Those simply looking at the box score won’t come away impressed with the preseason debut of Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.
The No. 4 overall pick from the 2023 NFL draft completed 7-of-12 passes for 67 yards, one interception and a 39.2 passer rating. He added two carries for seven rushing yards on the ground. The numbers certainly aren’t appealing on the surface.
But like most aspects of life, context is needed. Richardson’s stat line may not have the aesthetic appeal some were hoping for, but he did show strong poise and the ability to bounce back from an early mistake.
“I thought he had great poise, I really did. I know he has the early interception – that’s my fault, we got to do a better job communicating there on that one. They brought slot pressure off the edge and there was a miscommunication,” said head coach Shane Steichen. “That starts with coaching, that starts with myself – we have to be better there. Other than that, I thought he was efficient and threw some good balls. He was calm in the pocket. Hit (Kylen) Granson in the middle. Threw a nice deep ball to (Alec) Pierce. A lot of good there.”
The deep ball to Pierce that Steichen referenced in his postgame press conference would have made all the difference. It was a beautiful downfield shot that potentially would have been a 34-yard touchdown had Pierce finished the catch.
Anthony Richardson had a DIME that was dropped 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Kmv9Ld2YWC
— PFF (@PFF) August 12, 2023
Add that hypothetical scenario to his stat line, and Richardson would have finished with a much more positive narrative surrounding his debut.
But we don’t live in the world of hypotheticals, and there will always be those who can’t look beyond the box score.
The most impressive part of Richardson’s debut was his ability to bounce back. The rookie, who made just his 14th start since the beginning of his college career, could have easily folded after the early interception.
He didn’t. That’s not in Richardson’s nature as Colts fans have learned quickly since his arrival this spring.
“I thought he was good, I mean he bounced back. It was the first drive of the game, he gets the pick there and he comes back and we started moving the ball pretty good,” Steichen said. “He had some nice touch passes. Good calm. Had some good things. Commanded the huddle. All those different things.”
Given his sheer inexperience, learning from these mistakes in real time will be vital for Richardson’s growth. The fact that he’s already showing the ability to do that is encouraging.
It isn’t clear whether Richardson will start the second preseason game against the Chicago Bears, but he’ll have even more live reps against a different opponent when the joint practices come around Wednesday and Thursday night.
While the results sometimes may not be pretty, Richardson is already showing growth as a quarterback and a leader. That’s exactly what we should want to see from the 21-year-old at this stage of the preseason.