8/13 Indy star

[JAFF]

First Doyle

Anthony Richardson’s NFL debut didn’t go so good Saturday, but let’s be honest: He was playing with the Indianapolis Colts tied behind his back.

Matt Gay missed an easy field goal. Darrell Baker Jr. missed an easy interception. Al-Quadin Muhammad missed an easy sack. Alec Pierce dropped an easy touchdown. And Isaiah McKenzie made two big boo-boos that cost Richardson dearly. That’s offense, defense and special teams. “Complementary football,” coaches love to call it when all three phases play well.

When all three play poorly?

Insulting football.

That’s what the first quarter of this 23-19 loss against Buffalo, the only quarter that matters, felt like: An insult. The Colts were not good, and if that description feels too vanilla for you, try it another way: The Colts were bad, and on social media, Colts fans were not taking it well. Getting hysterical isn’t the most efficient usage of emotional energy after one preseason game, but if you’re feeling that way, fine.

Just get hysterical at the right people. Who are the right people? Gay, Muhammad and Baker. Pierce, McKenzie and Trevor Denbow. Also…


Look, let’s do something else. Since we’re all about being efficient today with our emotional energy, let’s make it easier and talk about the one person, maybe the only person, who should be calming your nerves right about now:

Anthony Richardson.

Colts Insider:How the Colts are addressing rookie QB Anthony Richardson biggest weakness


Anthony Richardson runs with a mean streak

You see the way Richardson ran through a defensive end?

See the way he threw that deep ball?

Richardson wasn’t doing this at Grand Park in Westfield, where the competition isn’t very good – the competition there is the Colts – but against the first-team defense of a Super Bowl contender. The Bills defense ranked sixth in the NFL last season in yards allowed, meaning these guys are good.


And Richardson belonged on that field. Every now and then he looked too good for the Bills, and yes, thanks for noticing, Richardson did throw an interception. If that’s what you saw on that play, if that’s all you saw, thank goodness you’re here right now. Because you didn’t see enough, and I did, and in a moment I’ll show you what you missed.

But first let’s remember what Richardson did right. Best way to do that is show you the play where he embarrassed two starters on the Buffalo defense, both former first-round picks, including one guy who was his teammate at Florida.


Yeah, this happened:

First-and-10 at the Colts’ 25, first play of his second drive, and Richardson runs the read option with tailback Deon Jackson heading left. Richardson keeps the ball and heads right, where Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau is waiting, and understand something: Rousseau is 6-6 and 266 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds. He was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, has played 30 NFL games, and started all 30 of them. He's nobody to be toyed with, but that’s what Richardson did:

Toyed with him, running into his grasp and then out of it, shucking Rousseau like a 6-6, 266-pound husk of corn.

Now Richardson’s in the open field, and Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam is in the way. They were teammates at Florida, and this is only the preseason. Meaning, who cares if Richardson goes easy on his college buddy? Answer: Richardson cares. He lowers his shoulder and runs through Elam for an extra yard. Just because he could.

The Colts’ quarterback has a mean streak, and I’m here for it.

Also: He can throw the nicest deep ball we’ve seen here since, um, Andrew Luck. Hey it’s true. You see that toss Saturday? Maybe you missed it, which means you have something in common with Colts receiver Alec Pierce.

On first-and-10 from the Buffalo 34, Pierce ran past six-year Bills veteran defensive back Siran Neal, got to the front right pylon of the end zone, and was rewarded with a ball suspended softly in the air, like an apple to be plucked from a tree. Pierce slid to his knees and dropped the apple, the ball, the touchdown, all of it.

Two other Colts veteran pass-catchers, receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and tight end Kylen Granson, also dropped passes. Would they have been difficult catches? Yes. Both were short tosses that Richardson could’ve placed more accurately. They were thrown hard, because Richardson throws it hard. Question for Pittman and Granson:

Do you play in the NFL, or don’t you?

Then catch the damn ball.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) runs against Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Terrible passer rating for Richardson, true

OK, the interception.

