Anthony Richardson is heading into his second year with the Indianapolis Colts after missing the majority of his first season as a result of an injury. And it sounds like the team has high expectations for him.
During a recent press conference, Colts general manager Chris Ballard did not hold back when he was asked the expectations for Anthony Richardson entering the season.
“To play winning football,” Chris Ballard said according to Pro Football Talk. “There’s going to be some rollercoaster moments. I won’t say all, but most quarterbacks, when they’re young, go through those moments. There’s going to be. But learn from them, grow, and keep moving forward.
“I think you can just kind of look around the league with some guys that with Anthony’s skillset, it was a little bit up and down. One thing, I have a lot of confidence in Shane [Steichen] and [offensive coordinator] Jim Bob [Cooter] and all the offensive staff, they’ll do what he is really good at and comfortable doing and then what the offense can do.”
Ballard also believes that Richardson will improve by simply playing more live in-game reps.
“The more he plays, the more he sees, the better it’s going to get,” Ballard said. “I do think he will do a better job protecting himself. I do think that is one area that you will see. But look, eventually the game starts and the instincts turn on, and so you’ll see.
“But just his understanding of the offense and what he likes — like that’s a big point of this now. You want the quarterback to have some belief in what he’s running and be a little more opinionated about, ‘Hey, I like — Shane, I like this. Jim Bob, this is something I feel comfortable with.’ And I think the more he plays, the more he’ll become vocal about that.”
It’s an important season for Richardson after how much time he missed last season. We’ll have to see how he performs.
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