The Indianapolis Colts made their decision at quarterback. And it looks like Anthony Richardson won’t get a chance to go elsewhere. Furthermore, Peyton Manning’s young-quarterback take sums up the failure of Richardson.
It seems like NFL teams don’t take the right approach, Manning said, according to The Athletic.
“I think teams get too afraid of passing on a guy they think could be special,” said Manning, who spent his first 14 seasons in Indianapolis. “Even if he’s not a fit for them or he’s not ready or if there’s not a great chance it’s going to work out, they’re still gonna draft him high so they can tell their fans, ‘Hey, at least we tried.'”
Did Colts make a mistake on QB Anthony Richardson?
Maybe something happens and Richardson gets back in the starter’s chair. But it seems like two benchings and so many missed games because of injury have written a strong end to Richardson being the guy for the Colts.
Manning isn’t the only person saying NFL teams are short-sighted. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said organizations rush to judgment on their young quarterbacks — after putting them in a near-impossible situation.
“In what world do you go from wearing a life vest and learning how to swim to being thrown in the deep end in the middle of a 200-meter freestyle against Michael Phelps?” O’Connell said. “We decide in this league very quickly whether a guy can or can’t play quarterback like it’s a simple yes or no: This is the guy or this isn’t the guy; let’s either have a parade in the streets or let’s move on and try and find another one.”
The push to win is strong in the NFL. And sometimes that pressure gets so high that a young quarterback doesn’t get a chance to succeed.
“I hate it,” Manning says. “Teams draft these guys without a plan. They all say they have one, then the kid ends up playing for three coordinators his first two seasons. It’s like a young couple thinking about bringing a baby into the world. If you’re not sure you’re ready, just don’t do it.”
