Thoughts on Anthony Richardson?

[Luka]

My thoughts are he still isn't an accurate passer and at some point he will have to develop more sound mechanics like Josh did to be successful in the NFL. 

[ToGoGo]

Looks like a smoother and stronger Herbert. Once he builds acceleration he’s scary to tackle on the run. 
 

if he puts it all together he’ll be a problem. If. 

[Dr.Sack]

6’4” and a solid 244. Will be a monster in 2-3 seasons. Year 1 won’t be pretty.

[Mat68]

Has all the tools.  A good dude.    He will be limited by the team around him.  Low key going to have a sneaky fantasy season and will make young Allen and Cam type plays.   

[RunTheBall]

Does he have the drive to improve his mechanics/weaknesses and does he have the head to understand NFL defenses? It will take a couple years to figure out

[BuffaloBillyG]

On 8/12/2023 at 7:30 AM, eball said:

 

The biggest mistake the pundits make these days is using Josh Allen as an example of why guys like Richardson (and Trey Lance, etc.) could/should be great.  What they fail to comprehend is that Josh Allen is not just about the physical tools…his mind is also All-Pro.

 

I have no idea what Richardson is capable of, but saying “look at what Josh Allen did” as your rationale for optimism is like searching for fool’s gold.

 

This is extremely accurate. 

 

Allen is not only very intelligent, but his drive and desire to get better, understand his flaws and improve them and competitive nature are almost unmatched. Combined with the physical tools he has is what makes Allen next level. 

 

Does Richardson (or Lance or Fields for that matter) possess that mindset? Do they have that drive to be better? Not sure, but I've been watching football long enough to know the physical tools combined with mental capacity and determination Allen shows is extremely rare.

[Warcodered]

On 8/12/2023 at 6:30 AM, eball said:

 

The biggest mistake the pundits make these days is using Josh Allen as an example of why guys like Richardson (and Trey Lance, etc.) could/should be great.  What they fail to comprehend is that Josh Allen is not just about the physical tools…his mind is also All-Pro.

 

I have no idea what Richardson is capable of, but saying “look at what Josh Allen did” as your rationale for optimism is like searching for fool’s gold.

 

Something that also doesn't get looked at is Josh's issues in college were decision making and sloppy mechanics that caused poor accuracy. People tend just say it was poor accuracy but when his mechanics were right the ball went where he wanted it to go.

[Maine-iac]

Just watching the game now.  Richardson made some nice plays.  He had a good run brought back for holding and a nice pass deep that the WR didn't catch.  I think he'll go as far as his OC gets him.  We were lucky that Daboll turned out to be a great OC and helped Allen begin his career.  The coaching will make a big difference in how far Richardson makes it.

[Success]

He has some serious raw skills. 

 

Who knows.  We have seen so many guys like that, and it runs the gamut - from Jemarcus Russell to Josh Allen.

 

A boom or bust type of project.  Allen benefitted greatly from having Daboll as a coach, and I think AR would need something like that.

 

[TBBills Fan]

8 hours ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

This is extremely accurate. 

 

Allen is not only very intelligent, but his drive and desire to get better, understand his flaws and improve them and competitive nature are almost unmatched. Combined with the physical tools he has is what makes Allen next level. 

 

Does Richardson (or Lance or Fields for that matter) possess that mindset? Do they have that drive to be better? Not sure, but I've been watching football long enough to know the physical tools combined with mental capacity and determination Allen shows is extremely rare.

 

 

I'm starting to believe in Fields 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

On 8/11/2023 at 9:08 AM, Royale with Cheese said:

 

I think there are more options than just the two.

 

He's basically an athletic freak that they're going to try to mold into an NFL QB.

 

Most of these projects don't work out and I honestly think that Josh Allen has helped these types of QB's because of his success.

Absolutely. Trey Lance was most def influenced by the Josh Allen pick who broke the mold for guys like him. It was the draft right after he had his breakout season. Jamarcus Russell kind of soured teams on ultra talented project QBs, but I believe Josh has reignited the NFLs interest. 

[NickelCity]

1 hour ago, TBBills Fan said:

 

 

I'm starting to believe in Fields 

 

He showed good check down skills this weekend. Running game overall looked good. I wonder if he'll ever show an ability to work the intermediate part of the field.

