Doyel: Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson talks big, but here's why he can pull it of
Doyel: Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson talks big, but here's why he can pull it off
https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...y/70314264007/
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INDIANAPOLIS – He’s getting comfortable here. This is what we want for Indianapolis Colts rookie Anthony Richardson, and not just that he has picked out a Walgreens, a bowling alley, a hibachi spot – though he has. Richardson, the quarterback from Florida, has checked those off his list.
He’s getting comfortable on the field and behind the microphone, too, taking charge in both spots because he’d better. Want to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL? Make that field your own. Control the news conference. Do those things with confidence and humility, and we’ll love you forever.
By “we” I mean all of us. Coaches, teammates, staff members. Fans, reporters, columnists. Confidence is charismatic. So is humility. Show both, and we’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. This is bigger than football – that's something I tell every class I visit, high school and college – but since Richardson happens to play football, let’s keep it there.
First, let’s talk about how comfortable he’s getting. One thing you’ve seen by now, and one thing you haven’t. What you saw: The way Richardson walked to the podium before the first day of minicamp this week, listened to the first question, thought for about five seconds and then leaned into the microphone with a scowl and mumbled:
“I’m just here so I won’t get fined.”
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Then he burst into laughter, as did the reporters in the room, because that was terrific. That was Marshawn Lynch’s line before Super Bowl 49, remember?
I’d tell you we’re going to like this kid, but that’s not quite right. We already do like this kid, and again, I mean all of us. Check the response to that tweet. It’s enormous. Here’s a random three in a row:
I have never wanted a player to succeed more than this kid
Ok i love him
I freaking love this kid!!!
Promise you, teammates feel the same way. You’d like to think it’s always that way with NFL quarterbacks, but we know better around here. Teammates adored Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett and Philip Rivers, but the bond was more professional with Matt Ryan. As for Carson Wentz, well, he was a mannequin. Looked real, but he wasn’t.
Richardson is genuine, saying what he thinks and doing what he wants, and sometimes that spills over in ways that might stagger you. Like, did he really just say that about himself? We’ll discuss some of his most outrageously confident statements, and I’ll tell you why he gets away with it.
But not right now. Because at this moment the Colts are putting their quarterbacks through a rollout drill. Music is thumping through the team’s indoor practice facility at 56th Street, and Anthony Richardson is getting lost in the rhythm. He’s doing a dance move, something you call “The Griddy,” until it’s his turn in line. He takes the ball, rolls left and fires a strike to Alec Pierce.
Barely slowing down, Richardson peels off and returns to the quarterbacks, doing “The Griddy” all the way to the back of the line.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) works through footwork drills Wednesday, June 14, 2023, during mandatory minicamp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indianapolis.
'This guy is a good dude'
Ask Anthony Richardson when he wants to become the Colts' QB1, how he'll get there, and this is what he says:
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I guess it’s whenever Coach (Shane) Steichen feels like I’m ready to be out there."
Richardson understands the chain of command and his place in the quarterback room. Face of the franchise? Sure, he knows his future. But until he gets there, that’s leftover baloney from the 2023 NFL Draft. That stuff’s over.
It's time to earn it, and Richardson realizes he knows less about the NFL and Steichen’s system than the veteran QB here to mentor him, Gardner Minshew II. We keep asking him about Minshew, and Richardson keeps answering the question by mentioning Sam Ehlinger, too. Ehlinger’s the other quarterback on roster, a veteran of two seasons, so he’s ahead of Richardson in some ways, too. And Richardson knows it.
Insider: Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew bond grows despite QB competition
Doyel before draft: Stay calm, but signing Minshew MEANS ANTHONY RICHARDSON IS NEXT
But this is where Richardson is so likeable: He knows where he is, and he knows where he’s going, and he knows the only way to get there is hard work. He also knows, as the future face of the franchise blah blah blah, he’s under scrutiny at all times. Cornerback Kenny Moore II was telling reporters this week that he’s seen Richardson preparing for meetings by studying his notes. Reporters are telling Richardson about that.
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“For one,” Richardson says, “my position and the light that I’m in, I can’t do the bare minimum. The team would not allow that, I would not allow that for myself. I know the GM, coach and the owner definitely don’t want that from me.
“I’m not just doing it for show – I actually want to learn this information, know this information for the team because I don’t want to get thrown out there and I’m lost and the team is like, ‘Why is this dude out there?’ I just want to make sure I’m on point with everything and I’m doing my job the best way I can.”
That right there, that’s why Richardson feels comfortable saying some of the things he’s said in the past. And it’s why he can get away with it, for lack of a better phrase. Richardson talks about his place in this game, how good he believes he will be, and if you don't listen closely enough you’d think this guy’s ego is out of control, that he’s saying something preposterous.
But listen closely to what he says, to all of it, and listen to what his boss says about him. And it all makes sense.
"This guy is a good dude," Steichen says, "and when you’re a good dude and have humility like that, I think you can become a really special player in this league.”
Richardson's goal: 'Not just be a freak athlete'
“I’m here for a reason,” Richardson said shortly after the 2023 NFL Draft in his first news conference at the Colts complex on 56th Street. “I work hard, I put the work in and obviously, I showcased that I can be a huge talent.”
Weeks earlier, at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, he had put on the single greatest workout by a quarterback, perhaps by anyone, in combine history. It’s OK for him to know that, you know? Especially when he follows it up within seconds by saying “there’s a lot of things I can clean up” and “I can definitely get better” and: “It’s just a balance of knowing how confident you are in yourself, but also being smart enough to understand that you can get better and you’re that person.”
That person? The one destined for greatness, he means, but only if he works for it. Like this thing he’d said when he was reminded his predecessors include Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
“Great quarterbacks played here before I did, and I want to be a part of that list,” he said. “I will be a part of that list because I’m going to make sure I’m prepared, I’ll put that work in and support my team and support the franchise.”
That came a few days after draft night, when Richardson was asked why he seems to think he’s the best quarterback in the 2023 draft class.
“For one, I’m a hard worker,” he said. “I truly believe that and I’m willing to work hard – work harder than anybody. Two, God blessed me with physical abilities that not every quarterback has. … I definitely take pride in that. Then I’m also willing to learn.”
Richardson is surrounded by alpha athletes now. He’s rolling out and seeing a Colts defensive end running right there with him and thinking, “OK, this is different.” He’s throwing passes into tight windows in the red zone, thinking “that’s a touchdown,” and watching an NFL cornerback break it up.
“The margin for error is definitely small,” he says. “It’s just a matter of mastering my craft and being ahead of the defense whenever the time comes.”
That’s where he always brings the conversation. We keep asking him about his physical gifts, and he keeps talking about hard work. This is leadership, a way others have led, but with tools nobody else has.
“Hopefully (people someday will) think that I’m a great quarterback despite all the things I can do physically,” he says. “God blessed me with that and I’m thankful, but the game isn’t always physical. … I just want to get mentally better every day and go out there and play quarterback and not just be a freak athlete that knows how to throw the ball far.”
Remember that response tweet earlier, that comment a Colts fan had written after watching Richardson’s impression of Marshawn Lynch?
I have never wanted a player to succeed more than this kid
Nope, I didn’t write those words. But ask me if I’m thinking them.
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06-15-2023, 12:59 PM
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