All is Not Lost for Anthony Richardson After Season Ends

The Indianapolis Colts may have lost rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson for the rest of the year, but that doesn't mean his development this season is over.

With the recent news of Anthony Richardson deciding to get a season-ending surgery on his shoulder, all hope for possible development in his rookie season is over, or is it?

While it undoubtedly has put a damper on the Indianapolis Colts season, there is also reason to have hope of what this could do for him long-term.

Strengthen the Mind

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Rehabbing from a season-ending injury is one of the worst things a player can go through mentally. I spoke to a couple of former players who had this experience (one was a torn ACL, the other was a ruptured Achilles).

About their recovery, the first player said it was “Grueling. I was gutted, especially the first few weeks. It took support from loved ones to get me motivated to really attack the rehab and get back to myself."

The second player said, “I was in a dark place, and reading the media saying I will never get back to being the player I was really motivated me.”

Richardson’s thoughts could be very similar right now.

I think it’s essential for Colts fans to show Richardson love and support with everything he’s dealing with. Being taken away from the game you love for any significant amount of time is rough.

“The worst feeling in the world is to watch your brothers go to war on that field, and you’re powerless to help them,” one player said, which made me think instantly about how Richardson must have felt standing on the sideline last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Richardson mentally will be a lot stronger when he comes out on the other side of this than he may be at the moment.

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Game Preparation

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On a week-to-week basis, Richardson can still learn a ton. While the offense will be tailored to Gardner Minshew, the Colts still have a quarterback meeting where they prepare for what they are going to see from opposing defenses. He will learn a lot about tendencies and tells to look for from defenses.

This will do wonders for him when it comes to actually learning how to read a defense. Richardson has already shown flashes of physical talent, so this is a way for him to catch up a bit mentally. While he’s out with this injury, Richardson will be heavily involved in learning the nuances of head coach Shane Steichen’s offense, and taking those mental reps will be a significant benefit to him. 

Why You Should be Optimistic

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The flashes Richardson has shown (although in limited time) are the things that put my mind at ease. He was ahead of what all the projections were saying about him as a player.

In the nine quarters he completed, his stats were 50-of-84 passing (59.5%) for 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. His rushing stats were 25 carries for 136 yards with 4 touchdowns and one fumble lost.

The production has been there as a passer and as a runner. If he continues to develop mentally, there’s no reason to think he won’t explode the next time he’s on the field.

Richardson, while physically focusing on rehabbing his injury, has a unique opportunity to enhance mentally for over a stretch of time he normally wouldn’t.

I bet he capitalizes on it and spends every week preparing mentally as if he’s going to start that game, and it will do wonders for him in the long run.

 

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