In real time it looked terrible, and honestly, after studying it five more times on replay, it won’t look much better. It’s the Colts’ first drive of the game, second-and-6 at their 24. Richardson has already thrown two short passes to McKenzie for a total of 9 yards, and here comes a third one. Only, Richardson pumps once, hangs onto the ball, takes a step backward and flicks his wrist. Everything about his body language suggested a throw he could take or leave:

Ah, the hell with it.

The ball sails behind McKenzie, right to Bills cornerback Dane Jackson, who had the good fortune of being in the background, covering Pierce. Now Jackson is running the other way, chased down by Pierce at the Buffalo 13, tackled in front of a guy standing two paces off the sideline in jeans, a white golf shirt and sunglasses.

The guy is Chris Ballard, the Colts general manager, and good guess: He’s not happy. He crosses his arms in frustration, looks at the ground, and walks away. Didn’t see that, did you?

Did you see this? McKenzie coming back to the sideline, greeted by Colts receiving coach Reggie Wayne, who knows a little something about playing the position and apparently knows McKenzie did something wrong on the play. He’s talking sternly to McKenzie, who’s trying to explain by pointing his arm this way. Wrong answer, McKenzie. Next time, point the other way.

And run there, too.


Am I seeming defensive of Anthony Richardson? Point for you. Excellent reading comprehension. I am defensive for Richardson, for a number of reasons. One, he’s a sweet young man. Great son, great brother, great teammate. To know him is to like him, a lot, and the only way we’re going to get to know him well around here – the only way for this rookie QB to succeed, and for the Colts to stop being dreadful – is for his teammates to play better.

If I’m not being clear enough, try this: Anthony Richardson didn’t hold back the Colts in his first career NFL action. Teammates held him back.

It started on the opening kickoff, when McKenzie – poor guy – fielded the kick 6 yards deep in the end zone, pauses because of course you take a knee there, only WHAT ARE YOU DOING ISAIAH? Now he’s bringing it out, and not very far. He’s down at the 16, which isn’t good, but it’s about to get worse: Young Colts linebacker Segun Olubi is called for holding, backing up the Colts to their 8. On the road. Near the loudest part of the stadium. For their rookie quarterback’s first career drive.

Nice.

Then McKenzie runs the wrong route, apparently, and teammates drop three catchable passes and Richardson throws it away on another one, and that accounts for all five incompletions on a day where he’s gone 7-for-12 for 67 yards and an interception, for a passer rating of 39.2 that doesn’t begin to describe how he looked.

Did Richardson look like a Pro Bowler? No. But he didn’t look like the obscenity that is a 39.2 passer rating.

Gardner Minshew was perfect, but no QB controversy

What do we do with all of this? First, we don’t freak out. Well, not about Richardson, or the quarterback decision facing the Colts. Because there is no quarterback decision facing the Colts.

Coach Shane Steichen made the decision when he gave Richardson the start at Buffalo. If he does anything different for the Colts’ next preseason game, Saturday against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium, he’s not as smart as he seems.

And Steichen seems awfully smart.

Yes, backup QB Gardner Minshew completed all six of his passes for 72 yards. He also has long hair. And with that, I’ve told you all you need to know about Gardner Minshew.

If we’re going to freak out, or ask questions, let’s wonder (briefly) about Matt Gay’s 27-yard field goal off the left upright or Baker’s dropped INT or Muhammad’s blown sack or Denbow’s missed tackle, all in the first quarter.

Now let’s stop freaking out. It’s too early for that. But we can ask questions, for sure, namely this one: When’s running back Jonathan Taylor going to stop holding out, er, be healthy enough to come off the Physically Unable to Perform list?

The most notable thing about Richardson’s debut, other than those passes to Pierce (the drop) and McKenzie (the interception), was the way the Colts ground game looked: Good, I’m saying. Without Taylor!

Again, playing against the bulk of the Bills’ first-team defense – a unit that was fifth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed last season – the Colts ran for 56 yards on 14 carries in the first quarter. Deon Jackson gained the bulk of it, 35 yards on six carries, as the Buffalo defense was keying on the 6-4, 245-pound, sprinter-fast Richardson.

