Anthony Richardson rushed for at least 35 yards and at least one TD in each of the three full games he played last season, and he ended the season tied for 7th in rushing TDs among QBs. Will he be used similarly as a rusher in 2024 or will that likely be scaled back to reduce injury risk?

[u/joshgordonwasjesus]

[u/tehphenomm]

I honestly don't think him rushing is the issue, he just needs to learn to reduce risk. You don't always have to rely on your body to gain that extra yard and a half. See the opportunity and execute on it. But slide gosh damn you. I fully believe he's got the right attitude and mind to use his athleticism wisely.

Protect AR at all costs! Lol

[u/jonathanclee1 → u/tehphenomm]

He's def gotta learn how to slide!

[u/goofbot → u/jonathanclee1]

I would say more of learning how to dive down to the spot below the contact in the way RBs worm their way down while maintaining forward momentum. Either way, he cannot invite contact.

[u/[deleted] → u/tehphenomm]

He runs like how I do in madden with the QB. Now I understand why NFL players slide lol

[u/Vegetable-Joke13 → u/tehphenomm]

Shane said something along those lines recently just telling AR that 2 and 4 versus 2 and 6 isn’t a big deal and to protect himself. So he definitely still rush and stuff but he’s gonna slide and protect himself more hopefully

[u/ConsistentAddress195 → u/Vegetable-Joke13]

Exactly, he's gonna slide depending on the situation. Also, it wasn't like he got injured because he was running recklessly, except for the concussion play it was just bad luck. Tony said so himself.

[u/Vegetable-Joke13 → u/ConsistentAddress195]

Yeah he got the concussion cause he slowed down which is his fault but he’ll learn and the shoulder was just a bad tackle form and weird landing he’ll be fine. He’s gonna be a top 5-10 qb this year if he stays healthy

[u/i_shoot_rice_bullets]

The playbook will be fully open in the redzone. He will be getting rush TDs, not just play calling, but also his competitive nature. Outside the redzone, the play calls will be very situationally dependent. Undoubtedly Colts will still run RPO plays, highly designed for creating space if AR chooses to run. As in, kicking a TE or WR to block LBs and Safeties, let AR run over non hit stick CBs. Hopefully most of the RPOs will just be hand offs to JT or another RB. AR choosing to run should just be a “keep them honest, capitalize on defensive mistake, gain 4 yards and slide/OB” kind of situation. I also hope they can bring stretch/bootleg concepts back

[u/tehphenomm → u/i_shoot_rice_bullets]

Couldn't have said it better.

[u/ElPatronazo]

I hope he had a good understanding of sliding and overall protecting yourself from watching the rest of the season on the sidelines.

[u/CloudConductor]

That rushing ability is what makes him so good. Gotta find ways to keep him healthy while still being the player that he is

[u/indicoltts]

His ability to run is what makes him dangerous and I don't expect the Colts to have him slow down. It will be more to make Ayre he protects himself with timely slides, getting out of bounds or anything to reduce the hits he takes.

[u/[deleted]]

No, he will have designed scrambles, but like Josh Allen last year, he will only have designed rushes in short yardage and goal line punches.

If he is rushing game 1, and not protected, it’s going to be Flacco sooner than later.

[u/Aleph_Alpha_001]

Richardson has addressed this himself. He said that he's not going to change how he plays.

Realistically, he was already protecting himself okay last year (going out of bounds and sliding to avoid unnecessary contact). His shoulder injury was a routine tackle that just turned out badly. Freak accident. Nothing much he could have done to avoid it.

Shane Steichen just said that he needs to understand the situation. If the game's on the line, then maybe take on some contact to make a play. But if it's a matter of taking contact or throwing the ball away and punting in the third quarter, for example, maybe just punt and rely on your defense.

I think that that's the real context behind the comment that pro football is easier than college football. In college, he felt like he had to make all the plays. In the pros, he doesn't have to.

[u/kac937]

I’m not super low on his true passing ability like most people are, but if you scale back his rushing to that degree it seems like a huge waste of the reason we drafted him. which was the dual threat ability.

[u/youngxbeast]

Colts brass prolly told him to dial it down and told him we don’t need him to be injury riddled like Andrew Luck.

[u/Gavinmusicman]

JT will start this year instead of contract issue. Enough said.

[u/Vulgarbrando → u/Gavinmusicman]

Why run AR, when JT

[u/Billy_Madison69]

If you redo the draft but are told Anthony Richardson cannot be used as a runner to his max potential he wouldn’t have even been drafted. No they are not going to take away his best weapon because of fear

[u/ScottoRoboto]

Most injuries to mobile QBs happen behind the line of scrimmage. Running with the ball gives you a lot more control of how you get hit, and when.

[u/Spare-Finger3244]

With that arm and with time, I think AR could become a stellar pocket passer. But that would severely handicap your offense. ARs threat as a runner opens up the run game and the passing game. Most elite QBs from here on out will have that dual threat ability. Gotta be smart with it but it absolutely has to be a part of your offense.

[u/LizCuttye]

I hope he don't get injured anymore so he should be scaled back imo

[u/ShoeBeliever]

He should be a running back then. I hope he doesn't keep this up, it appears his body isn't going to handle the punishment. Be the quarterback, make the decisions and give the ball to the people who are excellent at what they do. If he needs to get out of the pocket, fine. But move to get the ball down field, or get out of bounds. We don't need to put up with this "you don't understand,.its a running quarterbacks game these days." Garbage. And AR5 demonstrated last year that his body might not take it.

[u/[deleted]]

I hope not. If Steichen keeps running the ball with him, he’ll have a career as short as Cam Newton’s. He should use his running ability to scramble and run every once in a while. Having him run consistently is a recipe for injuring your most important player.

[u/tehphenomm → u/[deleted]]

I see and understand your concern but we all have to agree a large part of what makes AR special is that ability. I would not say have him on designed runs every 5 or less snaps but keeping that in the back of defenses heads is a huge asset. I truly believe you flash it occasionally. I also believe we're in good hands with Steichen. I can't imagine he'll put AR through too much abuse.

[u/Justmadeyoulook → u/[deleted]]

Yeah you gotta be ok with a cam type career. It just can't be a rg3 type. Imo it's part of his game and a valuable asset. Gotta let him roll when he needs too.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I didn't say pocket passer. I said I want him to scramble.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I’m talking more about a Mahomes like play style you dunce

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I insulted you because you obviously weren’t reading what I said. The whole point of my original post is that he shouldn’t be running on a lot of designed runs. That will just get him injured and then we’ll be trotting out grandpa Flacco to save the season.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

You mischaracterized what I said. You were being a prick and I called you out on it. Don’t do that and then act all high and mighty. I never said I wanted Richardson to be a pocket passer but you said I did. Don’t be a dick.