Latest news with #Richardson
NBC Sports
7 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Anthony Richardson: I'm working as if I am the Day One starter
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson says he's preparing himself as if he'll be under center when the season opens against the Dolphins on September 7. Richardson is competing with Daniel Jones for the starting job in Indianapolis, and Richardson said he has lofty goals for himself and his team. 'I've just got to work as if I am going to be the Day One starter,' Richardson said. 'Regardless of what decision they make, I'm still working, trying to improve. They're going to make the best decision for this team, and that's what we need. This team wants to win the Super Bowl. It's not about me, it's about the team. I'm just working as if I am the starter, and if I don't get the job, you know, glory to God.' For his part, Jones said he's trying not to look any further than the next practice. 'All of our jobs as players is to come out, work and improve every day,' Jones said. 'You're human, you think about where you are and how it's going, but I've got to do the best I can to focus on what's in front of me.' Richardson and Jones were both highly drafted quarterbacks who so far have not lived up to expectations. The Colts need one of them to step up and play like a franchise quarterback.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Colts' Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones evaluate their play after six practices
Through six training camp practices, Colts' QBs Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones evaluated their own play as they each build momentum. As the last two Indianapolis Colts' training camp practices have unfolded, quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones both appear to be building some momentum. But how would each of them evaluate their own play over the last six practices? During Tuesday's practice, Richardson was again efficient. According to the Indy Star's Joel Erickson, Richardson was 9-for-14 in the 11-on-11 periods and 4-for-5 in the 7-on-7 periods. After Richardson completed just 47% of his passes during the 2024 season, his priority this offseason was on being more accurate on the short to intermediate throws. In order to accomplish that, he emphasized his throwing mechanics, a lot of which begins with the quarterback's footwork. "I feel like I have been slightly more consistent when it comes to my footwork," Richardson said after practice, via the Indy Star, "but it's just me thinking about my reps that I've been doing during the offseason and just thinking about mental cues for myself. Just thinking about my base helping me deliver the ball and get the ball to the guys. "That's really what I've been focused on – making sure I'm moving smooth in the pocket so I can get the playmakers the ball. So, that's all I'm trying to do." Jones, meanwhile, was 8-of-11 in the 11-on-11 drills and 4-for-4 in the 7-on-7 periods on Tuesday as he continues to get acclimated to a new scheme and build chemistry with the pass-catchers. Throughout his career, Jones has been a relatively efficient passer, completing 64% of his attempts. However, interceptions were more prevalent in recent seasons while the Giants' passing game struggled to generate chunk plays. "I think through the first week, through the first few practices, there's always going to be a lot of growth and a lot of things you can pick up on and learn from," Jones said. "I think in this system, going against a new defense, all those things you're trying to learn as much as you can as quickly as you can. "Where you are the first couple of days is not where you want to be. I think I've made progress and taken steps, and I think the group as a whole has done that. The last couple of days offensively it's been good to see some plays. I think the guys up front are playing at a high level." As Shane Steichen has said, the most consistent of the two will win the starting job and there is no timeline for when that decision will be made.
