The Indianapolis Colts are expecting big things out of Anthony Richardson in 2024. Their young QB's health will be a major focus of the season, which depends largely on his offensive line. One Colts offensive lineman spoke out recently against the concept of an 18-game NFL regular season.
Ryan Kelly, the Colts Pro Bowl center, shared his opinion on the matter with ESPN's Stephen Holder.
“Eighteen games sounds great when Roger's saying it on Pat McAfee,” Kelly said in reference to Goodell's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show in April. “But until you're the one that's going out there and putting the helmet on for 18 of those games, then come talk to me.”
“I [wish] people understood how hard it was to play 16, then they [added] another one?” Kelly said. “And they get rid of preseason games, well, OK, who's that going to hurt? The guys that don't have a shot, the guys that are the undrafted guys or late-round [picks] that need to go out there and improve themselves. I think that the fans see it like they don't watch the preseason games, but they have no idea what goes on inside the building.”
Kelly raises a good point about the preseason game concession from the NFL. As they exist today, preseason games are mostly valuable for bottom-of-the-roster players and are pretty irrelevant for most starters.
It is important to note that Kelly is a vice president on the NFLPA's executive committee. So his statement could symbolize how many players in the NFL feel on the matter.
The NFLPA have been cautious to agree to an extended schedule in the past. They reluctantly agreed to expand the regular season from 16 games to 17 back in 2021. It stands to reason that they will be skeptical to increase the regular season again without major concessions.
Anthony Richardson needs to stay healthy, develop his mechanics to help Colts become a contender
Anthony Richardson will be critical to Indy's success in 2024.
One topic that has been discussed this offseason is whether Richardson needs to adjust his playing style to succeed in the NFL. Some argue that it could help Richardson avoid further injuries and help him develop better habits.
Richardson sounds unconvinced that he needs to change anything.
“I don't think there's any way I could have avoided what happened to me,” Anthony Richardson said, according to Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com. “Just a regular, routine tackle. I tried to brace myself for the fall and just my shoulder did what it did. There's nothing I could do about that. … Changing my game and my play style? I don't feel like there's anything wrong with my play style.”
Richardson also shot back on the concept that he is a run-first QB.
“People see me, I'm a big quarterback, so they always think, ‘Oh, he wants to run the ball all the time, he wants to be physical and that's what's gonna get him hurt.' But that's not the case,” Richardson said. “The time I did get hurt… The one time, the one concussion, that was me completely because I slowed down by the end zone — you're never supposed to do that. Everything else, it just happened because we play a dangerous game, and there's nothing I can do about that.”
Regardless of how last year's injury occurred, Richardson will have to stay healthy for the Colts to have a shot at competing in 2024.
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