s not expect him to be Superman from Day One,” Ballard said. “I think history has shown there’s not many of them that are Superman from Day One. Some of them it takes two, three years for them to become a really good player. … It’s the one area where teams that, the pressure for these guys after one or two years — back 10, 15 years ago, guys would get year three, four, five. Think about it. Terry Bradshaw, he might have never played in today’s NFL. It took him time in Pittsburgh.
“We’ve got to let these guys develop and play. They’re going to have some struggles and then they’ve got to work through the struggles and eventually, their talent, the more they play, their talent will come to life.”
Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts is going to be a very fun storyline to follow in the next few years. I don’t think anyone would be surprised if he ended up being a superstar or a bust.