Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson entered the league with more than a few question marks surrounding his game. But none was of greater concern than his accuracy. Richardson completed just under 55 percent of his throws during his collegiate career with the Florida Gators.
Still, the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder has a number of tantalizing physical attributes that simply aren’t teachable. For instance, he’s got 4.43 speed in the 40-yard dash and a howitzer for a right arm.
He put both his concerns and his gifts on display in tonight’s preseason tilt with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Anthony Richardson’s Up-And-Down Night
Richardson’s performance in the first half of Indy’s go-home preseason bout with Philly was kind of a microcosm of his up-and-down collegiate career.
He dazzled at times, and it was reflected on the scoreboard. His Colts led the Eagles 17-13 at the intermission at the time of this writing.
The first-year QB led three scoring drives on the night.
But he completed just six of his 17 pass attempts. A completion percentage below 40 percent would be considered subpar back in the George Blanda days (the Hall of Famer completed around 48 percent of his career passes), let alone in the days of Patrick Mahomes.
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But some of Richardson’s (admittedly few) completions displayed his considerable arm talent.
Anthony Richardson put it only where the receiver could catch it 😤😤pic.twitter.com/TtLo7eqR8s
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 25, 2023
In all, his six completions went for 78 yards. But there were some definite lowlights visible in his 11 incompletions as well.
Anthony Richardson is going to be so GREAT in this league 😳😂 #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/60aRZOiPr3
— Balin Ali (@BallinKAli) August 25, 2023
Of course, the Colts knew there’d be some growing pains when they selected Richardson where they did in the 2023 NFL Draft. It’s a gamble, but they evidently believe they can hone his immense physical gifts and get him to a point where he’s making routine throws in his sleep.
Until he’s there, they can mitigate his accuracy woes somewhat by relying on the gifted runner’s legs. He proved impactful on the ground Thursday night.
The #Colts might not win a lot of games this season, but they are going to be fun to watch with Anthony Richardson under center. pic.twitter.com/dm7QjK5tcU
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 25, 2023
Richardson picked up 38 yards on five totes in one half of play. His ability to rip off big chunks on the ground repeatedly helped to sustain drives for Indy and, as mentioned previously, helped the Colts get into scoring position on three occasions.
Indy’s two touchdown drives were punctuated with short goal-line plunges from running backs Evan Hull and Deon Jackson. But that didn’t stop Richardson from getting in on the celebrating, taunting Eagles fans with a familiar gesture.
Anthony Richardson is in midseason form, taunting the #Eagles fans after a touchdown drive earlier in the game.pic.twitter.com/m7asKTT81I
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 25, 2023
Richardson probably has to complete over 50 percent of his passes before he wins over some Colts fans. But if his touchdown celebrations have anything to do with it, he might already have a few Dallas Cowboys fans in his corner.