15 August 2023 , 17:59
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Anthony Richardson has officially been named the starting quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts - despite his extremely limited experience.
The former Florida Gators quarterback was seen as a risky option when he was selected by the team in the NFL Draft, but one with the highest potential due to his extreme athleticism and cannon of a right arm.
Throughout his team in college, Richardson had shown all the tools to be a game-changing player. However, this had only been achieved in a 13-game sample size in college - where he was nearly benched on two separate occasions.
But on Tuesday, he was officially named the starting quarterback for week one of the regular season - the Colts eighth different starter one day one in as many seasons - coming off the back of his rollercoaster preseason debut.
The former Gator completed his first two passes but threw a horrific interception when he threw off of his backfoot and missing his intended receiver badly.
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Interestingly, Richardson did not look to run the ball as often as he had in college - something he will certainly look to exploit when the regular season comes around.
An incredibly unique prospect, Richardson rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns in his final year at college, while running an incredible 4.43, 40-yard dash at the scouting combine while at a whopping 244lbs.
Anthony Richardson is set to start moving forward for the ColtsThe most raw prospect of the four highly-toured quarterbacks in the 2023 class, Richardson's inexperience showed on his Colts debut, with the team knowing that he will take time.
However, his supreme ability as a runner should see him succeed on some level - as Justin Fields had last season.
And whilst his first performance for the Colts wasn't ideal as a passer, he did have the best pass of the entire weekend as he lofted a beautiful fade route into a tight window into the arms of Alec Pierce, who somehow could not make the catch.
Despite his debut woes, Colts fans will be delighted to have Richardson on day one of the season, after signing veteran quarterbacks who struggled in their last four consecutive seasons, with Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan all leaving the team after one year.
The Colts have not had stability at the position since Andrew Luck shocked the sporting world when he retired in 2018, aged just 29 years old - walking away from the game after numerous injuries.