logo
ENFRع
#

Latest news with #DanielJones

Colts GM resolute on staying patient with Anthony Richardson, even beyond 2025: ‘I still believe'
Colts GM resolute on staying patient with Anthony Richardson, even beyond 2025: ‘I still believe'

New York Times

time2 hours ago

  • Sport
  • New York Times

Colts GM resolute on staying patient with Anthony Richardson, even beyond 2025: ‘I still believe'

WESTFIELD, Ind. — They preached patience, then didn't practice it. The truth is the Indianapolis Colts were in a hurry the minute they drafted Anthony Richardson fourth overall in 2023. A hurry to get him on the field, a hurry to hand him the starting quarterback job, a hurry to find out if the franchise's years-long odyssey at the position was finally, mercifully over. Advertisement It wasn't. It's easy to fall for the trappings of talent, especially talent like Richardson's, and the Colts did. 'An alien,' former top scout Morocco Brown called Richardson early on, adding that his skill set was so rare 'it might not come along for another 50 years.' After just one preseason game, the job was his. He was only 21. He'd made just 13 college starts. Three games in, the Colts ended an acrimonious contract standoff with their star running back, Jonathan Taylor, in part because they believed they had their QB in place. They could start to see the future. Here's where that future has led them: Richardson has missed 17 games due to injury, never starting more than four in a row, and missed two more after being benched midway through last season for lack of preparation. 'He was drowning,' Colts general manager Chris Ballard later admitted. 'Mentally, it was going really fast for him.' In 2024, Richardson's completion percentage was a league-low 47.7, and entering Year 3, he finds himself in a QB competition with a free-agent addition, Daniel Jones, for the job that was supposed to be his for a decade or more. The regret is real, from both player and team. Ballard wishes he'd resisted the urge to hand Richardson the job right away, a move late owner Jim Irsay pushed for at the time. What the young quarterback needed was the chance to acclimate to the NFL, to learn the job, to watch a veteran's daily habits and build his own. 'He just doesn't know yet,' Ballard told The Athletic recently. 'He didn't have enough experience, both from a play standpoint but also a professional standpoint of how to get ready.' But, Ballard concedes, 'when you take one high, there's an expectation. The pressure to play the kid is real.' The GM caved to that pressure two years ago. He's vowed he won't moving forward. Ballard remains intent on playing the long game with the 23-year-old, even if Richardson doesn't beat out Jones for the starting job this season. In other words: The Colts won't consider releasing or trading Richardson, even if his third season ends in disappointment. Advertisement It's an unusual approach considering the stakes and risks involved. Many highly drafted quarterbacks who face early struggles are moved out quickly, while they still have some trade value. Consider: Three 2021 first-round picks — Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Mac Jones — didn't see a fourth season with the team that drafted them. The Colts are willing to wait. 'I just think eventually Anthony's going to be who we think he can be,' Ballard said. 'I still believe that. Whether that's this year or next, I don't know when it's going to happen.' Ballard cited a pair of recent QB reclamation projects, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, to drive home his point: Sometimes, all a quarterback needs is time — and in those instances, a change of scenery — to alter the course of their career. Ballard believes the Colts can still coax the best out of Richardson under coach Shane Steichen and the current staff. He also doesn't want the only first-round quarterback he's ever drafted to flourish somewhere else. 'Eventually, the light comes on,' Ballard said. If Jones held any lead in the QB competition coming off spring and early-summer workouts — Richardson was temporarily shut down from throwing in late May after aggravating his shoulder — it appears to have faded a week into training camp. After sloppy starts from both, Richardson was sharper during the team's first two padded practices, showing off some improved accuracy on the very throws that he's struggled with throughout his first two NFL seasons. He finished 9-for-11 during live full-team periods Tuesday, including a handful of touchdowns in red-zone work. 