Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was only able to play four games as a rookie. But the team’s general manager laid out his clear expectations for the young playmaker in his press conference on Wednesday.
“Play winning football,” Chris Ballard said, according to the team’s transcript. “There’s going to be some rollercoaster moments. I don’t want to say all of them, but most quarterbacks have those moments when they’re young. There’s going to be those. But learn from them, grow from them and move on.”
“I think you can look around the league, some guys have been a little bit inconsistent with Anthony’s ability. I have a lot of confidence in Shane (Steichen) and (offensive coordinator) Jim Bob (Cooter) and the whole offensive staff. They’re going to do what he’s really good at and what he’s comfortable with and then what the offense can do.”
Ballard added that experience will help Richardson above all else.
“The more he plays, the more he sees, the better it gets,” Ballard said. “I think he’s going to protect himself better. I think that’s an area you’ll see. But at some point the game starts and the instincts kick in and then you’ll see it.”
“But his understanding of the offense and what he likes – that’s a big thing now. You want the quarterback to believe in what he’s doing and have a little bit of a stronger opinion: ‘Hey, I like – Shane, I like this. Jim Bob, this is something I’m comfortable with.’ And I think the more he plays, the more he’ll voice that.”
Ballard also warned against reading too much into each game, as every young player has natural ups and downs.
“They look bad and they look great. That’s normal,” Ballard said. “They get hit, they miss a pass, they drop a ball. I mean, it happens. Unfortunately, Twitter today emphasizes the one negative. There may be ten positives, but there’s the one negative that they pull out and just make fun of.”
In four games last year, Richardson threw for 557 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 136 yards with four TDs.
