Shane Steichen with high praise for Colts' QB Anthony Richardson after latest practice
'Everything's cleaner right now,' Steichen said, via Colts.com. 'He's playing at a high level, he's making good decisions with the football, taking the completions when needed, so it's been really good to see.'
After stacking two strong showings during Monday and Tuesday's practices, Richardson continued to build upon that play on Thursday with another efficient performance.
According to the Indy Star's Joel Erickson, Richardson was 14-of-19 passing on Thursday evening. Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan would write in his takeaways article that Richardson was also able to generate the most chunk plays that he's had in a practice up to this point.
The primary focus for Richardson this offseason has been on the short to intermediate throws--an area where he has to become more accurate after completing just 47% of his passes last season.
To accomplish this, Richardson focused on his mechanics, specifically his footwork, which for a quarterback, is often the foundation for accuracy and where proper mechanics begin.
"I think footwork is key," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "When your feet are right, your timing is right, you're in rhythm, the ball comes out a little bit more rhythmically. The feet lead the whole thing.
"So when you're feet are off you might be ready to throw when the receiver's not ready and now your body is a little bit one direction or the other, you don't quite throw the ball as well as you should."
Along with emphasizing his footwork, Richardson has also altered his diet, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder. This means fewer sweets and making sure he is hydrated. Richardson is now down 10 pounds compared to last season.
The offseason work for Richardson is turning into results on the practice field. He's more comfortable and more confident in what he's being asked to do.
"I think his comfort level within the offense is rising and rising and rising," Cooter said of Richardson's play. "Every year, every rep, every game week, or every offseason phase, he's getting more and more comfortable. That allows you to play a little bit faster at quarterback, which can let your feet play better.
"Can let your feet time up better and then the nuts and bolts of things is the offseason work he's putting in to make his throws, to work his footwork, to work his upperbody, all that stuff is an on going push at the quarterback position to be accurate really, really consistently to be able to throw a bunch of different balls...Anthony's doing a nice job right now."
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts training camp: Steichen has high praise for Anthony Richardson
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New York Times
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New York Times
2 minutes ago
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New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
How can Arsenal adapt to get the best from Viktor Gyokeres?
After what has seemed at times like an interminable wait, Arsenal are heading into a Premier League season with a new centre-forward in their squad. Under Mikel Arteta, the club have been on a steadily upward trajectory, yet they scored fewer Premier League goals in 2024–25 (69) than in either of the previous two seasons (91 and 88). No player reached double figures in the league, with Kai Havertz finishing as top goalscorer with nine goals. A recurring theme has been underperforming against expected goals (xG) and wasteful finishing. Arsenal dropped points in over a dozen matches where they created higher xG than their opponents — part of the reason they drew 14 games last season. Advertisement The system and structure that Arteta has built largely works: Arsenal sustain pressure, control tempo, and create wide-overload patterns. But none of their forwards have been able to offer a true last-line threat. This summer, the need for a proven striker drove the £54.8m signing of Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, with a further £8.6m in add-ons. Gyokeres is different. A direct, off-the-shoulder striker who thrives on early passes, space in behind, and chaos. His primary instinct is to shoot and be direct. The clearest indicator of his appeal is the fact that he scored 45 goals across Portugal's Primeira Liga and Champions League from an xG of 35, along with a high volume of attacking actions. Compared to most sports, football is a simple game, but not so straightforward that dropping a prolific goalscorer into a team automatically means an increase in the number of goals. Arteta's challenge is to make sure Gyokeres adds threat to the Arsenal team, rather than replaces another source of goals. Under Arteta, Arsenal's No 9s have rarely been orthodox penalty-box strikers. Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and, on occasion, Leandro Trossard when used centrally, have operated primarily as link players. Acting as connectors who drop into pockets, help progress play, and vacate the front line for wide or deeper runners to exploit. The numbers underline the pattern. Havertz takes over half his touches (52 per cent) in the attacking third, but only 13.6 per cent inside the penalty area. Jesus' profile is similar: 55 per cent in the attacking third, 16 per cent in the box. Both also spend more than a third of their time on the ball in midfield zones, effectively acting as extra midfielders in possession. By contrast, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are often the ones attacking the box and running in behind. Arsenal are one of the few top teams where wide forwards have more box involvement than strikers. Saka averages 9.4 touches in the box per 90 minutes, Martinelli 7.6, compared to Havertz's 5.4. Saka also leads the team in progressive passes received (13.3 per 90) and progressive carries (5 per 90). Advertisement Ball-carrying is another limitation. Havertz averages 1.7 progressive carries per 90 and Jesus 2.2, indicating that their forward runs tend to support the structure rather than directly break lines. Their 'gravitational' role pulls markers out, creating space for runners while circulating the ball. The knock-on effect is structural. Arsenal overload heavily on the right through Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White, often leaving Martinelli isolated