Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is ready to return to the field.
The second-year, dual-threat quarterback has missed the past two games due to an oblique injury suffered in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although he was healthy enough to return in the team’s Week 6 win over the Tennessee Titans, he sat out and played the role of third string/emergency quarterback.
However, all signs point towards Richardson making the start against the Miami Dolphins as he looks to lift the 3-3 Colts above .500.
“That’s the plan,” says Richardson in a one-on-one interview. “That’s how I’m preparing this week, that’s how I was preparing last week as if i was playing, As of now, that’s the plan — keep on preparing and just prepare for this next game.”
Richardson details the recovery process for his recent injury, and says it’s a “feel” type of thing.
“It’s been a feel type of thing,” says Richardson. “How I’m feeling every morning when I wake up, I check in with the training room, check in with the staff, and they ask me how I’m feeling. I just take it day by day to see how I progress. Hopefully we’re looking forward to this weekend when I step back on the field — just trusting the process.”
The 22-year-old quarterback has dealt with his rash of injuries early on in his career, suffering an AC joint spraint that ended his rookie season after just four games. He’s missed the past two games due to this oblique injury, meaning he’s missed 15 of a possible 23 games during his young career.
“It’s hard not being able to be on the field, doing something that I love doing and I’ve been doing it for awhile,” Richardson explains. “That’s a part of my life. I love playing football and when that’s taken away from you, it kind of hurts.”
The former No. 4 overall pick explains that while it hurts not being on the field, he has still managed to learn a lot from his veteran backup Joe Flacco and his previous backup, Gardner Minshew.
“I get to learn from guys like Joe (Flacco), Gardner (Minshew) from last year,” says Richardson. “Just watching those guys prepare day in and day out, watching them prepare for film and practice. I get to learn so much, despite not being on the field as much. I get to learn a lot of things and I can just add that to my game. I appreciate the opportunities — even when I’m not on the field.”
The Colts have played well in Richardson’s absence, defeating the Steelers with Flacco finishing the game before losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars and then winning against the Titans. If the season ended today, Indianapolis would actually be in the playoffs as the seventh seed.
Richardson explains what a big addition the 39-year-old Flacco — a former Super Bowl MVP and champion — has been to the squad. Flacco is the reigning Comeback Player of the Year and went 4-1 with the Cleveland Browns last season while leading them to the playoffs.
“It’s great whenever you have some good quarterbacks on the team — especially ones that the team likes,” says Richardson of Flacco. “Everybody trusts Joe. We already know when he goes out there, he’s going to do his job and do his part. Everybody just has to play up to his standards.
“We love having a veteran guy like that on the team, because you can learn so much,” Richardson says of Flacco. “Especially when it’s a Super Bowl winner like that, because we’re all chasing that and our goal is to get that ring. Just having him in the building and learning from definitely means a lot. ”
Flacco has thrown seven touchdowns to just one interception this season for a 102.2 passer rating and 65.5% completion rate. They’re actually better numbers than the ones Richardson has posted in his four starts — three touchdowns against six interceptions for a 50.6% completion rate and 60.2 passer rating.
Richardson details what makes Flacco such a good quarterback and calming presence.
“I just love the fact that he doesn’t complicate the game for himself,” says Richardson of Flacco. “He just treats it as if its football. Of course, we’re at the highest level when everybody is good at what they do. He remembers that its just football and I’ve definitely taken that away from him and just go out there and play and not worry about anything else.”
As Richardson prepares for his return in a big AFC matchup against the 2-3 Dolphins — he was a full practice participant on Wednesday — he’s partnering with Dairy Queen to help promote their new parmesan garlic and honey BBQ chicken strips. Richardson and Jonathan Taylor participated in a Dairy Queen event in Indianapolis on Tuesday, which saw them sauce and toss chicken strips while interacting with fans.
“It’s an opportunity for Jonathan and I to interact with the fans, interact with the employees, toss some chicken around, sauce it up, pass it around, and get everyone’s opinion on the taste” says Richardson. “It was a great opportunity for us to have fun with everybody.”
Indianapolis Colts stars Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor while trying out Dairy Queen’s … [+]
DAIRY QUEEN
While Richardson details that he enjoyed Dairy Queen for their ice cream and blizzards while growing up, he actually says the chicken strips are his new favorite item on the menu.
“It was pretty fun,” Richardson says of the event. “Hopefully we can keep it going. I was surprised — I did not expect the chicken strips to be that good. If you have the opportunity, try some.”