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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is immensely talented, but thus far in his short NFL career, injuries have limited him significantly.
Richardson played just four games as a rookie due to an injury to the AC joint of his throwing shoulder which required surgery. He returned for the start of the 2024 season but suffered a hip injury last weekend that has him in doubt for the Colts’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The former Florida Gators star hit out at fans recently who have begun to label him as injury-prone. But a former NFL All-Pro says Richardson needs to reevaluate his thinking.
I asked Anthony Richardson about some people calling him injury-prone:
“I’m pretty sure if they got out the house and came out here and got hit by somebody that’s running 20-plus mph every week, I’m pretty sure they’ll be sore, dealing with injuries as well. …”
🎥 #Colts pic.twitter.com/nypKMWuFLE
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 2, 2024
“It’s football. I’m pretty sure if they got out of the house and came out here and got hit by somebody that’s running 20-plus miles per hour every week, I’m pretty sure they’d be sore dealing with injuries as well,” Richardson said. “People are going to talk. That’s what people do. I’m not necessarily worried about it, I’m just trying to focus on getting better day-by-day.”
Now, Richardson isn’t wrong. The average person wouldn’t be able to walk for weeks if they tried to play an NFL game. But that’s also why we don’t play in the NFL and make millions of dollars.
The “injury-prone” label isn’t in comparison to the average joe, it’s in comparison to the rest of the NFL. Which is the exact point that former Kansas City Chiefs star Mitchell Schwartz made when he took to Twitter on Thursday morning.
Any time you pull the “if fans came and did this” line I think it doesn’t work. You’re 1 of 32, that’s who they’re comparing you to. You’re also arguably the best combination of size/speed/strength the position has ever seen. Compare yourself to other QBs not normal sized people. https://t.co/R0k7hps1ji
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) October 3, 2024
“Any time you pull the ‘if fans came and did this’ line I think it doesn’t work,” Schwartz said. “You’re 1 of 32, that’s who they’re comparing you to. You’re also arguably the best combination of size/speed/strength the position has ever seen. Compare yourself to other QBs not normal sized people.”
Ultimately, if Richardson gets healthy and plays well nobody will remember his comments.
But they doesn’t do much to help him. He comes off as attacking fans who just want him to be successful. Thus far, the evidence suggests that he is injury-prone relative to other NFL quarterbacks. And given his physical playing style, it’s hard to see that changing anytime soon.