Source: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty
In 26 days the Indianapolis Colts will host the Jacksonville Jaguars for week one of the NFL season with Anthony Richardson as the starting quarterback.
When Richardson was drafted back in April, most said that he needed time to sit and learn the offensive playbook, work on his mechanics as a quarterback, and get used to seeing how fast the NFL is compared to college.
Now that the first-year head coach has made up his mind, why would he reveal that now? On Tuesday’s Fan Midday Show with Jimmy Cook and Brian Noe, IndyStar’s Joel Erickson gave his take.
“Because you’re not wasting any first team reps now in the joint practices against the Bears and Eagles. No one ever wants to say it outright, but I really think the joint practices are what coaches care most about doing this time of year, even more so than a preseason game because you can try stuff out. You can do things schematically that you can’t do in a preseason game. Coaches really value these joint practices, and by doing this you’re giving him reps. You’re not wasting reps with the first team that you don’t want to give him during the regular season.”
In his first preseason action, Richardson went 7/12 for 67 yards and one interception against the starting Buffalo Bills defense. How would things look if Alec Pierce holds onto the best pass AR had in his quarter of work? 6/10 for 80 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. AR went 2/3 for 20 yards after that incompletion.
Source: Bryan Bennett / Getty
The reason why you would not announce Richardson as the starting quarterback, is to create a competitive advantage. If Jacksonville doesn’t know who is starting to head into week one, then they must prepare for both QB’s.
FCBS4/FOX59’s Mike Chappell contributed to the conversation as well pertaining to why you announce Richardson now along with these other topics:
- Approach with play calling early in the season
- Why this was Steichen’s decision
- Jonathan Taylor’s impact on Richardson’s development
To listen to Jimmy Cook and Brian Noe’s conversation with Mike Chappell and Joel Erickson, download the podcast containing their conversations below! You can always listen to the Fan Midday Show from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan, but you can watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.