[Motorin']

6 hours ago, Warcodered said:

Something that also doesn't get looked at is Josh's issues in college were decision making and sloppy mechanics that caused poor accuracy. People tend just say it was poor accuracy but when his mechanics were right the ball went where he wanted it to go.

 

Exactly, and in some of the most impossible throws that almost no other qb's in the history of the game can make. 

[MrEpsYtown]

He’s the guy I would have taken #1, just as I would have taken Herbert, and even Trey Lance a few years ago. Huge upside with Richardson but he is raw. To me if you are taking a shot on a QB early in the draft you swing for the fences. Yeah there is a good chance you strike out, but why settle for a game manager? In terms of his understanding of the game, apparently he knocked that stuff out of the park. They don’t do the wonderlic anymore, but according to reports, Richardson crushed the new tests. I would probably let Minshew start the first 4-8 games, but I think Richardson will be, by far, the best QB out of this draft. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

Guess he showed the Colts enough against the Bills. Going to be a long season in Indy...

 

 

[Warcodered]

1 minute ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Guess he showed the Colts enough against the Bills. Going to be a long season in Indy...

 

 

He bounced back from his pick and made some plays, probably clearly the better player of the QBs. Probably best to get him more and more live game reps as you improve the team around him, just like we did with Josh, he'll either have it or he won't.

[Captain Hindsight]

4 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Guess he showed the Colts enough against the Bills. Going to be a long season in Indy...

 

 

Its the right move for the Colts. I'm excited to see how he looks after a few weeks

[Bangarang]

I honestly think he’d be better off sitting to start the year. He’s so raw and inexperienced that this could blow up in a bad way. 

[SoTier]

On 8/12/2023 at 7:30 AM, eball said:

 

The biggest mistake the pundits make these days is using Josh Allen as an example of why guys like Richardson (and Trey Lance, etc.) could/should be great.  What they fail to comprehend is that Josh Allen is not just about the physical tools…his mind is also All-Pro.

 

I have no idea what Richardson is capable of, but saying “look at what Josh Allen did” as your rationale for optimism is like searching for fool’s gold.

 

 

Since 2000, Allen is just about the only "project" QB taken in the first round who has become a top QB.  Tom Brady was a sixth rounder and Tony Romo an UDFA.  Those are the only QBs I can think of who underwent "complete make-overs" as pros and turned into top NFL passers.  

 

On 8/13/2023 at 1:06 PM, Warcodered said:

Something that also doesn't get looked at is Josh's issues in college were decision making and sloppy mechanics that caused poor accuracy. People tend just say it was poor accuracy but when his mechanics were right the ball went where he wanted it to go.

 

It seems to me that Allen's problems with decision making and mechanics were rooted in lack of good coaching.  He went to a small rural HS.  He went to a junior college and then a lower echelon college program, which is not exactly the best path to the NFL.  Even his first year with the Bills, his QB coach wasn't very experienced, and Allen struggled.  I believe that Allen worked with Jordan Palmer before his second season, which helped.  Under Daboll and Dorsey, you could see Allen improve over the course of his second season, and he's continued to hone his skills as he's matured.  

 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

53 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

He bounced back from his pick and made some plays, probably clearly the better player of the QBs. Probably best to get him more and more live game reps as you improve the team around him, just like we did with Josh, he'll either have it or he won't.

 

Minshew is the new fitz, he'll come in midseason and out-play the other guy and they'll go into next season with no idea what to do.

[The Frankish Reich]

On 8/13/2023 at 6:09 PM, MrEpsYtown said:

He’s the guy I would have taken #1, just as I would have taken Herbert, and even Trey Lance a few years ago. Huge upside with Richardson but he is raw. To me if you are taking a shot on a QB early in the draft you swing for the fences. Yeah there is a good chance you strike out, but why settle for a game manager? In terms of his understanding of the game, apparently he knocked that stuff out of the park. They don’t do the wonderlic anymore, but according to reports, Richardson crushed the new tests. I would probably let Minshew start the first 4-8 games, but I think Richardson will be, by far, the best QB out of this draft. 

There's "athletic" and then there's "freak of nature athlete." Richardson looks like he's in the latter camp. To me it looks like his floor is going to be a Justin Fields 2022 type, able to at least win some games solely based on that athleticism. In other words, not a bust. Whether he can make it to the next level and actually become a polished QB like Allen is a different question.