Chris Ballard explains his confidence in Anthony Richardson as Colts starter

Anthony Richardson has had a big offseason ahead of his first year in the NFL. When he was drafted No. 4 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 NFL Draft, everyone knew he had a high ceiling, but no one knew what to expect early. Richardson has since made it clear that the future is now.

An impressive offseason, training camp, and preseason has earned Anthony Richardson the starting quarterback job for the Colts. While it’s unknown what will happen during year one for Richardson, and starting a rookie quarterback could be a really scary experience, Indianapolis doesn’t seem to have any fear as the regular season approaches.

That was clear when general manager Chris Ballard spoke with the media in a recent press conference. Ballard was asked about his confidence level that Richardson will be able to handle all that comes with being a starting QB for a full NFL season. Ballard explained that he’s really confident, because Richardson is “a pretty cool customer.”

Chris Ballard says Anthony Richardson has great poise

As a general manager, Ballard watches everything. He explained that during his observations this year, throughout camp and especially during preseason games, he noticed that Richardson is extremely poised. Despite being just a rookie quarterback, he never gets too high or too low. Not being affected by everything is a tremendous tool to have.

That calm as a QB is needed when leading an offense, and a team, and that’s likely part of the reason why Richardson was voted as a team captain by his teammates, despite being a rookie. He has checked all the necessary boxes, on and off the field, leading up to his regular season debut. Now, all that’s left for Richardson to do is continue growing and shine once the games actually count.

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