I feel a lot better about Greg Doyel
 

After reading his piece about Anthony Richardson, with its unbridled optimism, I’d worried that he’d had a stroke or been replaced by some kind of alien pod person. But, after reading his snide, hatchet job on Jonathan Taylor, those worries are assuaged.

He certainly has strong opinions

Hatchet job?

Elaborate.

Also, for the record, I think the optimism on AR has gotten a little out of hand.

Let’s see where he’s at after the next 3 games.

Tennessee always had plays us tough.

Haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2014.

Browns have the best defense in the league.

If he’s on a similar trajectory after that, I’ll get really excited.

completely understand being hesitant to crown the kid but you have to be impressed with what he has shown he can do so far.


he will have his struggles for sure but he has been far better than i imagined and i was a fan of his coming out.

especially how smooth he is in the pocket. he showed that some in college but he was dodging aaron fucking donald in the pocket.

I was listening to Nashville radio discussing Richardson today. Both guys were gushing about what he can do, and said they did not see him being this good this soon. One of them said the scary thing is that he seems to be getting better every game. They said Vrabel has to find a way to keep him in check, and don't know how he can do it. They know we have a lot better future than it looked like six months ago.

Oh absolutely. He’s a much better passer than I thought he would be.

I honestly think he could have a Josh Allen type progression in his completion percentage. He’s more accurate than I thought he was.

He has the drive and talent to be an all time great. But a lot of guys have that.

Let’s see if he can put it all together.

No one is rooting for him more than I am.

AR has an arm quite unlike anything I've ever seen.

Like that 38 yard throw to Pierce. Dude flicked the ball with his wrist 38 yards downfield, almost looked like a hook shot. I don't think Matt Ryan could throw 38 yards downfield given a running start.

If he is this good during his NFL infancy, what will he be like in three years? Makes you wonder when a player has such a high ceiling. Of course, a lot could derail that, I thought the same with Luck. I just want to enjoy the ride and make sure they keep him upright.

One of the best plays I thought he had last game was when two defenders broke into the backfield and were chasing him down. Instead of fighting and perhaps taking a huge hit, he just fell back before they made contact. It was a huge sack, but it was the right move and showed he was thinking about the next down and conceding this one. Something some rookies, especially ones that can scramble, don't always take to easily.

If I’d told you, 3 weeks ago, that the guy in the black hoodie, stalking the sidelines like a miniature, brooding thunderhead would end up standing at the podium, smiling, and telling us how much he was looking forward to getting back on the field, most of us would have been thrilled. It was, absolutely, a positive development, and most of the media welcomed it.

Not Greg Doyel, though. He was bumhurt because Taylor wouldn’t tell him he hated the Colts, their owner, and the color of the grass on the playing field. He wouldn’t fess up and admit that he has plane reservations for a postseason pilgrimage to New Orleans, where he and his agent plan to hire a voodoo princess, sacrifice a chicken, and drive pins into dolls of Chris Ballard and Jim Irsay.

Is it possible that Taylor plays out the string in Indy and heads off to greener pastures? Sure, but at no point in his press conference did he tell us that he’s closed the door on coming back…even if, as Doyel did, you read between the lines.

Doyel is an incendiarist, a media arsonist who gets his jollies out of digging under rocks, looking for the dark side of sports. He’s the guy who pulls your kid aside in the line to see Santa and whispers fake in his ear. He’s the fellow who shows up at birthday parties and steals candles off the cake, the nasty old man who screams at kids for kicking their ball into his yard, the crank who complains because the 4th of July fireworks show is too loud.

He might be right, and if he is, he’ll rejoice in it. Then, he’ll take a deep breath before telling us that Anthony Richardson hates puppies, kittens, and butterflies.