on the left, a key reason why only 32.9 per cent of their attacking touches (lowest in the league) came down that flank last season. The contrast is clear. Gyokeres profiles as a direct forward who thrives on volume. More touches in the box, higher xG output, and far greater involvement in direct runs and progressive receptions. For Arsenal, this shift in striker profile represents not just a change in finishing potential but signals an adjustment in how the front line will interact with the rest of the team's structure. Gyokeres is not a classic poacher, more a 'battering ram' who weaponises his directness and ability to exploit space. Last season, he produced 1.25 goals per 90, including 0.87 non-penalty goals per 90 on 0.69 npxG — elite numbers and among Europe's best, underscoring the value he can bring to Arsenal. His SkillCorner off-ball run profile — which compares with other centre-forwards across Europe's top seven leagues — highlights this capability in making runs in behind (89 out of 99) and lateral runs (82 out of 99) into the half-spaces and wide channels. His movement variety also includes strong overlapping and underlapping runs, making him a constant outlet in both transitions and structured build-up. And it's his channel running that Arsenal could massively benefit from. If Arsenal can supply Gyokeres earlier and let him operate in those chaotic moments, they will have a weapon they have long lacked: a forward whose movement constantly challenges defences and creates a direct, decisive threat. The big question is: can Arsenal integrate a player who thrives in chaos into a system built to eliminate it? Last season, Arsenal averaged second in terms of time taken to progress the ball upfield (14.2 seconds per sequence). Despite high turnovers, Arsenal (5th in the league with 285) also struggle to convert those situations into shooting opportunities. Gyokeres's presence, by his nature, may alter that rhythm. The contrast in positioning is captured perfectly in the pass reception heatmap above. Havertz's touches are dispersed across wider and deeper zones, reflecting his role as a link player who drops in to connect play. Gyokeres, by comparison, holds a far more central and advanced position, constantly operating on the last shoulder and between the posts. It's a fundamentally different attacking profile. One that demands earlier, more vertical service. Advertisement At Sporting CP, Gyokeres was routinely played in early, with the attack flowing directly into his runs. He averaged 10.8 progressive pass receptions per 90, compared to Havertz's 7.9. Arsenal's current patterns are more patient, often recycling possession until the timing is right. To unlock him fully, they may need to break their own rhythm more often. His 85 sprints at speeds above 25km/h last season, more than twice as many as any other forward in Portugal, lose their impact if the pass arrives late. The Villarreal friendly offered a glimpse of both the potential and the challenge. When played in behind, Gyokeres immediately created a clear chance, only to be denied by the goalkeeper. At other times, he appeared isolated, unable to find the ball in the spaces he thrives in. He will have to adjust his runs to sync with Arsenal's preference for cutbacks and overload patterns, something Arteta was already hinting at in pre-season when he spoke about the need to 'attack certain spaces' with Gyokeres. His headed goal in the subsequent friendly against Athletic Club suggests the message is getting through. This integration also raises questions about balance. At Sporting, Gyokeres accounted for 43 per cent of the team's total league xG (30.8 of 72.2), while Arsenal's goal output last season was more evenly distributed across the squad. Making him the focal point could shift that balance, affecting the roles and output of Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard. There is also the matter of execution against different defensive setups. In the Champions League, Gyokeres was quieter against deep, compact blocks where space to run into was limited, a scenario the Premier League offers plenty of. If his running lanes are denied, Arsenal will need to adjust their patterns and how they create chances. In an intra-squad training game, the contrast was clear: Havertz operated almost like a No 10, linking play in midfield for one XI, while Gyokeres, featuring in the opposite XI, mostly stayed high to pin the back line. It's a tactical shift that offers new possibilities but also forces compromises. Whether Arsenal adapt their game to him, or shape him to fit their existing structure, will be one of the defining storylines of the season. Arsenal's current dilemma mirrors the one Pep Guardiola faced in 2022-23 when Manchester City signed Erling Haaland. Haaland was an instant hit, scoring a record-breaking 36 league goals. Yet City's overall output didn't increase — the previous season, they had scored 96 goals without a traditional striker, spreading them across the squad. With Haaland, they scored 92, four fewer, with his tally accounting for 38 per cent of the total. Kevin De Bruyne, City's top scorer the year before with 15 goals, contributed 15 per cent of their total goals in Haaland's debut season. This shift had ripple effects. Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, and De Bruyne all attempted fewer shots and recorded lower xG per 90 as they adapted to new possession patterns. City's attack became more linear, often seeking Haaland early or recycling possession to reset the build-up. When Haaland missed games late in the season, their goals per game dipped, and Julian Alvarez carried more of the scoring burden. Interestingly, De Bruyne's assist tally doubled from eight the season before Haaland's arrival to 16 in 2022–23, reflecting a change in his role as a primary supplier. Advertisement This serves as a partial template for Arsenal. Gyokeres could transform their attack, but that doesn't guarantee an increase in total goals — it may simply mean a greater percentage will come from one player. His arrival could trigger a midfield reshuffle as new spaces and passing lanes open up. One player who could benefit is Odegaard, whose passing range is ideal for feeding a more direct runner. As long as Arteta keeps the system adaptable, a direct centre-forward should be transformative rather than restrictive. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