Indianapolis Star
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Colts starting to see offseason work payoff for Anthony Richardson but he says, 'I have to do more'
WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Anthony Richardson Sr. dropped back under duress, with the pocket closing in on either side. He wanted to step up but found a wall of bodies on the second day of padded practices. So he peered into the sun and heaved the ball away. But unlike the moonshot that has so far defined his career, that 65-yard bomb to Alec Pierce against the Texans, this one came in much different packaging. It escaped his hand with the look of a wounded duck, except this animal had a flight path, too. It wobbled up and down rather than float, down the field from where Anthony Gould wrestled with a cornerback for outside leverage, before landing in a spot inside where the cornerback couldn't reach but where Gould could turn to his back shoulder and reel it in. On the sidelines, Shane Steichen exploded in enthusiasm over what he saw. This was Richardson feeling a groove in his sixth practice of his first true NFL quarterback competition, which is against Daniel Jones. He's in the middle of the best two-practice stretch he's had since his rookie season, following up Monday's 6-of-6 performance with an 9-of-14 day that pulled his completion percentage for the stretch to 75%. Those are major improvements on the first four practices, when he sat below 50% and had yet to flash a good deep ball. It's just been two days, but now his unappealing passes are creating chunk gains and showing something his coaches have been begging for out of him: more quarterback instincts. It's pulled his camp-long numbers up to 54% completions with five touchdown passes and one interception. "You can see that Anthony's sort of offseason work is paying off," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. GO DEEPER: Chasing Tim Tebow, idolizing Tom Brady, fighting fires: Making of Colts QB Anthony Richardson Richardson spent this offseason drilling down on footwork and ball placement on short and intermediate routes specifically. That was a work in progress early in camp, but what has been consistently smoother has been his ability to layer the ball and lead a receiver moving east-west outside the numbers. Those two areas had plagued him dating back to his throwing session at the NFL Scouting Combine, which offered a window into the 54.7% completion rate that served as a red flag from his career at Florida. After his completion rate dropped from 59.5% in just four games as a rookie to 47.7% in 11 games in his second year, that flag became as red as ever entering this offseason. To fix the results, Richardson needed a different process. He had to answer one of the flags even more red than his accuracy, for in addition to durability concerns, questions popped up consistently last season about his seriousness, focus and work habits to be a franchise quarterback. That's what this summer became all about. "All the greats, they always do more. They do more than what other people are expecting them to do," Richardson said. "After last season, I felt like I needed to do more not only for the team, but for myself. "If I want to so called be a great and I want to be in the Hall of Fame one day, I have to do more." It's too early to draw conclusions, but the bright spots are better than the fire alarms that haunted his second season. "I think his comfort level within the offense is rising and rising and rising every year, every rep, every game week or offseason phase or any of that stuff. He's getting more and more and more comfortable," Cooter said. "That allows you to play a little bit faster at quarterback, which can let your feet play better, let your feet time up better, and then the nuts and bolts of the thing is just the offseason sort of work he's putting in to make his throws, to work his footwork, to work his upper body (and) all of that stuff. "It's an ongoing sort of push at the quarterback position to be accurate really, really consistently, and to be able to throw a bunch of different balls." He let his deep ball get rusty in order to drill down on the boring. That surgically repaired right shoulder showed last season the distances it's capable of, starting with that 65-yard touchdown pass against the Texans. Richardson did have a setback with the shoulder during the offseason program that shut him down until sometime during the summer break, so he still has to prove the strength and durability are where it will need to be for a 17-game season. So far, this camp has been all about introducing something new. "I feel like I got more control over the ball," Richardson said. "... I feel like I have been slightly more consistent when it comes to my footwork, but it's just me thinking about my reps that I've been doing during the offseason and just thinking about mental cues for myself. Just thinking about my base helping me deliver the ball and get the ball to the guys. "That's really what I've been focused on – making sure I'm moving smooth in the pocket so I can get the playmakers the ball. So, that's all I'm trying to do." It's easy to build strong vibes this time of year when games can't be won or lost and the battle for a starting role is too early to draw any actual conclusions. Steichen plans to take until the first week of the season if needed to decide between Richardson and Jones. He'll use joint practices and preseason games as bigger tells than these scripted practices against teammates, and he's emphasized that the most consistent player will ultimately win the job. The pressure is on Richardson like it never has been before, entering a third season that will eventually bring a decision on his fifth-year option and could decide the fates of many within the organization. He's living in that, baking in it, and seeing what kind of man emerges through the process. "This organization believed in me enough to draft me (as a) top-five pick. So I don't think there's any more pressure," Richardson said. "It's just me working hard and proving them right and letting them know that they chose the right guy."
