Stephen Holder15 de ago, 2023, 19:28 ETLectura: 3 min.
The news comes days after the rookie’s preseason debut against the Bills last Saturday.
WESTFIELD — It took just a quarter of preseason action for Anthony Richardson to solidify himself as the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
Richardson, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, will be the regular-season starter, head coach Shane Steichen announced Tuesday. The news comes days after Richardson’s preseason debut against the Buffalo Bills last Saturday. Richardson never saw it coming.
“Honestly, I was surprised,” the quarterback admitted.
Anthony Richardson said he was “surprised” by the official announcement in Indianapolis that he would start Week 1 as the starting quarterback.Getty Images
Richardson had been in competition with veteran Gardner Minshew, but now that a decision has been made on the starting job, the Colts can step up their preparation to accommodate the qualities of their new franchise quarterback on offense.
“Anthony has been making progress,” Steichen said. “The growth that he’s shown, and then obviously going to Buffalo, playing against many of his starters, showed big signs of improvement. I liked the things he did, and it’s an opportunity now for him to stay longer. [con los titulares] and be able to go from there.”
Richardson went 7 of 12 for 67 yards in quarter action against Buffalo. Of particular note, according to the Colts, was the way he composed himself after throwing a costly interception on the first drive, a turnover that led to a touchdown run by the Colts. Bills in the subsequent series.
Richardson rallied to lead two more series that went deep into the territory of Buffalo, including a 77-yard drive on his final possession that culminated in a missed field goal. It was just his 14th start since his final season in the Eastside High School de Gainesville, Floridain 2019.
Steichen informed Richardson and Minshew of his decision in a meeting Monday afternoon, according to the coach. Then, according to Richardson, he and Steichen had a two-hour conversation about what’s next.
Of the decision, Richardson explained, “I still have to work despite being given the opportunity. I still have to work because nothing is given to you. You have to earn everything.”
Despite being described as the team’s future at quarterback, the 21-year-old Richardson said there was no expectation such an opportunity would come so soon. For that, the decision was enough to process.
“Just hearing those words,” Richardson noted, struck him. “You work for it, but you don’t know when the time was going to be,” she admitted. “I was just waiting for the week 1 and be ready for the opportunity and be thrown into the fire. But, then he told me and I was like, ‘Wow, it really happened.’ So I’m grateful, I’m blessed, and now you have to continue to build on this opportunity.”
Richardson represents the Colts’ latest hope of achieving stability in a four-plus-year effort to replace the retired Andrew Luck. Richardson’s inclusion in the starting lineup means the Colts will have a different starter for the week 1 for a different eighth season. Last season, Indianapolis made four quarterback changes on the year.
Richardson knows that that story, as well as the story written by guys like Peyton Manning y Luck in previous eras. On Tuesday, she confidently said that she is chasing “greatness.”
“I’ve talked about it before,” he declared. “I want to be great. I want to be remembered. I don’t want to just be one of those guys who was like, ‘Well, he was in the league.’ I want my legacy to be remembered forever.”
As for Minshew, he expressed disappointment while accepting what everyone already knew.
“It’s their franchise,” he said of Richardson. “It’s the reason they chose him where he was. And, it’s going to be something really special.”
2023-08-15 23:28:00
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