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Stephen HolderESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have mentioned they don’t seem to be committing to a selected position for fourth general draft choose Anthony Richardson in 2023. However the extra you pay attention, the extra obvious it turns into Richardson is prone to see the sphere earlier than later.
Requested in regards to the chance of Richardson enjoying early within the season, maybe from Week 1, proprietor Jim Irsay supplied a direct reply.
“I feel it is essential,” Irsay mentioned. “You get higher by enjoying. I imply, follow and preseason video games and watching in a quarterback room, that is nice. However, man, I will inform you, he’d get higher by enjoying, and it is one thing that it’s actually essential. As a result of, once more, his growth [is] a lot of a key to the franchise’s future. It’s the important key.
“Everybody is aware of that him growing into an impressive, nice participant on this league goes to find out the place we go and the way far we go and the way lengthy we’ve got excellence. So, all the pieces’s going to be based mostly round that.”
Richardson began simply 13 video games at Florida, and his lack of expertise had been a key level of rivalry for groups scouting him forward of the draft. However the Colts, Irsay mentioned, have been all-in and satisfied that he might be their answer at quarterback — a place that has been unsettled in Indy for years.
Irsay went as far as to say the Colts would have strongly thought-about Richardson with the No. 1 general choose had they been in that place.
“I all the time felt Richardson was going to be the man that we went with early on,” Irsay mentioned. “I imply, early within the course of, going again into February.”
The choice whether or not to play Richardson will fall to move coach Shane Steichen, Irsay mentioned. The Colts signed veteran Gardner Minshew final month and have the choice to play him. Minshew is accustomed to Steichen’s offense, as the 2 labored collectively final season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
However Steichen additionally admits that Richardson has tantalizing expertise and can profit from enjoying.
“I feel the event of gamers comes with extra expertise,” Steichen mentioned. “I feel if you play extra, that is the way you develop.”
Irsay, it appears, will not argue with that.
“I do know that is one of many major the reason why you begin [him] opening recreation is as a result of it will get higher by enjoying,” Irsay mentioned. “That is the largest profit from it. And on the identical time, I’ve to say, the followers need to have persistence. As a result of it is arduous. We’ll see what occurs, and he can shock lots of people.
“However it’s robust. It is robust, but it surely’s the way in which to go.”