Tag: Gardner Minshew

What we learned from Week 2 of Colts OTAs

Here’s what we learned from Week 2 of Colts OTAs.

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their second week of organized team activities (OTAs) at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center and now have just two weeks left of the offseason workout schedule.

While the players are running around in shorts and jerseys without pads or contact, there are still plenty of notes to take away from the practices. The spotlight will, of course, be on rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, but there are other storylines to keep an eye on as well.

It’s also important to note that the media is only permitted to watch one practice per week so the news and notes may not be a perfect reflection of the depth chart or performances as a whole.

With the second week of OTAs now complete, here’s a look at what we learned about the Colts:

Eagles to host joint practice with the Colts ahead of team’s preseason finale

The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they’ll host a joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the teams final preason game

Training camp for the Eagles is a little over one month away, but we already know about joint practice sessions with two AFC teams.

Zac Jackson of The Athletic had previously reported that the Eagles and Browns would hold joint training camp practices at the NovaCare Complex in the second week of training camp.

On Friday, Philadelphia announced they’d host Indianapolis for one Tuesday joint practice before the team’s preseason finale on Thursday, August 24.

Last summer, the Eagles traveled for joint practices with the Browns and the Miami Dolphins, and this summer, both scrimmages will be at the NovaCare Complex.

Nick Sirianni prefers the intense practices over the preseason games for his starters, and he’s conducted joint sessions twice a year since landing the job in 2021.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=15489]

The Xs and Os: What is (and what is not) a run-pass option?

There’s a lot of confusion about what is, and what is not, an RPO. Professor Greg Cosell is here to explain it all.

The run-pass option has become a predominant force in a lot of NFL offenses over the last decade. Per Sports Info Solutions, there were 916 RPO dropbacks that resulted in passes in 2022. In 2019, which is as far back as we can go with reliable metrics, there were 709. In 2019, there were 1,439 running plays based on RPOs. In 2022, there were 2,674.

The point is, teams are using RPOs more often these days. The problem is, we’re not always sure what an RPO is, and what an RPO isn’t. Even Al Michaels, who for my money is the best sports broadcaster ever, can get confused.

Confusing defenses is the point. Confusing announcers and analysts, maybe not so much. And “reliable metrics” turns out to be the point.

So, in this week’s edition of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire) get into what an RPO is, and what an RPO isn’t.

Consider it a public service.

[mm-video type=video id=01h1tfpdnmg7nhjwespw playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01h1tfpdnmg7nhjwespw/01h1tfpdnmg7nhjwespw-18de19ea1b728fcf340444ae7528a674.jpg]

What are Gardner Minshew’s contract incentives in 2023

Here’s a breakdown of Gardner Minshew’s contract incentives.

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”afe1e038-d3c2-49c0-922d-6511a229f69c” cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

While the Indianapolis Colts are excited about the future that includes Anthony Richardson, they made sure to bring in a proper mentor in the form of Gardner Minshew.

The Denim Shorts Don signed with the Colts during free agency on a one-year deal that included incentives. It was a pairing in free agency that simply made too much sense considering the history he has with new head coach Shane Steichen.

While Minshew’s contract is worth $3.5 million guaranteed in base salary, he also has $2 million worth of incentives. According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, we now know what those incentives are.

Here’s how those incentives break down:

Incentive Bonus Payout
30% of offensive snaps $500,000
40% of offensive snaps $1 million ($500,000 + original $500,000)
50% of offensive snaps $1.5 million ($500,000 + original $1 million)
60% of offensive snaps $2 million ($500,000 + original $1.5 million)

It seems like a pretty straightforward set of incentives solely based on playing time. While the Colts want Richardson to be the starter as soon as possible, it’s also nice to have a bridge option like Minshew to lean on.

Doing some arbitrary math, the Philadelphia Eagles ran 1,179 offensive plays in 2022 while the Colts ran 1,151 offensive plays. Based on those extremely arbitrary numbers, we’ll run with a generic 1,150 offensive plays as a 2023 projection.

And based on that amount of plays, the Colts would be projected to run 67.6 plays per game. With 30% of the total snaps being 345 plays, the math comes out to be roughly five games started for Minshew if he were to play every snap.