Forbes
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
How to Use the Late Round QB Strategy in 2025 Fantasy Football
FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY - JULY 28: Justin Fields #7 of the New York Jets practices during training ... More camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on July 28, 2025 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by) Each year, one of the most popular draft strategies is the late-round quarterback strategy. Below, we'll be explaining how you should use this strategy to win your 2025 fantasy football league. To give examples of player ADP, we'll be using FantasyPros. With that said, let's dive right into the article. How To Use The Late Round QB Strategy in 2025 Fantasy Football With the late-round quarterback strategy, the earliest you should be trying to draft a quarterback is in round nine. Round eight is typically the absolute cutoff, but the reason it's round nine this year is because of one player. Justin Fields. If you're looking to build a late-round quarterback roster, you desperately want Fields. Right now, Fields is going as the QB10, but there's a clear drop off in his overall rank. Bo Nix at QB8 is 80th overall, then Kyler Murray at QB9 is 90.5. Fields at QB10 is a new tier at 112.5. You can find my full breakdown on Fields here, but he's one of the only players with an incredibly high floor and ceiling combination. In both years that Fields has played in at least 13 games, he's had 17 plus points per game. Despite only throwing for 2,242 yards in 2022, Fields had 19.7 PPG due to 1,143 rushing yards. Now that Fields is back to being a full-time starter, you should expect him to come close to scoring at least 17 PPG. If Fields can take that next step as a passer, he has true QB1 upside. Now the only expectation to this rule is Fields, who can serve as your only quarterback in most ESPN leagues. Other than that, you should be looking to pair two quarterbacks together. Not only should you simply draft two quarterbacks, but you also want to balance them out. One of them should have an extremely high ceiling, while the other has somewhat of a safe floor. The order you draft them in does not matter. When talking about your last pick, that really means all of the skill positions. Your kicker and then defense should always be your last two picks. This year, the quarterback that should be your last pick is the one with a ton of upside. For 2025 fantasy football, that's Anthony Richardson. At QB29 prices and an ADP of 182 overall, you can get Richardson in every single draft. The floor with Richardson is that he doesn't even start this year, and that's why you have to pair him with someone else. However, the rushing upside is insane. You can read my full breakdown on Richardson here. Richardson was the 4th overall pick in the NFL Draft, which should give him another opportunity to start over Daniel Jones and also showcase his unreal upside. Just like Fields, Richardson is an elite runner, posting 635 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in just 15 career games. EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 19: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass ... More during an NFL football game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by) The quarterbacks you want to target are in this order. First draft Fields in round nine. If that's the case, you've successfully completed the late-round quarterback strategy this year and can use the picks after to further attack the other positions you're already strong at. If you can't draft Fields, here are a few possible pairings. Select Drake Maye at QB16 (126.5 ADP), C.J. Stroud at QB18 (129), or Michael Penix Jr at QB22 (157 ADP). Then pair these quarterbacks with Richardson in the last round of your draft. All three are guaranteed to hold a starting role this year, which gives them a fairly high floor. If you need to start any of these guys for a few weeks, it's not the end of the world. At the same time, these players are extremely talented and all have paths to becoming a top 12 quarterback this year. If you've enjoyed this article, make sure to follow my author profile for more 2025 fantasy football content!
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Colts' QB competition building momentum after training camp practice No. 6
Colts' QB's Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones are building momentum after training camp practice No. 6. Building momentum, both Indianapolis Colts' quarterbacks, Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, put together strong training camp performances once again on Tuesday. According to the Indy Star's Nate Atkins, it was another "really solid day" for Richardson. Overall, Richardson was 8-for-13 in the 11-on-11 periods. Atkins added that Richardson showcased "nice placement" on shorter throws outside the numbers. Richardson also "lofted a smark under-pressure deep ball" to Anthony Gould, who he threw open. The improved accuracy that Richardson seems to be showcasing in recent days was a priority for him this offseason, as he emphasized the short and intermediate routes in the passing game. "I just feel like I'm working," Richardson said via Locked on Colts. "Trying to be better than what I was yesterday and the day before. I'm just trying to do my job and bring my best foot forward for the team and do that every single play." Jones, meanwhile, "stacked another high quality day," wrote Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle. Arthur added that Jones was 7-for-10 passing during the team's 11-on-11 periods. After relatively slow starts for both quarterbacks at the start of training camp, each seems to be finding their own rhythm in the last few practices. As Shane Steichen has mentioned, consistency will determine who is starting Week 1. "It's quite a few things," passing game coordinator Alex Tanney said. "It's command of the offense and the huddle. It's command of the line of scrimmage--if you have multiple plays called, getting us in and out of the right play. Moving guys pre-snap, snapping things at the right time, and then making good decisions with the football, and being the leader of the offense. It's all-encompassing. There's a lot of things that go into it."