😤😤😤 — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) July 28, 2025 The mistakes were less frequent, though Richardson did flub a shuttle pass on the goal line that spoke to the turnover issues he's endured early in his career. When Richardson sat down with his personal throwing coaches and watched his 2024 film, too often they saw him narrowing his feet at the point of release, which led to him consistently missing high. So they drilled all spring and summer, working with Richardson to widen his base and give him more feel for where the ball is going. It's how he's starting each practice at training camp, working alone on the field, setting his feet wider than before so the motion becomes second-nature. 'I feel like I got more control over the ball now,' Richardson said after Tuesday's workout. Mental reps. — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) July 25, 2025 It's not uncommon for a quarterback to struggle with mechanics early in his career, then spend a good chunk of an offseason reworking them. In the pro game, the margins are slimmer, the windows tighter, the defenses smarter. Touch is required, especially in the middle of the field. Talents like Richardson — gifted enough to overwhelm college secondaries with sheer arm strength and scrambling ability — have to find another way. Advertisement 'That'll get you a long way in high school and college,' Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. 'In this league, you need more.' Can Richardson consistently complete the short and intermediate throws — especially on critical downs — that have sabotaged his first two seasons? It could end up defining his NFL career. If there was an area Jones had a clear advantage on Richardson heading into camp, it was accuracy. Only 58 percent of Richardson's throws last season were on target, per Pro Football Reference, while Jones never finished below 70 percent during his six-year run with the New York Giants (most successful NFL starting quarterbacks hover between 70-75 percent). Steichen explained to both at the outset of camp what would ultimately win the job: consistency, in both preparation and performance. 'Being a guy the coaches trust,' was how Jones put it. That hasn't been Richardson two seasons in. His play has been too erratic, his preparation too inconsistent. His availability has also given the team serious pause, which is one of the reasons why the Colts paid Jones $14 million on a one-year deal. They've yet to be able to count on Richardson to stay healthy. Richardson said he took no issue with the signing, welcoming the competition. His mindset hasn't changed, nor has his urgency. 'Even if they brought Tom Brady in here — he's the greatest — I just gotta work and try to beat (him) out,' Richardson said. The young quarterback is still just 23, a few days older than Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick of this past April's draft, and the stakes are obvious heading into 2025. Last season humbled him. 'That was my big takeaway,' Richardson acknowledged. 'I didn't do enough.' The Colts are hoping it serves as the wake-up call his career desperately needed, one that leaves him with a new appreciation for what it takes to win on Sundays. 'Even if things aren't going the right way, even if it's not my quote-unquote fault, it is my fault,' Richardson added. 'I'm the quarterback. I'm the leader.' Advertisement That might be the right mentality, but he's not the quarterback. Not yet. That job's still up for grabs, and Ballard has pledged not to rush the process like the Colts did two years ago. That mistake cost them. As long as the ninth-year GM is still here, he's adamant not to repeat it. 'Do you have the courage to stay the path when things aren't going right and believe that we're gonna come out of this thing on the other end in a good way?' Ballard said, reflecting on the last few years. 'If it doesn't work, it might get my ass fired, but I'm willing to live with that because it's the right thing to do.'

