Anthony Richardson Chasing 'Greatness' as Colts Name Him Starter
Tuesday morning began like many others over the past four weeks at Grand Park Sports Campus.
The Indianapolis Colts took the field in helmets and shorts for a lighter practice as they prepared for the Chicago Bears to come to town. The Colts and Bears will have two joint practice sessions at Grand Park on Wednesday and Thursday.
As practice ended, and head coach Shane Steichen made his way over to the podium to speak with the media, he dropped the news everyone had been waiting for. He had decided on who the starting quarterback would be for his team.
"After evaluating training camp and the film and all of that, I made a decision Anthony (Richardson) will be the starting quarterback this year for us," Steichen told reporters on Tuesday. "Like the progress he's made, excited about his future, and his playmaking ability he brings this football team."
When the Colts run out onto the field on September 10th in front of a sold-out Lucas Oil Stadium, it will be Anthony Richardson leading the offense. The No.4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has been in a quarterback competition with veteran Gardner Minshew throughout the spring and summer. But as the team got more practices under their belt, Richardson received more and more of the first-team reps.
Couple that with a solid showing in his NFL debut last Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, and there was no sense in prolonging the inevitable. Richardson needed to be the starter.
"Honestly, I was shocked," Richardson admitted when asked about his reaction to the news. "I've been grinding, putting in work just to get the title. But it's not really all about the title. I'm just trying to make sure I'm ready for the team. Despite being labeled as 'QB1', I've still got other guys in the room helping me get to that standard. So, I'm forever thankful to them."
Much of the debate surrounding Richardson this offseason was about when to play the rookie quarterback. After only 13 collegiate starts at the University of Florida, many said Richardson was not ready for the NFL. They said it would be best for him to sit and learn behind the experienced Minshew until he was ready.
Others argued Richardson should start and play right away. The only way for Richardson to get better would be through live reps. As long as he could handle the mental aspect of the position, Richardson should be the starter. In the end, the latter won out.
"I don't think I'll ever be fully ready because there's always stuff I can learn," Richardson said candidly. "Day by day, just getting information from Gardner, he's been in the league for four-plus years. So, just gathering information from him, getting information from Coach Steichen, just working day by day.
"As of right now I feel like I'm ready, but who's to say if I'm ready or not?"
The Colts believe that Richardson is ready for action. Coaches and teammates alike have praised the rookie on his preparation and attention to detail. Leaders such as Michael Pittman Jr., Quenton Nelson, and Ryan Kelly have publicly expressed their confidence in Richardson and how impressed they have been with his poise and command of the offense. That respect does not go unnoticed by Richardson, and he wants to continue earning their trust.
"It means a lot. I'm forever thankful," Richardson remarked. " I respect all of those guys in the building. I appreciate all of them and I just try to work my tail off every day for them. I don't want to come in here and make it seem like everything should be handed to me because it definitely shouldn't. I have to work for everything, and they've been here working for everything. So, I'm just trying to reciprocate the same thing, and just continue to grind, continue to gain respect and trust from those guys."
Now Richardson is their quarterback, and he will work to build as much chemistry and camaraderie with the starting offense as he can before the opener. Richardson and the rest of the Colts' skill position players already met in Miami before training camp to work and form closer bonds. Trying to learn his teammates and become closer with them is something Richardson plans to do not only before the season starts, but during it.
"That's something I learned back at Florida with Coach (Billy) Napier. You gotta know the people that you're working with," Richardson elaborated. "You can't just know the jersey number and their last name. You've gotta know where they came from, their upbringing. Because I feel like if you know more about the person, it helps you play for them and play with them a lot more. So, I just try to learn everybody and just figure everybody out so we can have a great relationship on and off the field."
Although Richardson has been named the starter, the work is far from over. The rookie only has one quarter of NFL action under his belt, and he still has much to learn. Richardson faces a long road ahead of him to be the quarterback he wants to be.
Things will not always be perfect, either. There will almost certainly be times when Richardson struggles and has a bad day. It is all part of the process a rookie quarterback goes through. How he responds to adversity and learns from it will determine the type of quarterback Richardson can be.
Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
"Everybody knows that I continue to preach about it, me being blessed with everything God has blessed me with," Richardson explained. "Despite all of that, you've gotta work. The guy that jumps the highest in the world, he still has to perfect his craft and keep trying to jump higher because there's somebody else trying to jump higher than him."
He continued, "So, I just try to think about it like that. There's always someone chasing me, trying to attack me. So, I just try to grind every day, continue to perfect everything even though I'm not going to be perfect. I just try to work for that opportunity and just continue to build."
Richardson will have those who think he is not ready. Detractors will be waiting for him to slip up. But, respectfully, Richardson does not care. He knows what is in front of him, and his skill and determination will make it hard for him to fail.
His journey has only just begun. Richardson does not want to be just a starter in the NFL. The kid from Florida is chasing something much greater.
"Greatness," Richardson said with a smile. "I talked about it before, I want to be great. I want to be remembered. I don't want to just be one of those guys like, "Okay, he was in the league." I want my legacy to be remembered forever. And I'm working, just trying to work forever and build championships here with this team and this organization."
The Anthony Richardson era in Indianapolis is officially underway.
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