Colts: Anthony Richardson can find immediate success for overlooked reason
If there's one thing we've learned in recent years about how a rookie quarterback develops in the NFL is this: Situations matter. A lot. Just think about two rookie signal-callers we've seen in the last couple of years. The same talents that put Trevor Lawrence's name next to Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning as a […]
If there's one thing we've learned in recent years about how a rookie quarterback develops in the NFL is this: Situations matter. A lot.
Just think about two rookie signal-callers we've seen in the last couple of years. The same talents that put Trevor Lawrence's name next to Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning as a prospect weren't enough to make the Urban Meyer experiment work in Jacksonville.
Meanwhile, Brock Purdy (a.k.a. last year's Mr. Irrelevant) was surprisingly successful with one of the best rosters in football in San Francisco and was one game away from reaching the Super Bowl.
So when we talk about the new face of the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Anthony Richardson, we must also talk about the situation that he's coming into. A lot has been said about how Shane Steichen's quarterback-friendly, RPO-centric offense will help him out right away.
Steichen helped Jalen Hurts to the best season of his career and a corresponding big-time contract this offseason. But Steichen also had quite the collection of players in Philadelphia. With one of the best offensive lines in football and an impressive group of running backs and pass-catchers, it was the perfect blend of Xs and Os and Jimmys and Joes.
Things won't be the same in Indianapolis. However, there's one reason why he and Richardson can find quick success that seems to be overlooked by both fans and media.
"The Colts quietly have one of the best tackle duos in the NFL," writes Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness.
In a recent article ranking the best tackles in the entire league, McGuinness has Braden Smith penciled in at 15th. Since he joined the Colts as a second-round pick in 2018, the sixth-year right tackle has been highly consistent.
"In five seasons with the Colts, Smith has produced PFF pass-blocking grades of 68.0 or better every season, while his PFF run-blocking grade hasn’t dipped below 75.0 in each of the past four seasons," adds McGuinness.
But while the veteran is far from a question mark now, we still have a lot to learn about second-year player Bernhard Raimann. The left tackle for the Colts got thrown to the wolves in Week 5 as a third-round rookie even though he was always expected to be a project bound to take some time.
And yet, the 27-year-old played kept improving as the season went and had a great close to the season as "from Week 10 onward, he had just one game with a PFF pass-blocking grade below 70.0."
Now, he and Smith are now one of the top reasons why Anthony Richardson's rookie season can get off to a fast start. With key tackles setting the width of the pocket, the Colts quarterback will be in a good situation. Not to mention, the offensive line also has solid players in left guard Quenton Nelson and center Ryan Kelly.