Richardson added two carries for seven yards and got into the open field on another carry, only to have tight end Pharaoh Brown – the Colts’ blocking tight end, I’m told – commit an unnecessary holding penalty that accomplished nothing beyond saving Elam the embarrassment of being run over again by his old Florida teammate.

You’re seeing the trend here, yeah? Richardson’s statistical line – the 39.2 passer rating, the two carries for seven yards – looked bad, but the truth looks even worse:

He’s the rookie playing the hardest position on the field, but it’s his teammates who need to get a whole lot better.

[JAFF]

Now Atkins

Richardson's debut in the Colts' preseason opener
Nate Atkins
Indianapolis Star


Ten thoughts on Anthony Richardson's first NFL action in the Colts' 23-19 preseason opening loss to the Bills:

1. Accuracy is a work in progress

Richardson lit up this week when Shane Steichen informed him that he'd make his first start in the first preseason game. He spent time sitting on a bench in the pregame soaking in the scene.

So it's no surprise that a man who just turned 21 and has made 13 starts above the high school level was going to be amped up. Those emotions will create some variance at a position like quarterback that is designed to be played under control.


We saw it in Richardson's early throws. They were run-pass-option concepts, limiting how much he had to read and progress through early on, but he rushed them. He threw high on a ball Michael Pittman Jr. had to extend his 6-foot-4 frame to catch. He threw before Kylen Granson was ready on an out pattern.

And then he did it with the interception. Isaiah McKenzie was not looking on an out pattern in which the slot cornerback blitzed, but Richardson threw it anyway. McKenzie took responsibility for the pick in an interview with Colts sideline reporter Larra Overton, calling it a miscommunication. But communication falls on the quarterback and his receivers.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Of course, we can't chalk it all up to nerves either. Richardson completed just 54.7% of his passes at Florida. Assistant general manager Ed Dodds asked him once how he can have his feet set and a seemingly perfect pocket and miss a shorter throw, and Richardson shared that he's had so many voices in his ears over the years that he's prone to overthinking the simple at times.


That's going to happen early on with a new team, too. Richardson is fielding advice from Steichen, from offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and from quarterbacks coach Cam Turner, in addition to his private trainer, Denny Thompson as well as Gardner Minshew. The purpose of getting him these reps, in preseason and in the regular season, is to drill through that noise and build the muscle memory to make the simple look simple so the special can shine.

2. Richardson threw a DART to Alec Pierce

Richardson's third drive is where we saw him come alive. First was the play-action seam throw to Granson for 19 yards, where the run fake froze the linebacker just enough for Richardson to zip the ball past his outstretched arms so Granson could make a comfortable catch in space.


Then came the highlight throw that should have been. Richardson took a snap out of the shotgun and faked a handoff to let Alec Pierce run a flag route to the right pylon. Richardson flicked his wrist and the ball soared 40 yards like a rainbow until it landed softly in Pierce's hands. It was a great throw to beat good coverage. But Pierce couldn't hold it to the ground.


That connection has been a work in progress, as the two hit their first explosive back-shoulder fade in Thursday's practice. This one looked smooth outside of the most important part, which is securing the catch.

But it's all a reminder of the Richardson experience: He'll miss some easy throws. He might not be all that consistent yet. But he'll flash with that deep ball, and he'll fill everyone watching with some hope.

3. Richardson is learning, and that's what really matters

This year is about the growth of No. 5 and how teammates gravitate toward him. That means making mistakes and learning from them.


Richardson showed something on that front Saturday. His best drive came on his third and final one, after getting those early jitters out. The confidence extended to throws down the field and some aggressive and physical scrambles.

Richardson finished 7 of 12 for 67 yards, no touchdowns and an interception with seven rushing yards.

He turned self-critical in a sideline interview with Overton:

"It felt good getting back in the groove and pushing the ball down the field," Richardson told Overton. "... I can't be reckless with the ball. I need to be on the same page with my receivers.

