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INDIANAPOLIS – When is the last time the Indianapolis Colts went into a game with a quarterback capable of stressing a defense in a major way via designed runs?
It’s been a while.
And it’ll be the biggest offensive advantage the Colts will have in 2023, whenever they do hand the keys to Anthony Richardson.
While the passing development of Richardson is unquestionably a work in progress, his ability to give the Colts something they haven’t had in a long time, and keeps opposing defensive coordinators up at night, is huge.
Simply, it’s a dual-threat nature—and the arm/accuracy part certainly needs growth—that the Colts hope becomes such a difficult component to face for future opponents.
“It’s not even the style, it’s just the arm and the legs,” Colts Chief Personnel Executive Morocco Brown says or Richardson. “Like the top-10 pick quarterbacks in the league, they’re dual-threat quarterbacks. So if I’m in the pocket and I have the arm, or if a play breaks down then I can run. When you have that type of high-level talent, you have to defend every blade of grass on the field and you can’t as a defense, if I can run and throw.
“(Richardson) is not a finished product at all, but to have those traits it’s just scary to defend a guy. The one thing for me, out of all the quarterbacks – and I got this from Mike Shanahan back in the day, he would always say, ‘Who would I not want to play against? Who do I want to play against?’ You’re looking at it and you can say who is more polished and who is more this or that? He’s the guy you don’t want to play against because it’s like Steve McNair but faster maybe. Those kind of guys can make one or two plays once they mature and when the game is decided by a couple plays.”
Again, Richardson’s overall quarterback maturation is nowhere near set in stone, but he should help the Colts in a couple of areas right away.
Short-yardage and red zone moments is where this sort of quarterback can be a very effective element.
And those areas, especially the red zone, has been a recent struggle for the Colts (Colts red zone rankings the last 3 seasons: 29th, 20th and 17th).
Easily one of the biggest ‘winners’ from this Colts draft, thanks to the selection of Richardson, is Jonathan Taylor.
Rookie running back Evan Hull touched on what such a presence like Richardson means for his position.
“What it does for a running back, I feel like it opens up the game more,” Hull said. “When (Richardson) can use his feet and do things, like you have so many different dynamic playmakers on the field at one time. It only helps honestly. The defense has to account for not only his arm, but his legs too and what he can do just to create and be a playmaker. Running backs love that because the more they have to account for him, the less they’re thinking about me and that’s when I catch them slipping in a sense.”
And for defenders, the challenge leads to some split-second decision-making that isn’t there when facing more stationary quarterbacks.
Kenny Moore knows this full well with how the QB trend has changed.
“It’s great to have a dual (threat) on the team now,” Kenny Moore says of the 234-pound Richardson. “Playing a dual quarterback is sometimes extremely hard because yes, he can pass, but he can definitely run, and we have to tackle, especially the guy we just got. You have to get him to the ground.
“Whenever you are in coverage covering a guy or you are in a certain zone, and he rolls out of the pocket, you got a choice to make very fast—do you want to go get him or do you want to protect whoever is behind you?
When Jim Irsay was describing the selection of Richardson, he mentioned the sigh of relief the Owner feels when he sees more traditional, pocket passers going against the Colts.
“When a guy can run and add that element to your offense it’s a big plus,” Shane Steichen says of Richardson. “It puts stress on defenses and obviously he has that capability.”
Yes, tons of work will need to go into Richardson’s accuracy, but his legs should be an immediate asset, and give the Colts something they’ve really never had.
