by Frank Schwab
Remember NFL Draft night, when the Indianapolis Colts preached patience with first-round rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson?
That didn’t last long. Richardson will start the Colts’ preseason opener on Saturday at the Buffalo Bills, coach Shane Steichen announced to the media. The starters will play about a quarter, Steichen said.
Teams don’t often backtrack once they give a rookie quarterback a start in the preseason. It’s much easier to start a veteran like Colts backup Gardner Minshew II early in the preseason and go to Richardson once the team feels he’s ready. Starting Richardson in the preseason opener is a good sign that the Colts plan on him being their starter for Week 1 of the regular season as well.
It’s not too surprising that the Colts are accelerating Richardson’s timetable. He was the fourth overall pick of the draft and as physically gifted as any quarterback to come into the NFL.
On draft night, however, the Colts wanted to slow down the hype.
“Let’s not expect him to be Superman from day one,” Colts GM Chris Ballard said.
It was understandable. Richardson had just 13 career starts at Florida. He is considered raw as a passer. But the physical tools — Richardson ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds and set a few combine records in other events — are undeniable. It was obvious that Richardson would start sooner rather than later. Top-five picks at quarterback rarely sit anymore.
Indianapolis decided it wouldn’t waste any time getting him in the lineup. A new era starts right away.
Originally posted on msn.com