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Colts QB Anthony Richardson: 'If I put it all together … the world can't stop me'

12 September 2024Last Update :
Colts QB Anthony Richardson: 'If I put it all together … the world can't stop me'

Sam Ehlinger just had to know.

The Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks were reviewing film Tuesday, and when Anthony Richardson’s incredible 60-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce came up, Ehlinger still couldn’t believe his eyes. QBs aren’t supposed to be able to do that, to “chuck the pigskin over the mountains,” as a fan, hilariously quoting “Napoleon Dynamite” beneath my postgame story, said after the season opener.

“Do you ever just thank God for what he’s given you?” Ehlinger leaned over and asked Richardson. “Not many people can do that.”

“Yeah,” Richardson responded, laughing. “I do.”

Ehlinger’s question to Richardson, which Ehlinger relayed to me in the locker room Wednesday, made me reflect on my initial reaction when I saw that pass from the press box. It was like watching lightning strike. But it wasn’t random. Richardson was like Zeus slinging lighting bolts around Lucas Oil Stadium. First, he hit Pierce, then he made lightning strike again on a 54-yard TD pass to Ashton Dulin and again on another 57-yard pass to Pierce down the middle of the field.

Richardson’s incredible athletic display reminded me of another one I got to witness up close and personal. I once shared a basketball court with Richardson at the Irsay Family YMCA in downtown Indianapolis. It was last year, and just before Richardson signed his rookie contract, which likely means it was one of the last public pickup basketball games he’ll ever play. But for one day, I was Richardson’s peer, and on the first play, he quickly reminded me to never refer to myself as that again.

We were on opposite teams, and as soon as the game got underway, Richardson quickly showed off his superhuman abilities. His first basket was a reserve alley-oop dunk. It didn’t matter that his teammate threw an inaccurate pass. Richardson exploded toward the rim and flushed the ball with ease. He dunked everything that day and convinced me that if he wanted to, he could’ve probably gone pro in any sport had he given it the same attention he gave football.

I recently shared this story with one of Richardson’s private trainers, Will Hewlett, and his response was hyperbolic but understandable given that he’s worked with pro athletes for years, yet Richardson remains a cut above the rest.

“I personally think he’s the best athlete in the world,” Hewlett said. “I don’t think there’s an athlete anywhere that can do as many things as that guy can do elite. Maybe that’s a crazy statement, but the guy is so unique in so many ways.”

Richardson appreciates the compliment, but it’s one he’s heard before. Being the best athlete has never been his goal. Every time I’ve talked to him about that title, he has reminded me there’s a more important one he’s chasing: the best football player.

“It really started in high school,” Richardson told me Wednesday, describing his desire to shed the label of simply being a freak athlete. “I know I’m physically gifted. Everybody knows that. But playing football, especially as a quarterback, is way deeper than just being physical and being fast.”

It’s also about being accurate, which is still the biggest hindrance to his game. Richardson led all NFL QBs in Week 1 with a 7.4 explosive play rate (how frequently he ripped off a run of 12-plus yards or a throw of 16-plus yards), and even that was supercharged. Three of Richardson’s completions were for 50-plus yards. The last time a Colts QB pulled that off (Peyton Manning in 2000), Richardson wasn’t even born. But aside from those trio of highlight-reel plays, he completed just six of his 16 other pass attempts for 41 yards.

A few of the incompletions stood out.

There was the pass to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. late in the first quarter that was behind him and was nearly picked off. There was the pass to tight end Kylen Granson late in the second quarter that was intercepted after Granson fell on his route, though Richardson admitted that the ball sailed on him.

And then there were the two missed TD passes to rookie AD Mitchell.

On the first one, Mitchell freed himself with a double move in the second quarter and had no one within 5 yards of him as he raced toward the end zone. Richardson still severely overthrew him on the potential 29-yard score. The second one was less egregious, as Mitchell once again broke free down the sideline in the fourth quarter but couldn’t haul in what would’ve been a 70-yard touchdown.

Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter was flagged for illegal touching as Mitchell zoomed past him, which threw the timing of the route off just enough for the pass to fly over Mitchell’s head. Richardson was still frustrated that he didn’t capitalize.

“It hurts me a lot missing wide-open guys like that,” Richardson said.

Mitchell finished with one catch for 2 yards in the season opener. If anyone had the right to be a little frustrated with Richardson’s erratic passes, it was the rookie who held up his end of the bargain by beating his man. But instead of getting mad, Mitchell offered support. The second-round pick said he never wants to be “that bad voice in the quarterback’s head,” constantly pointing out when he messed up.

He trusts Richardson to bounce back because he trusts his eyes. He saw what Richardson could do when he connected with Pierce and Dulin, and he believes it’s “only a matter of time” before it’s his turn, too.

“Every time I sit there and think, I’m like, ‘Dawg, this dude is four months older than me,’” said the 21-year-old Mitchell. “The youngest (starting) quarterback in the NFL right now and making the plays he’s making in only Game 1. It’s like man, ‘We’re in pretty good shape here.’”

Mitchell went on to call Richardson “special,” and it’s hard to disagree. But again, there’s a difference between being a special athlete and a special football player. Richardson was born the former, and to become the latter, he can’t just rely on the lightning that shocks us all.

“It’s like I talked about with Tom Brady,” Richardson said. “He’s a freakin’ genius when it comes to football, and he made all of the throws, not just the exciting ones. I want to continue adding that to my game to go with the physical tools and everything else. Because if I put it all together, man …

“The world can’t stop me.”

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(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

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