WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson looks like a natural this year at training camp.
He drops back, reads the pass coverage and confidently throws the ball deep downfield. Occasionally, he runs, and when he sometimes reaches the sideline, Indianapolis Colts fans roar.
In Westfield, Indiana, a northern suburb of Indy, though, Richardson's every move is under heavy scrutiny with his mistakes seemingly more magnified — an acrobatic interception, the low fastball bouncing off a receiver's hands, even the pass rush that forced him into an intentional grounding call during a two-minute drill.
Yet, Richardson insists midway through camp, he's in a much stronger position to lead the Colts than he was in 2023.
"It's definitely easier to manage our offense now," Richardson said. 'I'm a lot more comfortable, a lot more comfortable with the call (coach) Shane (Steichen) is calling in. It has been good so far — making plays with the offense, diving deeper into the offense and learning a lot more, and then just trying to take advantage of the defense."
Richardson insists he could have followed this routine last summer while getting acclimated to a new job, new expectations and new teammates. Coaches, however, wanted Richardson to take it slow and had him split first-team snaps with Gardner Minshew.
Now, after a full offseason in the team's program, Richardson appears to be more in sync with his receivers.
Still, as Richardson fully understands, his biggest test won't come in front of anyone this August. After an injury-filled rookie season limited him to just four starts, he finished only one game. The 22-year-old Richardson must prove he can remain healthy enough to make an impact. And he must improve his consistency, too.
Richardson's surgery on his throwing shoulder in October gave him a rare chance by learning the old-fashioned way — studying others.
"He had that opportunity to sit back and watch," Steichen said. "Throughout the season, you have extra meetings with him on the side and just going through football stuff, football knowledge, just keep getting that memory bank full of different looks and things we're going to run in the season."
The good news for the Colts is that he looks fully recovered. Richardson has not been limited in practice and aside from expected soreness, he has not shown any indication of lingering problems.
It also didn't slow his offseason program, which included a trip to California to work out individually with his receivers.
Plus, he should have a stronger supporting cast to help. While Minshew left for Las Vegas in free agency, he's now working with Super Bowl-winning quarterback and new backup Joe Flacco in position meetings.
He'll be playing behind the same five offensive linemen who started last season, and this time he'll be paired in the backfield with 2021 NFL rushing champion Jonathan Taylor from the first snap. Taylor missed the first four games four games last season with an injured ankle and amid an ugly contract dispute. Richardson and Taylor only took one official game snap together, ruining the Colts plans.
Now the gloves appear to be off and the playbook is wide open.
"I think it's going to be really fun. Like you mentioned, there were very few snaps, but we are praying for a full 17 weeks full of snaps this year," Taylor said after arriving at camp wearing a T-shirt featuring Richardson. "It's almost like there's a whole new element. You're not just worrying about what I'm doing. It's like, 'You better worry about this guy because if not, he's going to kill you.'"
First, though, Richardson must prove he can emerge as a franchise quarterback.
If Richardson lines up behind center Ryan Kelly on Sept. 8 against Houston, he would become the first Indy quarterback to start consecutive season openers since Andrew Luck in 2015-16.
If Richardson beats the Texans, the Colts would have their first opening-day victory since 2013, and if Richardson leads Indy to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, well, he would at least make good on some of the promise that prompted general manager Chris Ballard to select Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
And yet the road to success all begins here at camp, with Richardson showing coaches, teammates and fans just how much he's learned over the past 15 months — and how much he's grown on and off the field.
"The communication is definitely, has advanced for us. Last year was more so, 'OK, follow the read, do this,'" Richardson said. "Now it's like, 'OK if the defense does this, now I want you to think about this right here.' Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But it's just trying to find ways to tweak our offense and get comfortable with each other. But I definitely feel like there's been a huge jump from last year to this year."
