Knowing that he would be competing for the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback job, what was the offseason emphasis for Anthony Richardson?
As Richardson described after Wednesday’s practice, the priority was on being more efficient on those short to intermediate throws.
“When it came to throwing again,” Richardson said, “I wasn’t necessarily worried about pushing the ball down the field because I’m pretty sure everybody knows I can do that. The biggest thing for me was the intermediate, short routes, being able to complete those whenever I can because I feel like that’ll help our offense progress and that’ll help us move the ball more.”
As Richardson pointed out, and as we’ve seen, he and the Colts’ offense were able to capitalize on several deep ball opportunities throughout the year. But overall, Richardson completed just 47.7% of his total passes, ranking 44th out of 44 eligible quarterbacks, per PFF.
In order to get that number up, he has to be much more efficient on those short to intermediate routes. And that consistency in that area will be key to winning the quarterback competition.
As Shane Steichen said, the big thing he is looking for is consistency–who can routinely move the offense up and down the field? In order to do that, completing those shorter throws to stay ahead of the sticks, pick up first downs, and to extend drives are a must.
To help improve his accuracy on such throws, Richardson focused on his footwork. No pun intended, but footwork is the foundation for success at the quarterback position. It’s where proper mechanics, fundamentals, and eventually accuracy all begins.
“So, I was really working on that, working on my footwork, trying to make sure I’m calm and I’m just ready to deliver the ball wherever it needs to be,” Richardson added.
After navigating a shoulder injury during offseason programs, Richardson was back on the field for the first day of training camp practice. While the Colts will monitor Richardson’s volume during individual periods, in the team portion, he will be a full-go, splitting reps with Daniel Jones as the two compete for the starting job.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Anthony Richardson on offseason emphasis to prepare for Colts’ QB competition
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
