Shane Steichen: Colts need Anthony Richardson to be smart when coming down

The Colts drafted quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick last year, but saw only brief flashes of his talent as Richardson suffered a concussion in week two and a season-ending shoulder injury in week five. This year, Colts coach Shane Steichen wants Richardson to prioritize staying healthy.

Part of the reason the Colts drafted Richardson is that he is excellent at making plays with his legs and has the strength to break tackles when he needs to, but Steichen said Richardson needs to know when to slide or step out of bounds to protect himself.

“I mean, it’s just be smart about when to get off,” Steichen told SI.com’s Albert Breer. “It’s a middle ground. There’s a time and a place where it’s fourth down and you have to have it and the game is on the line, where you have to go get it. But if it’s first to 10 and you grind and you can get to second to 4 and take a big hit or you get to second to 6 and get down, Hey, let’s do second to 6.

Richardson started just 13 games in his college career at Florida and then started just four games as a rookie. He still has a lot to learn about being a starting quarterback, and Steichen says the first thing he needs to learn is to protect himself so he can start 17 games this season.