Anthony Richardson is regressing, and the Colts want to search out new options

It’s 2nd and 23 late within the third quarter of the divisional tilt between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, with Houston holding a 10-point lead. Second-year sign caller Anthony Richardson takes off underneath stress, fights off a sack try earlier than ultimately being introduced down by one other Texans defender for no achieve.

Then, Richardson … subs himself out? As a result of he was drained?

It’s a brutal second of honesty and bluntness from a quarterback who put up certainly one of his worst performances of his younger profession. Richardson went 10-32 for 175 yards, threw a landing and a choose, was sacked 4 instances and solely had six carries within the Colts’ 23-20 loss on Sunday. It was a loss that made Colts followers and normal NFL followers re-examine what precisely we’ve got in Richardson at this level in his profession. For a group with playoff aspirations such because the Colts, the loss pushed them to 4-4 with video games in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Payments, Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions left on the schedule. Every of these groups with formidable defenses that would make life depressing for the younger sign caller.

Nonetheless, earlier than we transfer ahead we’ve got to ask: what’s gone improper in Richardson’s second yr? Why hasn’t all of it clicked but?

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Let me begin off by saying this: at this level in his profession, Richardson has solely performed in 10 NFL video games and completed solely eight of them attributable to damage. Since his second yr in school on the College of Florida, Richardson has solely began 23 video games since leaving highschool. That is nonetheless a passer who wants reps and time to determine a few of the finer factors of enjoying quarterback.

The factor that was essentially the most tantalizing about Richardson popping out of school was his course of, as odd as it might sound for a man with restricted begins. It appeared like he knew the place the ball was purported to go and his head was in the suitable place. The footwork made the outcomes not all the time look fairly, however you may not less than see the imaginative and prescient. In restricted reps throughout his rookie yr, you may see the imaginative and prescient and concept of what he might be as a passer. Ripping passes down the seam to fit receivers, the highly effective and explosive working fashion—it was all there, and one other yr of simply getting reps would assist within the development that he would make.

Nonetheless, eight video games into the 2024 season, the issue has change into clear: the outcomes not all the time including up have messed with Richardson’s course of, and that’s the place we enter the hazard zone. Richardson doesn’t have practically as a lot religion in what he’s seeing in comparison with the place he was final yr and it’s bringing down the offense as an entire. Richardson is thirtieth amongst all qualifying quarterbacks in Success Price, placing him solely in entrance of Spencer Rattler and Deshaun Watson. This implies the offense is barely discovering any profitable performs when Richardson is dropping again to go, and in case you tack on an NFL-leading 13.1 Common Depth of Goal and an NFL-worst -14.6 Completion Proportion over Anticipated, you get a fairly straightforward image of what’s going improper in Indy’s passing offense: Richardson is taking all of those throws downfield, however can be not hitting on these as typically as you’d like. This can be a drawback as a result of you may offset a few of the inefficiencies within the quick recreation as a passer by being probably the greatest deep ball passers within the league, however neither are actually hitting for the Colts this yr.

A part of why I feel that’s taking place is as a result of Richardson isn’t trusting his course of. As I mentioned earlier, in his first begins and even early on this season you may see the why behind the passes he threw, or not less than a few of the steps he took in his head behind them. The concept of seeing him go from 1 to 2 to three gave some hope within the concept of what he might change into as a passer. Nonetheless, on Sunday it was certainly one of his worst video games as a processor as a result of he simply appeared so uncertain of himself.

On this play, a 3rd and lengthy, he is aware of he’s received extensive receiver AD Mitchell on a deep curl route on the high of the display screen. The Texans are in single excessive protection, and Richardson can choose a aspect he desires to assault. He will get his eyes to Mitchell, goes to throw the ball, then…hesitates. The anticipation he used to flash isn’t there, so he double clutches, giving the stress time to get there and he finally ends up throwing it quick.

These points popped up loads for Richardson on Sunday, the place you may see the wheels firing for Richardson, however when it’s time to throw he simply hesitates, ready for the man to be open as a substitute of throwing him open. It’s an alarming trait, one which’s actually holding he and the Colts’ offense again.

Now, on Sunday there was quite a lot of unhealthy from everybody within the ability place group. There have been not less than six drops over the course of the sport, together with a Tyler Goodson drop on certainly one of Richardson’s greatest throws of the day, and an early one to Mitchell the place he can’t get his toes inbounds. Only a unhealthy day for Murphy’s Legislation to enter impact.

I feel the drops and simply inaccurate play for Richardson have taken an impact on his confidence. You possibly can see him tensing up earlier than throwing, not enjoying with any anticipation. The pink flags are displaying up in bunches, and the hazard zone is getting nearer.

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So, what can Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen do to assist Richardson regain a few of his confidence as a passer and get sustainable play from his QB? Effectively, I feel he has to borrow extra from his time in Philadelphia and really unleash Richardson as a runner.

I do know Richardson has handled some accidents, however solely having six carries in a recreation is an enormous drawback. The perfect variations of the Colts are the place Richardson possibly drops again 20-25 instances in a recreation—not him throwing the ball 32 instances. It’s why you constructed a strong run recreation, it’s why you paid Jonathan Taylor all that cash. Lean into his capacity on the bottom, do extra designed QB runs for him to get Richardson within the stream of a recreation. Hurts and Richardson are each on the larger aspect as QBs (Richardson is way quicker, nonetheless), and utilizing them as a plus one within the run recreation ought to assist the offense create some matchup and numbers issues on the perimeter.

Which brings up the subsequent potential answer: the very best factor about Hurts within the Eagles’ offense is that it didn’t ask him to make any advanced reads. The perfect model of Hurts must transfer possibly one defender or throw the ball downfield to WRs AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. Whereas the Colts don’t have those self same caliber of receivers, getting Richardson to maintain taking these photographs downfield whereas maximizing his capacity as a runner ought to assist put the offense in a bind. In fact, it’s reliant on Richardson’s well being, however the Colts drafted him due to his plus one capacity as a runner, they usually can’t neuter that a part of their offense, due to how a lot his legs play a task of their success.

The Colts are at a serious inflection level of their franchise. The QB who was supposed the be the franchise hasn’t performed nicely, and persistence is carrying skinny. I nonetheless suppose Richardson could be a good NFL QB, but when the scar tissue we noticed on Sunday continues into the top of the season, onerous questions should be requested.