Again, these are essentially arbitrary numbers because it will be incredibly difficult to predict the number of plays the Colts will wind up with at the end of 2023. Considering the unknown factors between the pace of play and how efficient the offense will be, it’s difficult to know for sure.

But we’re just trying to give a basic outline of what it could look like.

With that said, it might be tough for Minshew to reach that first incentive tier unless Richardson either gets injured or is further behind in his development than we initially believe. We should have a better idea of the latter when we see him during training camp and the preseason.

The Colts want to start him sooner rather than later because he needs the live reps even if it means dealing with growing pains in the process.

Regardless, we now have something to track during the season in the case of Minshew’s incentives.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

What we learned from Week 1 of Colts’ OTAs

Here’s what we learned from Week 1 of Colts OTAs.

The Indianapolis Colts concluded the first week of organized team activities (OTAs), officially getting full team work in for the first time this offseason.

While the players are running around in shorts and jerseys without pads or contact, there are still plenty of notes to take away from the practices. The spotlight will, of course, be on rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, but there are other storylines to keep an eye on as well.

With the first week of OTAs now under their belt, here’s what we learned about the Colts:

Where did Marcus Mariota land in a ranking of all 32 NFL backup quarterbacks?

We’re looking at where Marcus Mariota and former Eagles signal-caller Gardner Minshew landed in a The MMQB ranking of all 32 NFL backup quarterbacks

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”afe1e038-d3c2-49c0-922d-6511a229f69c” cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

A good backup quarterback is crucial for long-term success in the NFL, and the Eagles know better than most after Nick Foles led the organization to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots in 2018.

Philadelphia had one of the top backup quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two years, with Gardner Minshew looking solid in relief of Jalen Hurts in 2021 and 2022.

The MMQB released their initial 2023 backup quarterback rankings for all 32 NFL teams, and Marcus Mariota landed at No. 11.

11: Marcus Mariota, Eagles
Mariota returned to the backup life after failing to ignite the Falcons’ passing game last season. The 2015 No. 2 pick might be an ideal backup for Jalen Hurts, given the two have similar traits as mobile quarterbacks. Mariota has started 74 games and has a career completion percentage of 62.6.

PJ Walker (Bears), Mike White (Dolphins), Tyler Huntley (Ravens), San Darnold (49ers), and Cooper Rush (Cowboys) rounded out the back half of the top 10.

Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton was No. 1 on the list, while former Eagles backup Gardner Minshew landed at No. 3 with the Colts.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=15489]

Colts’ Anthony Richardson splitting first-team reps at OTAs

Anthony Richardson has been splitting first-team reps with Gardner Minshew.

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”afe1e038-d3c2-49c0-922d-6511a229f69c” cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson needs all the reps he can get ahead of his rookie campaign in 2023 so it’s no surprise to see that he’s been getting work with the starting offense this spring.

While the No. 4 overall pick gets up to speed with Shane Steichen’s playbook and life in the NFL, the team has him splitting first-team reps with veteran Gardner Minshew.

“We’ve been splitting them up. Anthony is getting some reps with the ones, Gardner is getting reps with the ones and that’s how we’re rolling right now,” Steichen told reporters Thursday.

With the first week of OTAs completed, Richardson has already flashed some of that exciting talent. He’s also had moments that show he’s a rookie coming off a college career that included just 13 starts.

It’s a balancing act for Steichen, who must determine the appropriate amount of first-team work without overwhelming the 21-year-old rookie too quickly as he adjusts both on and off the field to living life in the NFL.

Considering OTAs are the first time during the offseason in which the offense and defense line up across from each other—without contact—it gives the Colts a chance to gauge where Richardson currently resides in his development.

“I think with anything, you’ve got a guy who is really talented and comes in and shoot, you want to see where he’s at. So, let’s get him going early in the process and see where he’s at,” Steichen said. “So far, it’s been a good process and we’re going to continue to do that.”

And, of course, this is the time for evaluation of the roster, especially for a first-year head coach taking over a team that finished 4-12-1 the previous season, earning their way to the No. 4 overall pick.

