Colts owner Jim Irsay saw Andrew Luck’s promising career come to an early end because of injuries, but he isn’t letting that color his opinion of the best way to use the team’s current quarterback.
Anthony Richardson’s rookie season ended early because of a right shoulder injury and the prospect of limiting his exposure to further injury has been a talking point this offseason. Head coach Shane Steichen said that that the team will not ask Richardson to run the ball less often and Irsay said on Sunday that he’s on board when it comes to wanting Richardson to play his game rather than limit himself due to the risk of injury.
“I really don’t,” Irsay said, via Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star. “That tackle that happened, it could happen at any time. It’s a physical game. He has to seize the opportunity to use his feet when he can and protect himself as well. He knows that. At the same time, we drafted him because we know with his feet, he can be dangerous and pick up critical yards at critical times. I think his style is great. We’re just really looking forward to him having a great year throwing and running — certainly more throwing than running.”
Richardson’s ability to make plays with his feet as well as his arm is a big reason why the Colts drafted him early in the first round in 2023, so it’s not surprising that they still want that to be a part of his game. They’ll just have to hope for a better outcome than the one they got during his rookie season.