The Indianapolis Colts offically ended their 2024 minicamp on Thursday, June 6th.
And while some players may be beginning their month off in the form of a vacation, Colts QB Anthony Richardson is soaking in some invaluable information from two of the best players ever to put on an NFL jersey.
Joe Montana
Joe Montana is believed by many to be one of the best QBs to ever play in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the 3rd round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He spent 13 seasons with the 49ers, where he helped lead the team to win four Super Bowls, and he was named Super Bowl MVP in three times. This, paired with his two AP MVPs, eight Pro Bowls, and three All-Pros, led to Montana entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the class of 2000.
Richardson getting to pick the brain of one of the best QBs of all time is beyond valuable. And I think an underrated topic the two could have discussed is the two seasons Montana spent injured from 1991-1992, where the legend only played in one game over two seasons to end his time with the 49ers. Richardson, of course, missed the majority of his rookie season due to injury and is currently attempting to work his way back on the field for Week 1 of this upcoming season.
Barry Sanders
In addition to meeting with Montana, Richardson was able to speak with one of the greatest RBs of all time, Barry Sanders. Sanders played ten seasons in the NFL, all for the Detroit Lions, who drafted him in the 1st round of the 1989 NFL Draft. He ran for over 1000 yards in each of his 10 NFL seasons and even surpassed 2000 yards in 1997, which led to him being named the AP MVP. He also added 10 Pro Bowls and six All-Pros during his career, which helped him be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the class of 2004.
Sanders has plenty of advice he could give Richardson on being a pro and how to adjust to the NFL level as a professional. But more so than many other QBs Richardson could have picked Sanders brain about his ability as a runner. Richardson's ability as a runner already looked to be among the best of any QB in the NFL in the small sample size we got to see from him this season. And who knows, maybe Sanders had thoughts on how he could continue progressing in that area.
