Upon return from injury, Colts want Anthony Richardson to protect himself – ‘but only to a certain extent’

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Anthony Richardson saw the pressure coming and recognized the messaging.

He didn’t panic.

He didn’t run away from it either.

The Indianapolis Colts quarterback instead took a play that head coach Shane Steichen had advised him to make against pressure and threw a pass before the clock expired.

Was this a sign of things to come for the dual-threat quarterback? Was he just responding to pressure with his arm?

Team owner Jim Irsay says no.

When the Colts selected Richardson fourth overall, they saw his potential as both a passer and a runner. They wanted to develop an arm talent that was raw but tantalizing, while threatening defenses with the mobility of a quarterback who rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns in his final season at Florida.

Is the strategy sustainable?

The question is fair after Richardson’s injury-shortened rookie season, a concussion and shoulder surgery that followed his 25 attempts for 136 yards and four touchdowns.

And yet Irsay doesn’t want Richardson to neutralize his threat.

“We drafted him because we know his feet can be dangerous and he can get big yards at key times,” Irsay said. “I think his style is great and we’re really looking forward to him having a great year throwing and running — definitely throwing more than running.

“Shane talks to him about protecting himself, but only to a certain extent. You’ve got to play the game and it’s a physical game, but one of the reasons we drafted him is because of his size, strength and durability.”

Durability is not one of Richardson’s trademarks. He has also suffered injuries, including a shoulder injury his senior year in high school and a brain injury and torn meniscus in college.

But he was healthy at training camp this week, practicing handoffs, goaltending and throwing, and finding weapons, including rookie Adonai Mitchell.

Richardson was candid with his receivers, telling them when their route depth was off from his expectations and when they needed to execute their release a little quicker.

Steichen’s attack is based on using the same formation multiple times to confuse the defense.

To reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018 or win the AFC South for the first time in a decade, Richardson will have to improve an offense led last year by Gardner Minshew.

Richardson had an exciting but inconsistent game in the four games he played, completing 59.5% of his passes for 577 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

On the ground he was probably more dangerous.

How does he know when to pass and when to run?

“There’s a time and a place,” quarterbacks coach Cam Turner told Yahoo Sports. “You definitely don’t want to take that element out of his game, because it’s special when he runs. He can run the ball and he can have a huge impact on the game, running the ball.

“But of course we don’t want to get unnecessary blows, you know, and a beating for no reason.”

The return of 2022 rushing champion Jonathan Taylor will also help. A contract dispute kept Taylor off the field until the final two snaps of Richardson’s season. Taylor started to come into form late last year, showing what he can do in a 188-yard, 6.27-yards-per-carry season finale against playoff-bound Houston.

Irsay is excited about the idea of ​​Richardson and Taylor threatening the defense together.

When will Richardson run and when will he pass? When will the run game start with Taylor and when with Richardson? The Colts hope to keep defenders on their toes.

“Speed ​​is key in this league and it’s dangerous — and those guys bring both,” Irsay said. “I think those guys really have a chance to be a deadly combination.”