“Yeah, there’s no question, right? It’s evaluations, right? We’re evaluating everybody. Not just him, the whole football team is being evaluated,” said Steichen.

However, it all comes down to building off the reps Richardson gets.

“But again, when you get those reps over and over and over again, you become a better football player, especially learning a new system, seeing different looks from the defense. There is a lot of stuff that is going to get thrown at him, along with everybody else. That way we can judge and see where he’s at,” Steichen said.

The Colts still have two more weeks of OTAs (seven total practices) and the mandatory minicamp until the spring workouts wrap up. This should give Richardson plenty of opportunities to build his foundation going into training camp.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

What the emergency-QB rule means for the Colts

The NFL is bringing back the ’emergency QB’ rule, which should help the Colts.

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”afe1e038-d3c2-49c0-922d-6511a229f69c” cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

The Indianapolis Colts may not have to worry about making a roster decision regarding the need to carry three quarterbacks at all times on the 53-man roster after the league approved a rule to add an “emergency quarterback” on game days.

After the controversy from the 2022 NFC championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles — in which the 49ers lost both of their quarterbacks to injury — the league dusted off an old rule during the league meetings in Minneapolis this week.

The rule enables teams to dress a third quarterback without using an active roster spot on gameday. It was a league rule from 1991-2010 and now is back.

Here’s the official release from the league:

One hour and 30 minutes prior to kickoff, each club is required to establish its Active List for the game by notifying the Referee of the players on its Inactive List for that game. Each club may also designate one emergency third quarterback from its 53-player Active/Inactive List (i.e., elevated players are not eligible for designation) who will be eligible to be activated during the game, if the club’s first two quarterbacks on its game day Active List are not able to participate in the game due to injury or disqualification (activation cannot be a result of a head coach’s in-game decision to remove a player from the game due to performance or conduct). If either of the injured quarterbacks is cleared by the medical staff to return to play, the emergency third quarterback must be removed from the game and is not permitted to continue to play quarterback or any other position, but is eligible to return to the game to play quarterback if another emergency third quarterback situation arises.

A club is not eligible to use these procedures if it carries three quarterbacks on its game day Active List [47- or 48-players in 2023].

What does this mean for the Colts? It’s quite simple.

There was likely going to be a small debate as to whether the Colts should keep Sam Ehlinger on the active roster with rookie Anthony Richardson still developing. Gardner Minshew will serve as the bridge/backup option until Richardson is ready.

Now, the Colts can roll with the duo of Richardson and Minshew while Ehlinger can dress on Sundays as an emergency option without burning a gameday roster spot.

It’s a win-win.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

Ranking the best moves made by Chris Ballard this offseason

Breaking down the 12 best moves Colts GM Chris Ballard made this offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts have some buzz around them with the excitement of their first-round pick, Anthony Richardson, being the new face of the franchise but for the most part this offseason, the team itself has been relatively quiet.

General manager Chris Ballard is known for not being a big spender in free agency, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been offseason splash news in his tenure.

Whether it was the trade back from No. 3 to No. 6 in 2018 with the New York Jets that landed Quenton Nelson, signing Philip Rivers in 2019, the trade for DeForest Buckner in 2020, trading for Carson Wentz in 2021, last year when he traded for Matt Ryan and signed Stephon Gilmore, there have been some big moves made in recent memory.

There weren’t any star-studded players added to the roster this offseason, but Ballard made some quality moves this offseason.

Let’s take a look at the best ones that he made over the last few months:

6 most intriguing position battles to watch at Colts’ OTAs

Taking a look at the most intriguing position battles as the Colts begin OTAs.

The offseason program for the Indianapolis Colts kicked off last month and continues with organized team activities (OTAs) this week.

These activities happen in three phases (May 23-25, May 31-June 2, and June 5-8) and will consist of in-person meetings and dedicated classroom teaching designed to help players improve during the offseason.

It’s also significant because it marks the first time the Colts can run drills between the offense and defense even though no pads or contact are permitted.

As the players reconvene, the evaluation process of the roster begins. It’s a critical time for a young team such as the Colts.

Here are the most intriguing position battles to watch at Colts’ OTAs: