Projecting Colts' Best HC/QB Pairing for 2023 & Beyond
The Indianapolis Colts have a lot to discuss internally for the next three months. The two most prominent issues to address are the head coach and quarterback for the future.
With interviews underway by GM Chris Ballard and draft experts predicting who the Colts will take come draft day, it’s worth examining what would be the best pairing to start the 2023 season. The answer?
Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Let's start with Morris. Morris has a rough head-coaching record for his career, currently sitting at 21-38 — 17-31 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 4-7 (as interim) with the Atlanta Falcons. However, context is key when analyzing this stretch on Morris' resume.
Through 2009-2011 with Tampa, Morris was only 33 years old, which, at the time, was an unprecedented age for an NFL head coach. Also, his starting quarterback was Josh Freeman, who fizzled out of the NFL shortly after leaving Tampa.
Freeman also had the best year of his career in 2010 under Morris, throwing for 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions. The Bucs nearly got into the postseason, going 10-6.
It’s fair to say that Freeman was a backup quarterback at best. Yet, at a young age for his position, Morris was able to maximize Freeman's efficiency and overcome the QB's limitations.
Even though Morris comes from the defensive side of the ball, he has a multitude of experience coaching wide receivers and helping with offensive game-planning, as he did for the Falcons from 2015-19, which helped spark the club to a Super Bowl berth in 2016. This shows Morris’ ability to help a raw quarterback prospect develop, despite being a defensive guy.
USA TODAY Sports
While all of the highest-analyzed quarterbacks are raw, in a sense, none fit that description more than Richardson. Despite this, he also has the most upside and potential.
Red-shirted as a freshman in 2020, it became apparent that Richardson wasn’t just another college quarterback. In the 2021 season, he played seven games but put together a stat line of 38-of-64 for 529 yards and six touchdowns, with five interceptions.
However, Richardson's feet did most of the talking that year, rushing the ball 51 times for 401 yards (7.9 per carry) and three touchdowns on the ground. Many criticized his lack of passing, but he began to silence those critics in 2022.
This past season, Richardson sky-rocketed to 176-of-327, totaling 2,549 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. He doubled his carries with 103 for 654 yards and nine rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
Is there a lack of overall playing time? Sure. Is Richardson about as raw as any quarterback prospect has been? Sure. Is there a chance he’ll need to sit for one year and learn from a bridge veteran? Sure again.
But it’s not required in a run-heavy scheme like the Colts have. Richardson is also built like Deshaun Watson and NFL legend Randall Cunningham, not to mention he has blinding speed with his feet, which is something the Colts haven’t experienced at the position.
Some other great qualities are Richardson's arm strength and ability to escape the pocket. Put this raw ability to make plays along with an experienced coach like Morris, and you could have a recipe for success. Morris, however, would need a solid offensive coordinator in place for Richardson.
Per Horseshoe Huddle's Zach Hicks, Morris is linked with six different coordinators, but two are far more likely to travel with him: a pair of passing game coordinators in San Francisco's Bobby Slowik and the Rams' Zac Robinson (on staff with Morris).
Seeing how Brock Purdy and Jimmy Garoppolo did in San Francisco and Matthew Stafford last year in L.A., it should comfort Colts fans to see these names potentially traveling with Morris to help a young QB develop into the caliber of the above names (or better). Mix this with downfield options like Alec Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr., and the tandem of running backs Jonathan Taylor and Zach Moss, and you’ve got a chance to develop a quarterback with Richardson’s strengths even quicker.
Bottom Line
Getting the right coach to fit with the right quarterback is essential, especially when both positions are being filled for an organization like Indianapolis that has its eyes set on the next five years for the first time in a while.
Will it be Morris to lead the charge with Richardson as his rookie signal-caller? The pairing looks good to me, but at the end of the day, it’s owner Jim Irsay who will have to sign off on both decisions.
