INDIANAPOLIS – The right shoulder is just fine, which should ease any lingering concerns that followed Anthony Richardson into his second training camp.
That unscheduled day off at the end of the Indianapolis Colts’ offseason work in early June?
“That was just a fatigue thing," Richardson said Thursday following the team’s first camp practice.
The future of the franchise confessed he began throwing earlier than planned following Oct. 24 surgery to repair a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.
“I didn’t really have any problems throughout OTAs and minicamp," Richardson said. “Just that last day just caught up with me and my arm was fatigued.
“But I’m feeling good. Feeling better than ever."
The preoccupation with Richardson’s shoulder – as you know, that’s his business shoulder – is understandable.
The Colts selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft with the idea he would stop the maddening quarterback carousel that had spun out of control following the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck prior to the start of the 2019 season and provide them with the necessary stability at the NFL’s most influential position and direction for the next decade.
So, yes, how’s the shoulder?
But we’d better pay attention to Richardson’s lower extremities.
How are the legs?
As much as Richardson will be required to make plays throwing from the pocket, the Colts drafted an untapped talent with a unique skill set. He’s a multi-dimensional threat. Think of Lamar Jackson. Or Jalen Hurts. Or Josh Allen. Or Justin Fields. A little further back, think of Cam Newton.
Speculation has swirled in the aftermath of Richardson missing one game with a concussion and the final 12 with the sprained shoulder the Colts might consider limiting his exposure to possible injury in year 2.
Not. A. Chance.
“My legs have always been one of my superpowers,’’ Richardson said. “Trying to take that away from me, I don’t think that’s a good thing for this offense.
“It’s just more so me playing a little bit more smarter and learning how to take care of myself . . . and knowing when to make the right play and knowing when to try to get an extra few yards.
“So, don’t take my legs away, but just be more smart."
Coach Shane Steichen compared the Colts’ situation with Richardson to Golden State’s with Steph Curry. Curry’s primary “superpower" is showering NBA opponents with 3-point shots from anywhere on the court.
“People ask . . . ‘Hey, how are you going to limit (Richardson in) the run game?'," he said. “I kind of think like, ‘Shoot, are you going to limit Steph Curry from shooting 3-pointers?'
“That’s one of Anthony’s strengths, right? So, we’re not going to get away from that. That’s what he does well."
Richardson could have avoided the concussion in week 2 at Houston by running through the goal line on his 15-yard TD rather than slowing down and exposing himself to a big hit. The tackle from behind by Tennessee’s Harold Landry that ended Richardson’s season was just a fluky play.
Be smarter, but be who you are.
The Colts will go into every game with Richardson’s diverse skills as a focal point of the game plan. If an opponent is unable to deal with the 6-4, 244-pounder as a run threat on the edge, Steichen and coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will dial him up a ton.
The Texans had no early answer for Richardson in week 2. Consider the Colts’ first 10 offensive plays: Richardson rushed 3 times for 35 yards, including TDs of 18 and 15 yards, and completed 5-of-6 passes for 50 yards.
Imagine his stat line had he not suffered a concussion 9 minutes into the game.
“I just think he’ll make plays that people haven’t seen before," Steichen said. “He did some last year that were incredible and just to build on that.
“(A) 22-year old, going into his second year, the flexibility he brings. Again, just so excited about it."
Amplifying that excitement is Richardson’s pairing with Jonathan Taylor and the rest of a strong supporting cast.
Last season, Taylor missed the first four games while recovering from ankle surgery and having his contract demands met – finally, a three-year, $42 million deal. The week 5 game against Tennessee at Lucas Oil Stadium proved to be Taylor’s first game of the season and Richardson’s last.
They were on the field for just two snaps. Total.
“It’s exciting because the playbook is open to everything," Steichen said. “You’ve got a quarterback that can do everything. He can throw from the pocket, he can get out of the pocket, he can run the football, and you’ve got Jonathan Taylor, who’s one of the best backs in the league."
When Taylor reported to Grand Park Sports Campus on Wednesday, he was wearing a Florida-era Richardson T-shirt. The NFL’s 2021 rushing champion – a franchise-record 1,811 yards, remember? – realizes the threat he and Richardson present to defenses.
They undoubtedly will benefit from their first offseason and training camp together.
“Really to just get a feel for one another," Taylor said. “Learn how each other moves, how they play, how he thinks.
“It was very few snaps (in ’23), but we’re praying for a full 17 weeks full of snaps this year."
It’s impossible to speculate how Steichen and Cooter will blend Taylor and Richardson. But the goal will be to stress defenses as much as possible.
Richardson started four games as a rookie but missed the second half of the Texans and Titans games. He was on the field for just 173 snaps, which is equivalent to just three full games. In the two games he finished, he stretched his legs: 10 carries for 40 yards and one TD in the opener against Jacksonville and 10 carries for 56 yards and one TD against the Rams.
His 136 yards in four games were the fourth-most on the team. His four rushing TDs were the second-most by a quarterback in club history. Andrew Luck had five in 16 games as a rookie in 2012.
Barring injury, Richardson will threaten (obliterate?) the franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback (441 by Mike Pagel in 1983). The most rushing attempts in team history: 68 by George Shaw in 1955 followed by Luck’s 64 in ’14 and ’16.
Ideally, Richardson’s influence will mirror Jackson’s in Baltimore, Hurts’ in Philadelphia, Allen’s in Buffalo and Fields, now with Pittsburgh.
The Ravens led the NFL in rushing last season followed by the Fields-led Chicago Bears at No. 2. The Bills and Eagles ranked Nos. 7 and 8. The Colts were No. 10 with Taylor and Zack Moss doing most of the work.
General manager Chris Ballard noted Richardson has “naïve confidence" for a quarterback with such a limited pro resume.
“(He) just believes that he’s pretty freakin’ good, and that’s a good thing,’’ he said.
The team believes the return of Richardson will lift the performance of everyone, although Ballard is confident “we’ve got a good football team around him where he doesn’t necessarily have to carry us."
Richardson agreed, and his optimism was soaring Thursday.
“I don’t feel like there’s any way you can stop the offense," he said. “We have too many options.
“Me, I’m two options in myself throwing the ball and running the ball. And then you’ve got JT back there and then we’ve got all these weapons catching the ball.
“I don’t think there’s any way we should be able to be stopped. We’ve just gotta keep pushing and building that chemistry."
That developing chemistry should result in a spicier offense.
Richardson said things feel smoother in year 2 and that he and Steichen have a shared “trust."
“It’s just about adding a little more flair, a little more flavor and sauce to it, and go out there and make a play," he said.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.