Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has suggested rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will be allowed to play through his struggles this year for the long-term benefit of the team. He compared the situation to legendary passer Peyton Manning, who threw 28 interceptions as a rookie before finding his footing in the NFL.
Richardson, selected fourth in the 2023 NFL Draft, could start from Week 1 if the Colts are willing to stomach a potentially dismal record. According to Irsay, Indianapolis "need to get" the Florida product on the field so he can properly develop.
"As you guys know, Peyton [Manning's rookie] year we were 3-13, the first year. And that's a guy who played a lot of college games and was really prepared as much as he could be for the league," Irsay said on "The Pat McAfee Show."
"So, for Anthony Richardson, it's going to be tough. We know that, but he has to play to get better. I mean, there's no question. Gardner [Minshew] could come out and obviously play better early on, just him being a veteran, but we have to get Anthony on the field. And that's [head coach Shane Steichen's] call when he decides to do it."
However, there are clear differences between Richardson and Manning, who Indianapolis selected first overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. Manning was the far more productive college player, breaking Tennessee's records for passing yards and touchdowns thrown. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in his final year with the school.
Conversely, the Colts drafted Richardson because of his athletic upside. In terms of college numbers, he played well but not to the standard of a typical top-five NFL draft pick.
The quarterback completed just 53.8 per cent of his passes last year at Florida and threw 17 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Of course, he rushed way more effectively than Manning, amassing more than 600 yards on the ground.
To fully unlock Richardson's potential, Indianapolis believe in-game reps are crucial. They would love to see him follow the path a raw Josh Allen took entering the NFL: wildly inconsistent in 12 games as a Buffalo Bills rookie but one of the better all-round quarterbacks in the league thereafter.
While the NFL newcomers who do play are sometimes limited in the plays they call to prevent risky throws, the Bills mostly allowed Allen to do his thing from the get-go.
In his second month, Allen made the risky decision to hurdle over a Minnesota Vikings defender to convert a long third down — and head coach Sean McDermott reportedly loved the effort. "I was trusting my feet, trusting my gut," Allen said afterward.
Richardson seems to be under the impression that he'll get free reign, too, with Irsay's comments signalling the organisation trusts him to learn on the fly.
"As a QB, whenever you see deep shots in the playbook you get excited because you like to throw the ball deep and beat the coverage whenever it does happens," Richardson said. "I just get excited when I'm looking at it in general because it's all new to me and I'm like, 'Okay, what's this? What's this?'
"You've got to ask questions. 'Coach, how does this relate to this? What happens if they do this?' Just getting information and taking it in, I just love it."
