Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson regards his legs as one of his “superpowers,” but his many strengths did not include immunity from injury in his rookie campaign in 2023.
Richardson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Game 4, and with his return to the field this week at training camp came the team’s designation as no limitations on his running as a dual-threat quarterback.
“My legs (have) always been one of my superpowers,” Richardson, 22, said Thursday. “So, trying to take that away from me, I don’t think that’s a good thing for this offense. It’s just more so me playing a little bit smarter, and learning how to take care of myself and my teammates. Knowing when to make the right play and knowing when to try to get the extra few yards. Don’t take my legs away, but being more smart.”
Head coach Shane Steichen said it wouldn’t be smart to curtail Richardson’s options behind center, given his abilities to pass and run.
“People ask this, too, a lot,” Steichen said at a Thursday news conference. “It’s just like ‘Hey, are you gonna limit the run game?’ And I kind of think, like, shoot, are you gonna limit (the Golden State Warriors’) Steph Curry from shooting 3-pointers? Well, that’s one of Anthony’s strengths. So, we’re not gonna get away from that. That’s what he does well.”
Indianapolis selected Richardson with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Florida after seeing the 6-foot-4, 255-pound quarterback play in college and post some eye-catching numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He played in only four games (all starts) for the Colts and completed 50 of 84 passes (59.5 percent) for 577 yards and three touchdowns. Richardson also rushed 25 times for 136 yards and four scores.
“I think it’s exciting because the playbook is open to everything,” Steichen said. “You’ve got a quarterback that can do everything. He can throw from the pocket, get out of the pocket, he can run the football. And then you have (running back) Jonathan Taylor, who’s one of the best backs in the league. To have both of those guys in the backfield is going to be critical to our success.”
Taylor, a Pro Bowl selection and first-team All-Pro in 2021, was on the physically unable to perform list before playing in Game 4. He and Richardson were in on just two snaps when the quarterback injured the AC joint in his right shoulder in the second quarter of the Week 5 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
The assortment of offensive weapons has Richardson highly optimistic about the Colts’ ability, or superpower, to put up big numbers.
“I don’t feel like it’s any way you can stop the offense,” Richardson said. “We got too many options. Me, I’m two options in myself, throwing the ball and running the ball. And then you got JT back there and all these weapons catching the ball for us.”
–Field Level Media
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