Anthony Richardson is set to become the Indianapolis Colts’ franchise quarterback in his second attempt. After last year’s injury woes, Colts coach Shane Steichen stoked anticipation with a Steph Curry comparison. But a botched dress rehearsal is causing doubts to grow among fans

When will the new Andrew Luck finally arrive? The Indianapolis Colts have been searching for a franchise quarterback since the surprising retirement of their former quarterback ahead of the 2019 season.

Experienced players such as Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan failed to impress, which is why they chose Anthony Richardson with the fourth pick in the 2023 draft. Even though he only played a few college games as a starter.

At least the now 22-year-old is following in Luck’s footsteps in one respect: He will be the first quarterback since the latter’s departure to be the starter on the field in two consecutive season-opening games against the Houston Texans.

But can he really lead the Colts to a golden future?

Promising start ends dramatically

A look back: Richardson’s rookie season in 2023 got off to a furious start with seven touchdowns in four games and just one interception before a shoulder injury in Week 5 forced him onto the operating table and out for the rest of the season.

Now the new attempt. And head coach Shane Steichen left no doubt back in July: In the duel with Gardner Minshew, Richardson has the edge again.

“It’s great because the playbook is so open to anything,” said Steichen: ”With him, we have a quarterback who can do it all. He can throw from the pocket or come out of it to make a running play. I think he’s going to make some plays that people haven’t seen.”

In fact, four of Richardson’s seven touchdowns in 2023 were running plays. His 5.4 yards per carry was among the best among quarterbacks. But: Richardson’s burst out of the pocket in the preseason also led to his shoulder injury against the Tennessee Titans.

Anthony Richardson: Legs good, arms bad?

So is Steichen scaling back Richardson’s running game because of injury concerns?

“As I’m thinking to myself, ‘Crap, are you going to stop Steph Curry from taking 3-pointers?”, Steichen countered that thought with a rhetorical question, ”That’s one of Anthony’s strengths, right? So we’re not going to give that up.”

Richardson himself knows that his role involves more than nimble legs: “He (Steichen) isn’t going to call 15 QB runs in the game, and I know he doesn’t want me trying to run over every player. So it’s a mutual respect, mutual trust – we just rely on each other.”

Richardson’s physicality is his greatest asset: at the Combine 2023, his fabulous time of 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash and his tremendous jumping power caused amazement.

But how reliable is Richardson’s throwing arm? He only made one interception last season, but even in college at Florida, observers said he was far too erratic, especially on short and medium-length passes. Reading the coverage was also considered to be Richardson’s weakness.

Concerns that the quarterback wipes away by pointing to his teammates in the offense. “I feel like there’s no way to stop this offense. I have two options myself: throw the ball and run the ball. And then we have JT (Jonathan Taylor) in the back. And then we have all these weapons catching the ball.”

In addition to receiver Michael Pittman Jr., that includes rookie receiver Adonai Mitchell this season.

Preseason dress rehearsal ends soberingly

As much as Steichen and Richardson spread euphoria with their recent statements, Richardson’s dress rehearsal on the field was just as sobering.

In his latest and last preseason appearance of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts won 27:14, but after the five drives with Richardson at quarterback against the second guard of the Bengals defence, the score was still 7:7. Worse still, it was the playmaker’s performance that had to give rise to doubts.

The first drive was still top notch with 65 passing yards, a passing touchdown and only one incomplete pass on eight throws.

After that, things got worrying: On the second possession, Richardson threw an interception that led to a Bengals touchdown. The two subsequent drives ended in three-and-outs and in the fifth and final drive, he fumbled for so much lost ground that the Colts had to punt.

After the first possession, Richardson only completed one of his six passes to the man

Fans blaspheme in the net – Richardson with gallows humor

The echo on the net: disillusionment. Numerous Colts fans vented their frustration on social media. “Anthony Richardson looks really bad,” wrote one user on ‘X’. Another attested that he was “still a bit unfinished”, another user spoke of an “embarrassing revelation from Anthony Richardson”.

And the youngster himself? Takes refuge in gallows humor: “It was good. I got two touchdowns,” Richardson chalked up the pick-six for himself, before calling on the doubters to calm down: ”It doesn’t always go the way we want. There’s going to be incompletions, I’m going to miss a couple passes, the receiver’s going to drop a couple, we’re going to lose the ball sometimes, but that’s okay. Those things are going to happen.”

The pick-six, he said, came after a miscommunication between tight end Kylen Granson and Richardson. “Granson saw something and I saw something else,” Richardson said: ”We just have to be on the same page.”

His fumble was due to a rookie mistake, he said. “They preach in the QB room almost every day to keep the ball in the pocket with both hands,” said Richardson, who only held the football with one hand in the scene: ‘I know they’re going to tell me that in the meetings the next couple days. ’

Anthony Richardson: Patience as a new strength?

The performance showed that inside the body of a model quarterback is still a player who lacks one thing above all: game experience at the NFL level.

The good news for the Colts is that this problem will solve itself if Richardson stays injury-free. Richardson knows that, too, and has noticed a new mindset in himself: “I would say I’ve become a little more relaxed. I’m not trying to force anything or be the superhero when I’m out there. I just feel a lot more comfortable with the team and in general. I love it here.”

If he goes through this maturing process on the pitch, the Colts fans should repay him with love. And the search for the new Andrew Luck would finally be over