I think he was legitimately injured. He’s usually not THAT bad. He couldn’t complete a pass outside the numbers last week.

I suspect he was probably to injured to play and played anyway.

o


(6 WEEKS LATER)


When this thread was started back in September, its essence was probably accurate ...... but after last night's game, I don't think that anybody knows what this season is about.

o

For me, this season is about getting a good tee time on Sunday's and enjoying the record setting warm temps in PA.

o


(ANTHONY RICHARDSON'S FUTURE)


With my blue-shaded glasses, I believe that Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard are very much on the Anthony Richardson bandwagon. It appears that they are vacillating, and cannot make up their minds ...... I suspect that that is not the case. I think that what they are doing is trying to keep him grounded, and trying to prevent him from believing that he is beyond reproach because of the fact that he was a 1st-round draft-pick ...... it reminds me a little bit of a movie called "Youngblood" that I saw a while ago, about a young, hot-shot ice-hockey player. When he scored his first goal, the crowd went wild and he had a smile on his face like he couldn't be happier. The head coach immediately subbed in for him. I asked my older brother why he did that, and he said that it was because he did not want the young, budding star to start thinking that all he needed to do was lace up his skates and show up for the game ...... the coach knew that the kid was good, and had the potential to be great, but he wanted to keep him grounded and remind him that there is a lot of effort to put in at practices, a lot of teamwork to consider when thinking about how to play the game, and how to give your team the best chance to win over the long haul, not for just for a few games.

And that is what I am hoping that is happening now, that they are not punishing and/or disrespecting Richardson, but rather that they want him to take a step back, watch from the sidelines for a few games, and then go back in as a re-energized quarterback ......absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Richardson will certainly appreciate starting and playing the game after being benched for a few games.


(THE COLTS AS A TEAM FROM 2019 THROUGH 2024, AND WHAT THEIR FUTURE MAY LOOK LIKE IN 2025 AND BEYOND)


Since the retirement of Andrew Luck, the Colts have been a middling team with 2 exceptions ...... 2020 when they were good (they went 11-6, and took the Bills right down to the wire on their homefield in the playoffs), and 2022 when they were horrible (4-12-1.)

But with the exception of 2020 when they had Philip Rivers being protected by one of the best offensive lines in football, they have had average or sub-par play from the quarterback position ...... subsequently, I would argue that Chris Ballard has actually put together a solid roster and a solid foundation that is not heavily dependent on a superstar quarterback.

In 2011, the Colts went 2-14 when Peyton Manning went down ...... but when Andrew Luck retired suddenly and unexpectedly in 2019, they went a respectable 7-9 with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, including a win over the Super champion Kansas City Chiefs on their homefield in western Missouri ...... that's a far cry from the 2011 team, who were embarrassed by scores of 62-7, 34-7, 31-7, and 17-3 in 4 of their 13 losses that year.

The same was the case for the 2021 team ...... with Carson Wentz at quarterback, they somehow managed to go 9-6 for the first 15 games of the season before shitting the bed in the final 2 games of the season against the Raiders and the Jaguars ...... again, that is a far cry from the historically bad 2011 team.

The same was the case in 2023 ..... with Gardner Minshew at quarterback, they still managed to go 9-8 and were one single play away from winning the division on the final game of the season against the Texans ...... and again, a far cry from the awful 2011 team.


So again, I would argue that in spite of mediocre and/or bad play from the quarterback position, Ballard has put together a complete team, not a team that would fall apart without their shining star (of which we don't have yet, and haven't had since the 2018 season) ...... and I'm not saying that I am satisfied with the middling mediocrity that the Colts have largely been mired in since the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck, but rather I'm giving the most objective observation that I can in regard to the make-up of the roster.


(PHILP RIVERS 2020 vs. MATT RYAN 2022)

I actually believe that these 2 quarterbacks, whom were both slightly past-their primes, really were not all that different when parsing their QB play, considering the polar opposite performance of the Colts' offensive line in those 2 seasons.


In regard to Matt Ryan and the disastrous 2022 season, I thought that it was a minor miracle that Ryan had the Colts with a record of 4-5-1 after 9 games with that atrocious line blocking for him. That offensive line was nothing short of awful that year, with only a modest improvement in the final few games of the season ...... in fact, if Philip Rivers had had that same terrible offensive line "protecting" him, I think that that 2020 solid, playoff season would have resembled the disastrous 2022 season. Philip Rivers had the mobility of a statute at that point in his career, and there is almost no way that he would have survived that season without getting killed, let alone led the team to an 11-6 record and a playoff berth. Philip Rivers had one of the best offensive lines in all of football blocking for again, which is the complete opposite of the line that Matt Ryan had "blocking" for him.

I believe that if Matt Ryan had played on the 2020 Colts that they probably would have gone 11-6 just like Rivers did, and I believe that if Philip Rivers had played on the 2022 Colts with that offensive line, the team would have had an awful record.



P.S. l Feel free to leave shovels at my house here in Brewster, NY, since most of you probably think that I am so full of shit that it is coming out of my ears.

o

when the team finally has a QB in the top ten, they should be a force, if the roster has not aged out by then.

Q, Kelly, Smith- all either already washed or nearing it. I would argue both Kelly and Smith are already done, particularly Kelly.

Buck, Grover, Kenny, windows are closing.

With Ballard at the wheel, unless AR miraculously climbs out of the valley he presently resides in and somehow emerges as a top tier QB over the next 8 games, the final years of these guys careers will be for not as Colts.

Personally, I cut Smith a little slack. At the best of times, when fully healthy, RT is a tough position to play well. And, judging by the injury reports, this is not the best of times for Braden Smith.

I don’t know the exact nature of the injury he’s playing through, it’s described as a leg injury. But, I do know that a gimpy leg is the kiss of death at a position that requires mobility in pass blocking and lower body power when run blocking.

The reason why it was important to develop Richardson or, at the very least, get a handle on his upside is that, once you have your Quarterback, the life of a GM becomes infinitely simpler. If they had an Andrew Luck lining up under Center, this Colts team would be a legit Playoff contender with a shot at the promised land. If they had Josh Allen, Chris Ballard could add talent and backfill his roster, replacing players as they age, confident in the team’s ability to contend even if Ryan Kelly hits the wall.

I now have no clue what this season is about. Ballard and Steichen's idiocy I guess. Irsay's cluelessness too.

o


This is precisely what I was hoping for ......



What looked like an exit ramp off of the developmental path of Anthony Richardson turned out to be more of a rest stop. In the eyes of Colts head coach Shane Steichen, l the decision to bench Richardson got the 22-year-old’s attention, and Richardson has responded positively.


https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...o/76257311007/

o

o


(vs. JETS, 11/17)


Richardson made a few mistakes/mis-throws today, but overall he looked very good for somebody who is essentially still a Rookie.

o

Definitely his best game yet. A few rookie type mistakes, but a hell of performance.

o


(vs. PATRIOTS, 12/01)


Richardson was 12-for-24 with 2 TD passes, 1 Rushing TD, and a 2-Point Conversions Rush, with 2 INT's ...... in the process, he valiantly led the team to a last-second win in spite of the Colts' defense having a bad game, and his receivers having numerous drops in key situations.

Richardson was directly involved in 20 of the Colts' 25 points scored ...... 1 Field Goal and 2 Xtra-Point kicks by Matt Gay was the only Colts scoring which was not associated with Richardson.

o