© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Colts' Shane Steichen 'Super Excited' for Anthony Richardson's Year 2
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen could barely contain his enthusiasm for Anthony Richardson's return.
The NFL offseason is in full swing as free agency and the draft are on everyone's mind.
Fans of the Indianapolis Colts are in the same boat. Speculation on whether or not general manager Chris Ballard will add more talent through free agency continues to run wild. There is also no shortage of opinions on who the Colts should draft come April.
However, the biggest storyline of the offseason, regardless of what happens throughout the rest of free agency and the draft, is the return of starting quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson underwent surgery on a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder suffered in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, ending his season. The young quarterback has been working his way back ever since and began throwing a little over a month ago.
Everything looks to be progressing well in Richardson's rehab. While fans may be excited to get #5 back, it is hard to imagine anyone is more excited about Richardson's return than Colts' head coach, Shane Steichen.
"I'm super excited about Year 2 with (Richardson)," Steichen admitted at the NFL league meetings this week. "We've had some good conversations throughout this process, throughout the offseason. I like where he's at. He's progressing really really well, like I said before. He's just getting better and better, but again, looking forward to that spring with him. He's already heard the terminology, gets to hear it again, and then going into training camp and just getting those reps with the guys is going to be big."
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws to warm up before facing the Los Angeles Rams.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY
At this time a year ago, Steichen and the Colts were evaluating their options at quarterback near the top of the NFL draft. The Colts knew they were taking a quarterback, but picking at No.4 overall, they did not know which quarterbacks would be available.
About a month before the draft, as the Colts went through the evaluation process, it became clear internally that Richardson was their guy. Not only did he show sky-high potential on film, but his character was off the charts. Steichen hoped Richardson would still be available at No.4 and was ecstatic when he was.
"Going through that process and meeting with him and talking football, you could see the football IQ was there," Steichen remembered. "And then the biggest thing was the character. You guys have seen what he's done in the community already in his first year even with the injury. Just the person that he is. And I think when you're a good person, you're going to grind at your craft because you want to be great."
Richardson quickly impressed Steichen and the rest of the Colts coaching staff. Not only did he take on the role of QB1 quickly, but Richardson also showed elite flashes of talent both through the air and on the ground. They were the type of flashes you cannot teach, but rather, it is a feel for the game at the quarterback position. After coaching the likes of Philip Rivers and Jalen Hurts, those flashes were important to see for Steichen.
"You could see even when he played this year early on, he had a really good feel where to go with the football early," Steichen said. "And it might not be his first read, but it would be a guy on a jet motion and it's like, 'I'm going to throw an over. Oh my gosh, no one covered the guy on the jet motion.' Ball. He popped one against ... Tennessee. It was early to (Josh) Downs and boom, and Downs went down the sideline for 20 (yards). But I was just like, 'Oh they didn't cover him, he saw it too.' He's like, here, ball."
Steichen continued, "That's playing quarterback. He knows that stuff which is huge, and it helps as coaches. That processing speed of like, 'Oh, you guys busted here? Ball.' You can have a guy that can go out there and sometimes be a robot and be like, 'You told me one (read), two, three, check down.' Like, yeah, I did, but they didn't cover the guy, you know?"
Richardson's play on the field was not the only thing Steichen found impressive about his rookie quarterback. Richardson played a vital role in the quarterback room, providing a different perspective on the concepts the Colts were running against certain defenses. The active role Richardson continued to play in the QB room was crucial to his development during the season since he could not take any live reps after the injury.
"In the meetings, he has really great questions, he really does," Steichen remarked. "Shoot, he fired one out, I don't remember when it was, but he was like, 'Well, what if we get a corner blitz here?' I'm like, 'Corner blitz?' Because they see corner blitz in college a lot, you know? But I was like, 'Oh, that's a good question. Like, shoot, I've never thought about it because we don't get a lot of corner blitz.' But he sees those things which is huge."
When Richardson returns to the field for the Colts, it will be a different experience than a year ago. It will be his second year in Steichen's offense with the same terminology, concepts, and reads. In turn, Richardson should play faster and allow his instincts to take over despite only playing four games last season.
"I think with anything your accelerated vision and just getting in the huddle, for one, is big," Steichen explained. "You've heard these same words, you've heard the same play calls or version of them. So, I think that process is going to speed up. And I've said this before, the guys that play a long time at a high level have been fortunate to be in some of the same systems for a long time. That's why i think the continuity of certain players and certain pieces are huge. Just to keep hearing that verbiage is going to be big for him."
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates a touchdown during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY
That does not mean there will not be points where Richardson struggles. He is still a young quarterback adjusting to the NFL game and has much to learn. It would be unrealistic to expect perfection out of Richardson in Year 2.
Steichen will be measured in his approach with Richardson. As Richardson continues to develop, there will be a balance between trying to keep the quarterback within the structure of the offense and letting him go off script. It is an innate feel for the game that allows quarterbacks to go from good to great and reach their full potential.
"I think you have to have rules. You've got to have a disciplined way of looking at the football game," Steichen acknowledged. "But you also got to have a feel too, especially at that position. The best guys that I've (been) fortunate to be around have feel to the game. They kind of see it that way and it's like, shoot, if it's not there, but this guy's off 10 yards and I know he's my fourth read but no one's covering, I'm throwing it to you. I think those guys are special."
Steichen already sees that natural feel of the game in the flashes Richardson showed last season. It is one of the many reasons Steichen is so fired up to get his quarterback back and begin work toward next season. So, when could we possibly see the return of AR for the Colts?
"I think he'll be good to go for spring practice," Steichen predicted. "Obviously, we've got to limit (Richardson's workload) and monitor it and don't go overboard. But I couldn't be more excited to get him back going again. His limited sample size that he had in those first five weeks were impressive. He made some plays that I've never seen guys make. To get him back going, training camp, and get him through a full season, couldn't be more excited about that."
Steichen is not the type to reveal much when speaking publicly. The excitement displayed when talking about Richardson this week tells you everything you need to know about how the Colts' head coach feels about his quarterback and how special he can become in Indy.
And that should put the rest of the league on notice for 2024 and beyond.
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