Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has had a roller coaster of a season. After his rookie season was cut short due to injury, he started off 2024 with inconsistencies and mistakes. There were some positives -- he threw incredible, 60+ yard passes that set the Colts' offense on fire, could run for touchdowns, and throw off attempted sacks like they were nothing -- but they came alongside troubling negatives. He frequently threw interceptions, or otherwise made bad passes, and his troubles all came to a head mid-season, when head coach Shane Steichen benched him for two weeks.
After returning as starter, Richardson showed some improvement, though he struggled during the game against the Denver Broncos. And initially, against the Tennessee Titans, it seemed Richardson was back to his old issues; he threw an interception, and then Steichen seemed to pull back on how much they relied on his arm. But he finished the game in decent position, throwing 7 out of 11 attempts, for a 63.6% completion percentage and a 97.2 quarterback rating.
But one person in particular has seen a lot of growth from Richardson, and that's former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. He was the head coach for the Colts between 2012 and 2017, and led Indianapolis to several playoff berths, as well as one visit to the AFC Championship Game - a feat that has not happened since his firing.
And in an interview with WISH-TV's Anthony Calhoun, Pagano had high praise for the young QB.
"I think the way he handled the benching, I think it's obvious that you can see his approach to his role, his job, his preparation is off the charts," he said. "Better listening to a veteran guy like DeForest Buckner, who sat down and had a meaningful conversation with Anthony. And then the poise that he's shown since that time, you think of the end of the Jets game,you think of the end of the Patriots game, right? 19 play drive, fourth quarter comeback win against the Patriots. So I like this kid's approach. I loved how he handled this benching. And I think things are only can go up from here."