At the beginning of the year, I maintained that Anthony Richardson wasn’t disappointing anyone but our own unrealistic expectations. 8 weeks later, and I think that’s still fair to say. But at the same time, it feels like the rollercoaster on the path to development has fallen off the tracks.
I can cite the same box score statistics, such as a historically bad completion %, to paint that picture, but the film adds all the context you need. There is nothing in this offense that would help Anthony Richardson ever inflate that number. Shot plays, play fakes, and deep-developing routes galore. They don’t care about efficiency, because they believe explosion is what wins. So I’ve stopped caring about the completion percentage. This isn’t a normal offense so it’s unfair to use a normal metric as a measuring stick of his success.
That’s not to say that Anthony Richardson is absolved of any criticism just because the Colts have an aggressive offense with typically low-percentage throws. There are speed outs and throws to the flats that sail over defenders’ heads, avoidable turnovers like fumbles and dropped snaps, and interceptions that have you confused about where the ball was supposed to go. And then you tie all of that into the fact that an oblique injury sidelined him for two and a half games and put a halt to the development everybody knew he needed.
There’s so much to dissect here. So many hot takes, so many doubters, and a dwindling number of people outside the building who think he can be the answer at QB for Indianapolis.
Right here, in this moment, at what feels like the lowest point in the Anthony Richardson experience, is when bad organizations fail young players.
It’s the moment where a brand not built to face adversity folds and waves the white towel. It’s when the noise becomes so loud that frustration leads to impulsivity. It’s when impatience gets to its boiling point that it forces owners to renege on the plan they had likely discussed before the player was even drafted.
I don’t think Anthony Richardson is walking into that building on Monday without a fair share of criticism from his coaches and teammates. But the Colts wavering in their support for Anthony Richardson is how you blink and Jeff Saturday is coaching your team with jobs in jeopardy.
The standard that fans should hold their head coach to should be high. It’s clear that he’s shown the ability to develop young QBs, design offenses that win in this league, and coach through adverse situations.
This year has been underwhelming. But I also am not of the belief that coaches wake up one day and forget how to coach. Shane Steichen, if fired (he won’t be), would be the top coach on the market today.
Has the offense relied too much on explosion over efficiency? Yeah, I think so. Has it resulted in some game-changing plays that have flipped the script of some games in the fourth quarter? Also yes.
There’s been some fantastic design in this offense, even when the execution isn’t there. The run game is still as creative as it was last year, the screen game that’s married perfectly with play-action has been awesome, and some of the downfield pick plays and quarters beaters have punished teams.
In my opinion, you can’t truly evaluate an offensive playcaller unless you’ve watched the film. You can be as mad as you want at the result, but charting each play and understanding the context behind each call, is the best way to truly evaluate one.
Shane’s had some stinkers, by his own admission, and that’s ok. Sometimes it can be the best thing for a staff when you win games and still realize there’s a lot of work to be done.
At the end of the day, I don’t think I’ll ever waver in my opinion of Shane. He wins through adversity. We’ve seen plenty of coaches hired for their “offensive minds” that fold like lawn chairs when times get tough. That isn’t Shane. Every year you look at the 53-man roster and all 32 teams are excited and hopeful. The reality is that it will almost never look like that by October and November. Every team will have some sort of adversity, the best teams, and best coached teams, can stick through it.
As for Anthony… I’m of the personal belief that you continue to play him. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if, on Monday, Oct. 28th, there are people in that building ready for Joe Flacco. It’s partly speculation, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising. Too many players on this roster want and deserve to win. Anthony Richardson didn’t look like the guy who was gonna help them do it yesterday. That doesn’t mean he can’t or never will, but the Colts aren’t taking Sunday lightly.
With all that said, the flashes from AR are still there. His ability as an athlete and off-schedule playmaker is still enough where you can see how special the player can become with time. But his inconsistent mechanics and mental errors make the path to development only visible by a magnifying glass. Eventually, the Colts will need some sort of consistency at the position, or that same path could become microscopic, if not nonexistent.
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