"... Overall, I did pretty decent, but I could have been a lot better."

They'll dissect every moment, good and bad, over and over again this week. Richardson will bury his head in his iPad, which is the place teammates normally find him.

The process will rinse and repeat for 19 more game weeks.

The learning has just begun.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II (10) passes during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Quick hits

4. The Colts have some depth concerns on the offensive line again and, at least through one preseason game, those fears haven't subsided. Blake Freeland filled in at right tackle for Braden Smith and wasn't able to generate a push in short yardage, as rookies often don't. The second-team line had instant leaks in pass protection.

Lost in last year's struggles for this group was that it actually had surprisingly good health. A regression to the mean of the league on that front could spell some trouble. It's probably past time to sign a veteran here.

5. Minshew was a surgical 6 for 6 for 72 yards when the line did give him a chance to throw. He can be efficient and highly operational in settings where the opposing team doesn't have an overall talent edge. It gives the coaching staff faith in what to call for him if he needs to go into the game.

But you won't see the upside of Richardson's rainbow deep ball or physical scrambles. Building on those positives and correcting the negatives is what this season is about, which is why Minshew should remain the backup.

6. We didn't get much of a window into Steichen's scheme, which was intentional. But I do feel confident in saying the screen game will be a healthy part of this season. It plays to the skill sets of Hull and Jackson out of the backfield. It creates some easy wins for Richardson in the short game. And it can slow down the blitzes that a rookie quarterback will inevitably see.

I'm intrigued to see how this extends to Jelani Woods when he's healthy, as he's slimmed down his upper body to tap even more into on e of the most athletic tight end skill sets the league has ever seen.

7. The RPO game is going to open some natural holes for running backs. The defense converges on Richardson, the most explosive option in the backfield, and it's like gaining a free blocker you don't have to dodge when building up to full speed.

Even still, Colts running backs finished Saturday with 27 carries for 79 yards and a long of nine.

It leaves you to wonder just what this could look like with Taylor, who ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and can hit 22 miles per hour as a ball-carrier. His absence hovered like a ghost over this game on this field, where his first season ended in the wildcard round in 2020 and where he set an NFL record with 175 yards, four rushing scores and a receiving score in 2021.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Jonathan Taylor and the Colts were a perfect marriage. Can they avoid a messy divorce?

Perhaps a dominant running back isn't necessary to generate a good rushing game with Richardson, but football is still ultimately about generating explosive plays, and only one back on this team can do that in these situations. Turning a 20-yard run into a 45-yard touchdown will save mistakes like a stuffed run in short yardage, a holding penalty in the red zone or a gorgeous pass that a receiver can't come down with.

The value of the run game is different when talking about the most high-octane versions, like Steichen enjoyed in Philadelphia and like the Colts rode to nine wins with Taylor in 2021. That support is the best weapon you can give Richardson as he goes through a learning season, when he isn't of age to be the superhero yet.

8. A highlight was seeing Shaquille Leonard out there in a real game. Given that it's preseason, that should tell you something about his progress back from a second back surgery. The sample was tiny and the Bills didn't go his way much, but he's impressed his defensive coaches by how he's moved this camp, and they would know, since the only version they'd seen from him was the shell he was while rushing back last year.

His play and voice will be huge for the back end of the Colts defense, which could feature four first- or second-year players. The growing pains will exist for these young kids at premium positions, too. The best way to survive them is with turnovers. That's what the Maniac can bring when he's himself.

9. Dayo Odeyingbo scored a third-quarter sack when he lined up in a 3-technique, fired off the ball to the edge of the left guard, swiped the hands away and used his length to gain a runway until he clobbered the quarterback. That's the kind of first step he didn't get to show until around midseason last year after that time off from the Achilles tear and the build-up after it. It could be a big boost this season for the Colts, who want to generate some 1-on-1 edge opportunities for DeForest Buckner and who could use an interior rusher in place of Grover Stewart on some obvious passing downs.

