INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has a point: there are 51 players on the active roster who aren’t named Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson Sr.
However, given the importance of the quarterback position, it’s no surprise Ballard found himself answering repeated questions about his team’s quarterback competition.
Even then, with Jones as the starter, the questions tended to revolve around Richardson, the third-year quarterback with high upside who failed to win the starting job.
“At the end of the day, Daniel [Jones] won the job,” Ballard said. “He had a good run here [in training camp].”
Jones reminds him of Alex Smith, a highly touted quarterback prospect whose career didn’t work out in San Francisco but found new life with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jones’ approach and professionalism were reminiscent of Smith.
“Daniel’s done a lot of good things. He’s a good player. He’s an ultimate professional. He’s a consistent player day in and day out,” Ballard said.
He talked of Jones’ command at the line of scrimmage and his ability to get the Colts out of a bad play or put them in a good one based on the defensive alignment.
Richardson’s future
Ballard said the Colts hadn’t received any trade offers for Richardson. Even if they had, he didn’t seem to seriously entertain the possibility.
“We’re not trading him,” he said bluntly.
Richardson’s development has been a rollercoaster. His inexperience hasn’t helped, and injuries have set him back. Still, Ballard believes his character and athletic talent will shine through.
“I wish I could draw a straight line from A to B… but that’s not real life,” Ballard said of the young quarterback’s development. “That’s the same thing with Anthony. There’s ups and downs. You see growth, then you see you need to get better.”
Everyone has a different path for growth and development.
“He’s made tremendous strides. Is he there yet? No,” Ballard said.
Young players—young people in general—need time to grow and mature. Ballard said they show their character in how they handle adversity. Richardson is preparing, working on game planning and fine-tuning his fundamentals. He’s always one play away from being needed.
Ballard believes sitting behind a professional like Jones will pay dividends.
“I think it is good for young players, especially at the quarterback position, if they’re not completely ready, to sit back without the pressure to perform,” he said.
He acknowledged the decision to start Jones may not sit well with everyone.
“I understand the doubt. I get it,” he said. “And that’s our job to go prove it at the end of the day. It’s a long season. Things are good and bad. You have good moments and bad moments. When you win, it sure helps those issues.”
Ballard reiterated that he knew Richardson would be a project, given his inexperience.
“We knew it was going to take time. I think everybody knew. We knew it was going to be a little bit of a rollercoaster,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to take a swing. We took a swing.”
Ballard maintains Richardson has a place with the Colts.
“I believe Anthony has a bright future,” he said. “I believe that.”