On the third day of Colts training camp, Anthony Richardson threw his first interception, but from the sounds of it, it was more so a much more impressive play by Julian Blackmon than an error by Richardson.
“That ball, when Anthony threw it there, I was like, ‘Oh heck yeah, we got one–holy crap, that was a heck of a play,’ said Shane Steichen after practice.
Steichen makes sure that his viewpoint during practice is from a similar angle as the quarterback, so he can see the play developing as Richardson does. As he was watching the play unfold, Steichen thought Richardson made the right decision based on what the defense was doing, but Blackmon fooled both of them.
“The one interception he had,” added Steichen, “I threw it right there too and when he made the play, I mean I ran over to him and dapped him up because it was an incredible play.”
So, what specifically did Steichen see Blackmon do on that play?
“He was down in the box and he kind of wheeled back and went and got it.”
That’s why his handle is @JumpManJu32. pic.twitter.com/N3JuSVpPTy
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) July 29, 2024
Blackmon is coming off a 2023 season where for the first time in his career, he spent the majority of his snaps playing near the line of scrimmage as the defense’s strong safety. It also happened to be an incredibly impactful season for him as well.
Blackmon was a very sound tackler, making 88 of his 95 attempts and ranked among the best at his position group in PFF’s run stop rate metric. In coverage, Blackmon came away with four interceptions, two pass breakups, and quarterback’s had a passer rating of 57.5 when targeting him.
“I think he’s going to have a huge year for us,” Steichen said. “Just the way his mindset, the way he sees the game. I mean, the way you talk football to him it’s like talking to another coach and he made a ton of plays today. He made some big time plays.”
Blackmon would test free agency during the offseason but ended up re-signing with the Colts a one-year deal worth $3.7 million.
When it comes to what’s next for Blackmon in 2024, he only has one goal in mind: be better than the year before.
“I think that as you go you realize how hard it is in this league to continue to get better and better, and I think that I’m just chasing to get better than the last year,” said Blackmon on Sunday. “Whatever that looks like last year, I want to see what I did that wasn’t as positive and try to maintain something that’s better than that.”
