Colts’ Anthony Richardson ‘on a mission this year’ after missing most of rookie season due to injuries

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Anthony Richardson’s rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts did not go as he planned, playing in just four games due to injuries before being shut down to have season-ending shoulder injury. The quarterback underwent the procedure in October and began throwing in February. Since his first throw post-surgery, last year’s No. 4 overall pick has made significant progress and is ready for his comeback. 

“I’ve never waited this long to get back to playing football. I’m just on a mission this year. Once that mission’s complete, then I’ll be good,” Richardson said, via ESPN.

Remembering his first throw after the surgery, the former Florida signal-caller noted that he “felt like a robot.”

“I know my feeling and how I’m supposed to feel throwing the ball,” Richardson said. “But that first one, it was like, ‘Dang.’ I was like, ‘That’s not me, and I want to be me right now.'”

Thanks to rehab, motivation and time, Richardson is back feeling a little more “him” as he works to gain strength and get his muscle memory back. He has impressed many along his recovery journey, including Colts coach Shane Steichen, general manager Chris Ballard and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who went to see Richardson throw last month.

“I was like, ‘My God,'” Ballard said. “I mean, you wouldn’t know that he’s still in rehab watching him play football.”

While there is clear progress, Richardson still has a ways to go as he remains on a pitch count, sometimes pushing that mark of 40 throws per day if he does not get his routes perfect. Richardson is trying find the line between getting things right and not pushing himself too hard, something he says his former self had an even more difficult time with. 

“I used to be really bad,” he said of being a perfectionist. “The old me, we probably would have been there [throwing] for another 30 minutes. But I’m just trying to find that balance.”

The team also…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/colts-anthony-richardson-on-a-mission-this-year-after-missing-most-of-rookie-season-due-to-injuries/

Author : Shanna McCarriston

Publish date : 2024-04-08 18:01:14

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