At this time last year, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson encountered many new experiences.
He was wrapping up his first NFL training camp and was already named the starting quarterback. The quarterback was working to master the Colts' offense as quickly as he could while adjusting to the speed of the NFL game. It was a whirlwind for the No.4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Fast forward to this year, things have done a 180 for Richardson. He has mastered the offense of head coach Shane Steichen and adjusted to the NFL game. There is no quarterback competition, as Richardson has been given the keys to the franchise. Training camp has been a completely different experience for the 22-year-old.
"I'm thankful man," Richardson said after practice Thursday. "Camp flew by this year. Last year, it felt long, but this year, I was like, ‘Dang, today is the last day.’"
Richardson has had a stellar training camp as the Colts wrapped up their work at Grand Park Sports Complex on Thursday. Richardson has not been perfect, but he has consistently found his receivers all over the field and made smart decisions with the football. The accuracy Richardson has displayed on the deep ball has been impressive, as generating explosive plays has been a focus of the Colts throughout camp.
But as mentioned previously, Richardson has not been perfect, and there have been plenty of teaching opportunities for the young quarterback. Thursday was a perfect example as the Colts conducted their second of two joint practices with the Arizona Cardinals. The skies opened up in Westfield as practice began, making playing conditions difficult.synonyms
Richardson was not immune to the inclement weather, fumbling two of his first three snaps in the first 11-on-11 period of the day. It was a rocky start to practice for the quarterback, but it did not deter his confidence. It was on him to adapt to the playing conditions.
"You’ve got to have the next-play mentality," Richardson remarked. "We kind of already knew it was going to be a little different for us before practice even started when it was raining. So, I kind of expected some things like that to happen, but it's all part of the game. I’ve just got to adjust and keep it going.”
Richardson did adjust, putting a glove on his throwing hand for the next series. While the rain continued to fall, the glove was all it took to fix his ball-handling issues. Richardson was back and ready to go.
"I was out there dotting it up a little bit once I got this magical thing on my hand," Richardson said with a smile, looking at the glove. "So, it did me some justice.”
Richardson began delivering the ball accurately to his receivers despite the ongoing downpour. While some had trouble catching the ball, Richardson found Alec Pierce on a few throws in 7-on-7 work that resulted in touchdowns. The Cardinals defense struggled throughout both practices to stop the connection between Richardson and Pierce.
While the second 11-on-11 session focused heavily on the run game, Richardson was able to shine once more in the final two-minute drill of the day. He began with a completion to Michael Pittman Jr. for a first down. Then Richardson uncorked a bomb, perfectly placing the ball 50 yards down the middle of the field into the hands of Adonai Mitchell.
“So we were tempo, obviously. Went two-by-two, had some deep routes," Richardson recalled. "Necessarily, I'm supposed to work to the boundary because it's an easier throw and then the timing on the clock, you want to make sure you can get enough spacing so you can get out of bounds.
"But I just looked to the left, and I (had) seen AD (Mitchell) in the slot, and I (had) just seen a bunch of green grass, and I was like, ‘All right, throw the ball to him.’ And it worked.”
After an incompletion to Pierce, a defensive pass interference call on another throw to Pierce set up a first-and-goal. Richardson handled it from there, scampering in for a seven-yard touchdown. The drive capped another impressive 11-on-11 session for Richardson, who has routinely performed at his best during the full-team periods throughout camp.
"I guess I could say (11-on-11) is a little bit more realistic," Richardson explained. "I’ve got guys trying to tackle me in the pocket. I’ve got backers that have got to respect the run from time to time. So, I guess just having realistic reps that makes me feel a little better. But I'm still working as a passer, get better on seven-on-seven.”
Having success in one-on-one and seven-on-seven periods is needed, but the 11-on-11 portions of practice are always the most important. They simulate live game situations and force Richardson and the offense to execute like they would on Sundays. Building the confidence that what works in practice will work in the game is very valuable for a young quarterback.
“I guess you could just say (building) confidence in our scheme and our execution because Coach Shane – he harps on that all the time," Richardson detailed. "We’ve got to be efficient, especially times like that two-minute drill. So, we're just trying to make it the best way that we can just so he can be happy.”
Richardson and the Colts accomplished a great deal of work during the two joint practices with the Cardinals. Because of that, Steichen revealed that Richardson and the rest of the Colts' starters will not play in Indy's second preseason contest on Saturday. But just because he is not playing against the Cardinals on Saturday night does not mean Richardson will not be working on other things.
“Leadership and making sure I'm still tuned into the game," Richardson said about his role on Saturday. "Although I'm not playing, there's still things I can learn from just watching. So just being a leader, rooting for the guys, and just making sure I'm tuned in.”
Training camp No.2 is now officially in the books for Richardson. It was a much different experience than a year ago for the quarterback, but one that saw more consistent success on the field and plenty of explosive plays. And now Richardson hopes that will transition to the regular season as well.
"I'm grateful for our guys," Richardson declared. "I'm grateful for the fan base. I'm grateful for everything. I'm just grateful being here. I thank God for allowing me to make it through another year of camp. I'm just looking forward to the season now.”
Everyone is in the same boat as Richardson, looking forward to the regular season and ready to witness all that #5 can accomplish.
