Is the Colts’ offense the right fit for Anthony Richardson - An open debate

Is the team trying to fit a square peg in a round hole?

Disclaimer: This is not a statement, as the title says, this is supposed to be an open debate between everyone, so feel free to leave your own opinion in the comments. This time of the year is boring for everyone (unless you are following the Pacers’ playoff run), so it seems like a fun idea to have a discussion around an interesting topic.

As mentioned in the disclaimer, and I feel compelled to clear this out so you guys don’t come after me in the comments, this is not a statement article. I am not asserting that this offense is not built for a “gunslinger” type quarterback like Anthony Richardson is at this point in his career, I am raising the question up for debate.

The sample size is small, and with too many confounding variables, so we cannot rely on the numbers here to help clear out this story. Jonathan Taylor held out the first four games of the 2023 season, so putting the blame for the running game struggles the Colts suffered there (25th in run success rate, 26th in rush EPA) on AR would not be fair at all. Using this last season is also hard because Joe Flacco is a much more similar quarterback passing wise to Richardson than Minshew was when he played for the Colts, so we do not have a counter-factual argument for last season. We can only base this argument on hypotheticals, which is why I will refrain from making absolute statements.

What is the point of the article then? It is to raise the question whether this offense is just not suited at all for Anthony Richardson to succeed, and would be better off if the Colts just gave the reins to a quarterback that fits the “game manager” mold, which is what they have in new backup Daniel Jones, and who knows, perhaps even Riley Leonard.

First, let’s take a look at the way the Colts’ offense is built. The team spent a lot of resources building the running game, constructing a really good offensive line and paying star running back Jonathan Taylor a lot of money to be the workhorse back. I mean, this team’s motto used to be #RTDB (Run the damn ball!). Going through the wide receivers, the only true deep-threat the Colts have is Alec Pierce, who coincidentally had his best season by far as a pro playing with Anthony Richardson. Michael Pittman Jr., the team’s #1 receiver, is more of a short-intermediate, big bodied receiver, who runs mostly shorter routes. Anthony Richardson struggles mightily to hit throws under 15 yards consistently, being by far the most inaccurate quarterback throwing short passes in the entire NFL, even worse than most of the backups. Josh Downs is a special player that can do a bit of everything, so he fits well with any quarterback. New tight end Tyler Warren was drafted, paraphrasing...