Luck sees a ‘dynamic player’ in Richardson
INDIANAPOLIS - Andrew Luck has not been able to meet with Anthony Richardson yet, but he wants to.
The past two quarterbacks the Colts have drafted in the first round have traded texts. They’ve watched each other’s highlights. They understand the way they’re connected in the fabric of a franchise that’s long been defined by the quarterback position.
Richardson is now in the spot Luck once was, as the future of the franchise. He’s also coming off shoulder surgery, which Luck knows more about than he would like to. But despite the questions and the pressure around Richardson, Luck focuses on the talent, which is the first thing most people who watch Richardson notice.
“He’s certainly not a kid. That guy’s out there playing quarterback in the
NFL, and that’s hard. It’s really hard,” Luck said at the Colts facility during the ‘Chuckstrong’ event honoring the cancer battle of his former coach, Chuck Pagano. “I think he has the approach, he’s got the support system to be a real success in this league and to be a real dynamic player that Colts fans can be proud of and that fans around the country can be proud of.”
When Luck retired in the 2019 preseason, the Colts fell into a carousel at the quarterback position. They rode Jacoby Brissett for a year before renting an aging Phillip Rivers, then tried a reclamation project with Carson Wentz and then another aging quarterback in Matt Ryan before bottoming out enough to land a top-five draft pick to draft Richardson at No. 4 overall.
Richardson arrived without anything near the pedigree Luck had as the No. 1 pick out of Stanford but with all of the athletic abilities to inspire hope in the franchise. Richardson built on that in a short sample as a rookie, becoming the first quarterback with four rushing touchdowns in his first three games. But his season ended after just four starts due to an AC joint sprain that led to shoulder surgery.
Despite reaching four Pro Bowls,
Luck retired due to injuries at the age of 29. The experience has shaped how the Colts have approached Richardson’s rehab this spring.
“I lived through the last one and I learned a lot of lessons living through the last one. Forgive me for being a little cautious,” general manager Chris Ballard said. “I know Anthony has made some statements that it’s important to be ahead of schedule. We’re here to pull the reins to make sure we don’t get too far ahead of schedule and we’re staying with whatever the doctors are telling us.”
That process has led them, so far, to a Richardson who is fully cleared and back throwing routes with his receivers and in training sessions both in and outside of the Colts facility. The hope remains high that he can build on what he did as a rookie to become more of a wellrounded dual-threat athlete.
If he can reach his immense ceiling, he’ll evoke some memories of the last quarterback they took in the first round.