Colts camp takeaways: After slow start, Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones finally heating up
Colts camp takeaways: After slow start, Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones finally heating up

New York Times

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • New York Times

Colts camp takeaways: After slow start, Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones finally heating up

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Shane Steichen couldn't contain his excitement. Not after that throw. The Indianapolis Colts coach, just like the fans in the stands Monday at Grand Park, shouted his approval of a Daniel Jones strike to tight end Will Mallory on a crossing route near the sideline during an 11-on-11 drill. There was pressure in the quarterback's face as he surveyed the field, but undeterred, Jones stepped up in the pocket and layered a perfect throw to Mallory for about a 20-yard gain. Advertisement 'Great pass!' Steichen yelled. 'GREAT PASS!' That play summed up the Colts' first padded practice, with the offense finally gaining the upper hand on what had been a defense-dominated start to training camp. Jones and Anthony Richardson each delivered arguably their best day of camp while picking apart the Colts' revamped defense with their arms and legs. A few plays before Jones' dart to Mallory, Richardson submitted his own bid for the best play of camp. The third-year pro lofted a deep shot to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in 11-on-11 that was placed perfectly between the cornerback and safety. The best part about Richardson's and Jones' throws? They weren't necessarily the easy ones. Both QBs threw their receivers open by delivering the ball with anticipation and conviction. 'You gotta make these tight-window throws in this league,' Steichen said. 'That accuracy and how to layer the ball and how to know when to throw it and how to throw it is big, obviously, (when executing) versus zone coverage or man coverage. … They did a good job of that.' Richardson finished Monday a perfect 6-of-6 passing in 11-on-11, highlighted by his deep shot to Pittman and another feathery throw to Mallory for a first down. Jones finished 4-of-5 passing in 11-on-11, including his dime to Mallory and a laser across the middle to wide receiver Ashton Dulin for another first down. Jones' only incompletion was a drop by Pittman over the middle. Steichen was encouraged by the consistency his QBs displayed Monday as their position battle continues. The coach said he doesn't have a specific timeline of when he'd like to name a starter, and the plan for now is for both passers to continue splitting the first-team reps. 'I want to let this thing play out,' Steichen said. #Colts camp Day 5 recap! — James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 28, 2025 Braden Smith spoke to the media Monday for the first time since returning to the field after missing the final five games of the 2024 due to religious scrupulosity, which is a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. Smith detailed his recovery in The Indianapolis Star and said Monday that he's in a 'spectacular place' mentally and physically. Advertisement During camp last year, Smith said, he was just hoping he'd still be alive in a year. 'I was just trying to find joy in life, and for a while there, it didn't feel like I was ever gonna find that again,' Smith said Monday. 'So, just being out here is a plus for me.' Smith said his issues came to a head the day before Thanksgiving last year. He drove to the Colts facility with the intention of joining his teammates inside, but he never made it out of his car in the parking lot because he was overwhelmed by his OCD. After going home and not feeling much better, Smith said he returned to the team facility the next day and told his teammates he needed to step away. The Colts placed Smith on the reserve/non-football illness list for the final four games of the 2024 campaign, and although Indianapolis did not have to pay his salary because of this distinction, the team did so anyway as he recovered. Smith said he's grateful to play for a franchise that's often at the forefront of mental health conversations. The Colts started the 'Kicking the Stigma' campaign in 2020 with the goal of raising money and awareness about mental health disorders. 'It's great that we do have a platform to talk about it … especially with me, the thing I was going through, it seems very taboo,' Smith said. 'You seem like you're kind of going crazy, and I know other people are going through the same thing. So, I want them to feel empowered hearing about my story, seeing that I came out on the other side of it.' Smith is entering the final year of a four-year, $70 million extension he inked in July 2020. The Colts could've released him this offseason and created $16.8 million in cap space, but Smith opted to restructure his deal. Smith's cap hit for the 2025 campaign has now been lowered from $19.8 million to $10.4 million, per Over The Cap. JuJu Brents, a 2023 second-round pick, has been limited to 11 games over his first two years due to various injuries. The 25-year-old has fallen down the depth chart while being sidelined, and he faces a steep challenge to carve out playing time in a crowded cornerback room. Standout rookie Justin Walley has already appeared to leapfrog Brents and 2023 seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones, who started 17 games last year, as the team's third starting cornerback. Walley has received most of the first-string reps alongside veterans Charvarius Ward and Kenny Moore II. Advertisement Despite the Colts' revamped cornerback room, Brents isn't conceding anything. He said he worked his 'ass off' this offseason to return fully healthy and give himself a chance to be a catalyst in new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's unit. So far, Brents' relentlessness has paid off with a handful of pass breakups during one-on-one and 11-on-11 drills. 'I like the scheme. I think it's an aggressive type of scheme,' Brents said of playing for Anarumo. 'It allows me to use my strengths … to get up in guys' faces, use my length to my advantage, get some hands on them. But then also, being able to throw some different looks at the receivers (and) the quarterbacks.' If Brents continues to thrive— and stay healthy — he could force the Colts into having to make some hard decisions about play time. That's surely a 'problem' they'd like to have.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store