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Anthony Richardson will be the Indianapolis Colts’ fourth starting quarterback in as many seasons. Their search for their next franchise quarterback brought them to Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. While Rivers led the Colts to the playoffs, Wentz and Ryan’s stints were catastrophic.
This time, Indianapolis will be banking on their rookie quarterback, who has a potent combination of throwing power and mobility. Even if he has the attributes to succeed, football fans criticized General Manager Chris Ballard for comparing him with a former Colts play-caller.
NFL fans didn’t receive Chris Ballard’s comparison of Anthony Richardson to Andrew Luck well
The 33rd Team NFL writer Ari Meirov shared a video of Ballard speaking at a press conference. The Colts general manager shared with media members:
“Look, when you don’t have a great player, I mean, but I don’t think it stunts his growth. No, not at all. But it doesn’t, I mean, I don’t know, did it stunt Andrew’s (Luck) growth without a special back?”
This statement led one Twitter user to comment:
“Whole colts organization is stupid”
Another football fan said:
“Jim Irsay might be a coke fiend but Ballard is a real d*ckhead”
Here are other reactions regarding Chris Ballard’s Andrew Luck reference when discussing Anthony Richardson’s growth as an NFL quarterback.
Football media members and fans agree that Ballard’s declaration of comparing Andrew Luck to Anthony Richardson was wrong. Luck was a highly touted prospect out of Stanford, whom the Colts selected first overall in 2012.
While he was selected to four Pro Bowls and led the league in passing touchdowns once, injuries took a toll on his performance. He retired at age 29 after seven injury-riddled seasons. Having a running back who could torch defenses might have lessened the hits he received and eased the burden of navigating the offense.
Instead, Luck played with only one 1,000-yard rusher throughout his career when Frank Gore tallied 1,025 yards in 2016. Marlon Mack also played with Luck but achieved the 1,000-yard mark the season after Luck retired.
Is Anthony Richardson ready to play in the NFL?
The quarterback from Florida has the speed to evade tacklers and the arm to hit receivers downfield. However, NFL defenses are nowhere near what he has seen during his time with the Gators. Therefore, having a solid running back would have eased his progression by implementing a run-pass option system.
Instead, Jonathan Taylor would miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season because he is on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The All-Pro running back might miss the 2023 campaign if he is not fit enough to play by Week 6.
Not having him in the backfield leaves the Colts with Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, and Evan Hull. Anthony Richardson’s progression would have been easier if he had someone he could hand the ball to and eat up yards from the ground.