10. Darrell Baker Jr. had a nice breakup on a third-down slant pattern that he ran for the receiver out of press coverage. He's had a strong camp, and I'd give him the edge to start at one outside cornerback spot.

I think JuJu Brents will take the other from Dallis Flowers in time, because that's what second-round picks do. But he's getting his legs under him in his first week of NFL action after a lingering hamstring injury. He played with a little too much cushion in his second-team reps in this one, but the skill set is there with his 6-3 size and elite short-area speed.

[JAFF]

Good news

'No sleep last night, once again': Colts LB Shaquille Leonard on starting preseason opener
Joel A. Erickson
Indianapolis Star


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — It was only six plays.

Five runs. One pass. The contact Shaquille Leonard wanted, craved, still needs to feel never came, the result of plays that went the other way.

But those six plays represented a huge step forward for the Colts superstar, the three-time first-team All-Pro who is tantalizingly close to putting the spinal injury that hung over the past three seasons behind him.

Leonard started with the rest of the Indianapolis defense in Saturday’s 23-19 preseason loss to Buffalo, another milestone in a training camp that has been marked by Leonard checking off signposts without much trouble, from being medically cleared to full-contact work on the practice field and now to the game.

Aug 12, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard (53) warms up before a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
“It was big,” Leonard said. “That was one thing that I was kind of nervous about, going out there and playing against other people, and today was another box that I can check off to say, I can go out there confident and be the best version of myself for this team.”


One of the hardest parts of coming back from a serious injury is regaining confidence in a body that felt so uncertain for so long.

“Any time you’re coming off an injury, and anybody that’s ever played the game is going to say this, you have to kind of remove the doubt,” Colts assistant linebackers Cato June, a former Pro Bowler himself, said last week. “Remove the fear.”


Leonard has been remarkably open throughout this process.

And he’s admitted there have been some nerves with each step he’s taken, each milestone, nerves that kept him tossing and turning in the team’s Buffalo hotel on Friday night.

“No sleep last night, once again,” Leonard said. “Being anxious all day, a little nervous.”


He spent so much time last season on the sidelines, trying to infuse his special brand of energy into the Colts defense from outside the lines, a frustrating experience for a player who’s used to being in the middle of the action. When he did get on the field for three games, Leonard knew he wasn’t back to full strength.

But the moment he got out on the Highmark Stadium field Saturday, he felt some of that old energy, the juice that electrifies Leonard on game day.

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“Finally just running out of the tunnel, feeling the hate from the other fans, that’s getting me juiced up,” Leonard said. “And then once the ball was snapped, it felt like riding a bicycle again.”

Leonard felt no pain, no physical setbacks in his six snaps.

What he felt was familiar, the rush and burst that defined his first four seasons in a Colts uniform.

“I wanted to make sure I still had the speed to make plays, and I wanted to make sure I could still see the game from the linebacker perspective,” Leonard said. “Today I was out there calling plays, moving well, just being in the right position.”

And even though Leonard didn’t make any plays, it’s a shot in the arm for the Colts to see their emotional leader on the field without a setback, the kind of setbacks that kept hitting him in his bid to return last fall.


“To see him out there, a guy that’s worked so hard, has been a tireless worker, to get back on that football field, so happy for him,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “I know he was fired up.”


After all this, after all the pain and two surgeries to relieve the pressure two discs in his spine were putting on the nerves leading to his left calf, only a few steps remain.

An actual tackle, in a game, against an opponent.

“I didn’t touch anybody today, unfortunately,” Leonard said. “A lot of runs were away, unfortunately. … Can’t wait to feel that contact going to the ground. Don’t know when it’s going to come. Hopefully, it’ll be soon.”

Then the start of the regular season, and then, hopefully, the first forced fumble, first interception, first game-changing play at the right moment.

He’s hit all the other steps so far. Only a few remain.

[Oldcolt]

Doyl is unreadable. No insight whatsoever, it is a wonder he has a job

[Bojack]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

Doyl is unreadable. No insight whatsoever, it is a wonder he has a job

I'm amazed most journalists have a job tbh.