WESTFIELD — Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has had a difficult time receiving snaps during training camp but struggled to come up with an explanation Sunday.
Richardson first said that his struggles were, in part, due to the continuous rotation of new centers he’s caught snaps from as he and offensive linemen circulate through the second and third teams.
“It’s been good switching out reps with the twos and the threes, and you get different centers out there, and (the coaches) are trying to figure out who’s going to be the backup,” Richardson said in his first interview during training camp. “I’m just getting different landmarks on the snaps with different guys and focusing on getting the snap to me and securing the catch before I start processing the play downfield.”
Fellow quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard, however, have not had the same issue.
Richardson, who will see his first action since the injury in Thursday’s preseason opener against New England, suffered a fractured orbital bone in October in a freak pregame accident and said in December, as he returned to the practice field, that his vision of things close to his body was not yet back to normal and catching snaps was a struggle. In April, Colts general manager Chris Ballard told reporters that Richardson was “still recovering a little bit.”
It’s not clear if Richardson’s vision is back to where it was before his injury but he deflected the idea that it had anything to do with the missed snaps. Most have hit his hands right on target or, at minimum, found him around his midsection.
Richardson also told reporters his inconsistency catching snaps had come as he adjusted to the ramped-up speed and urgency of camp practices this past week as the team put pads on. The backup, though, dropped five snaps in the third practice of camp on July 31, three days before the team was wearing pads.
“I think just because of the tempo with everything sped up once you put the pads on, it’s a more live-game rep – not just 7-on-7,” Richardson said. “I think it was just an adjustment putting the pads back on and getting right.
“I was trying a few different things with my hands to see if I could catch the snap a little differently, and I started putting my hands out a little bit more, and it’s been helping me. It’s just a little adjustment. We’ve got pads on now, bullets flying and guys running fast around, so I feel like I’ve figured it out.”
When asked about Richardson’s struggles gathering the snap, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said it boiled down to concentration.
“Just getting the snaps, seeing it in, and go from there,” Steichen said. “The guy that’s going to be the most consistent is going to win that job.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why is Colts QB Anthony Richardson struggling to catch snaps?
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
