Shane Steichen Gets His Mobile Quarterback in Anthony Richardson: Film Room

The Indianapolis Colts officially have their new franchise quarterback in Anthony Richardson. Richardson, 20, is a promising young player that brings sky high potential to the Colts' offense but the biggest win for the team comes in what he brings to Shane Steichen's scheme.

In Richardson, Steichen gets his young, explosive version of Jalen Hurts in Indianapolis. Richardson obviously has a ways to go to be the level of passer that Hurts is, but Steichen has his elite mold to work with over the next handful of years.

While we are in the middle of celebrating the new franchise passer, let's look into the reasons why this is a slam dunk for the Colts.

Athleticism in the Designed Run Game

The designed run game became a major part of Shane Steichen's offense in Philadelphia, and now he will be able to bring this element to the Colts. Jalen Hurts ran the ball 251 times for 930 yards on designed carries the past two seasons. That healthy usage in the run game opened up so many explosive opportunities for the offense.

Anthony Richardson is an athlete that we've simply never seen at the quarterback position. His 244 pound frame is plenty capable of absorbing contact, and his 4.43 speed allows him to pull away from defenders in space. With his athletic gifts, and Steichen's past usage of Jalen Hurts, it is easy to see a player like Richardson rushing for a healthy chunk of yards in 2023 (and beyond).

pic.twitter.com/TYfAibn6HA
— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) April 28, 2023

Scramble Drill

The other area where Richardson's mobility becomes an asset to the Colts' offense is in his ability to scramble. Shane Steichen's scheme revolves around the explosive play, and a quarterback scramble is one of the more effective ways to generate chunk yardage.

Over the past two seasons, Jalen Hurts had 52 scrambles that produced 10 or more yards. That is 52 chunk plays added to the offense due to the athletic ability of the quarterback. In total, Hurts scrambled for 794 yards over the past two seasons under Shane Steichen.

Richardson, again, is the type of player that can turn a quick scramble into a massive gain for the offense. He averaged 12.6 yards per attempt on scrambles this past season, including three rushes of over 40 yards on such plays.

pic.twitter.com/ZUaydg05S4
— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) April 28, 2023

The Deep Passing Game

Anthony Richardson has a long way to go as a passer, but he is quite effective on the deep ball at this point in his career. On passes that traveled over 10 yards this past season, Richardson had an adjusted completion percentage of 53.7% and threw for 1,894 yards with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Richardson's arm talent and athleticism opened up the deep passing game at Florida this past season.

This talent aligns perfectly with Shane Steichen's offensive philosophy. Steichen is a Norv Turner disciple that comes from the Air Coryell system. He wants to stretch the field vertically and kill defenses with chunk plays down the field. The best way to accomplish that, which he learned last season, is to have an athletic downfield thrower that can manipulate defensive coverages.

Jalen Hurts was one of the best vertical passers in the NFL last season, and I envision Anthony Richardson being able to grow into that same type of player under Shane Steichen.

pic.twitter.com/0J0E1gC15k
— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) April 28, 2023

Poise Under Pressure

The final area where Anthony Richardson is just a slam dunk for this Colts' team is in his ability under duress. Yes, Richardson was not the most accurate player by any means, but he did an excellent job of navigating the pocket and creating more opportunities for his team down the field. This was an element that the Colts were severely lacking last season.

Richardson is insanely tough in the pocket and understands how to move to create space within structure. With the Colts' offensive line woes from a season ago, he is the exact quarterback that this team needed. A free rusher isn't a dead play with Richardson, it is an opportunity to create another explosive play.

Shane Steichen is great at scheming up shot plays and explosives himself, but having a quarterback that can truly create when everything goes wrong is what makes an offense unstoppable. Richardson may not perfect in year one, but he is going to bring the juice that this offense needs in so many ways.

pic.twitter.com/EhaQqQXuJU
— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) April 28, 2023

The Bottom Line

Overall, this is a slam dunk of a selection for the Indianapolis Colts. They are getting an elite playmaker at the quarterback position that will propel this organization into the new age of NFL football. Anthony Richardson is the start of something special in Indianapolis, and Shane Steichen is going to turn him into a franchise quarterback before our very eyes.

Need your fill on daily Colts' content? Head over to the Locked On Colts' YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and myself hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.