Head coach Shane Steichen of the Indianapolis Colts
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Head coach Shane Steichen of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are getting no love from the media heading into offseason workouts. Since 2018, ignoring the disastrous 2022 season that saw a head coach fired and famously replaced by Jeff Saturday, the franchise has posted a record of 54-45. Often finishing right at or well above .500, but you wouldn’t know it by the way this iteration of Indy is being treated.
Firstly, in an article published earlier today, they landed at 20th overall in Pro Football Focus’ roster rankings. An article that analyzed each team from a purely talent perspective, was incredibly put off by the current quarterback situation.
“Even with good protection in front of him, Anthony Richardson failed to show that he’s the Colts’ franchise quarterback this past season,” PFF wrote. “The 2023 No. 4 overall pick posted just a 59.8 PFF passing grade, placing him 38th among 44 qualifying quarterbacks.”
The article went on to say that the success of the 2025 campaign almost entirely hinges on Anthony Richardson’s performance. The analytics company labeled him Indianapolis’ “X Factor”.
“It’s truly now or never for Richardson in Indianapolis,” PFF warned. “He has a strong offensive line in front of him, a good running back in Jonathan Taylor and one of the better receiving corps in football. If he can’t become more accurate in Year 3, he could quickly be replaced by highly paid free-agent signing Daniel Jones.”
SI Joins In, Ranks Steichen-Richardson Duo
On the same day PFF posted their slandering of Richardson, Sports Illustrated threw their hat in the ring with Matt Verderame’s ranking of every head coach and quarterback duo in the league.
In Verderame’s article he placed Indy’s Shane Steichen and Anthony Richardson in the bottom 25% of the league, landing right at 24. He justified the positioning by saying that Steichen was the 18th best head coach, where as Richardson was the 30th ranked quarterback.
“Steichen is a good coach, but he’s potentially on the hot seat if the Colts don’t have a successful campaign in his third season,” Verderame wrote. “Richardson has struggled mightily entering his third season, completing 50.6% of his passes with 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Richardson is now in direct competition with Daniel Jones, who was brought on a one-year deal this offseason.”
Are We Undervaluing Richardson’s Legs
With the season officially just around the corner, many of us football fans have been filling our NFL void by reading hundreds of articles just like these ones. While the articles provide very real statistics and very relevant critiques, it seems that Richardson’s biggest weapon is being under sold.
Last season, in just 11 games, Richardson rushed for 499 yards and six touchdowns. The touchdown mark was surpassed by only two quarterbacks in the league. The NFL MVP Josh Allen, and the Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
Furthermore, his 499 yards- again, in 11 games- was seventh in the league. He finished just 32 yards shy of Josh Allen’s full season MVP total.
While the inconsistent accuracy and at times scary decision making are incredibly relevant critiques of the top-five pick, the man has a natural ability to run the football. It feels as though the main thing is no longer the main thing when it comes to assessing the quarterback’s future.