Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast dive into what Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is and could be in Sunday's season-opener against the Texans.
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00:00I paid a fender gas it is week one man three nights from now we get the season opener the
00:07Ravens in the Chiefs.
00:08Oh my gosh.
00:09Yeah man.
00:10Yes.
00:11Thursday night said the game.
00:12Yeah.
00:13A game you can hear right here on sports radio 610.
00:15I know what for this what Thursday night football does to me all the time.
00:19That's why I'm horrendous at fantasy football is the ambush of Thursday night football and
00:25I just I like shot I'm old enough now that I've been living through this Thursday night
00:29opener for quite some time and yet it's a surprise to me every year.
00:33I'll remind you each day this week.
00:34Don't worry.
00:35It's such a good matchup.
00:37Really good.
00:38Yeah.
00:39It's weird.
00:40It's weird that I've got a it's hard for me with the AFC but I've got I'm pulling I'm
00:43pulling for the Ravens in a way that won't hurt the Texans somehow.
00:46But I do feel like all right can can somebody please can somebody just please as often as
00:51possible knock off the Chiefs regular season postseason whatever it might be.
00:56Yes.
00:57It's funny you say that we're going to get into the Texans in the Colts here.
00:59in just a second but it's funny you say that I was reading a I was reading an article in
01:04The Athletic over the weekend and it was it was I know pretty fancy it says New York Times
01:09dot com.
01:10Now when you go to it like oh sorry it was underneath my my my my latest New Yorker.
01:16Yeah I'm very sophisticated.
01:19But it was it was the 10 the 10 teams with the shortest odds to win the Super Bowl and
01:26why they can win and why they can't win.
01:28And I clicked on this article with great anticipation because I'm like oh I can't wait to see what
01:32they say about the Texans.
01:34Come to find out.
01:35Right.
01:36At least according to this you saw the same article you fraud you you while you read the
01:39same stuff I do you snob.
01:43So they come to find out that according to at least this janky ass computer model that
01:47Austin Mach was using in this article the Texans aren't even one of the top 10 teams
01:52to to win the Super Bowl percentage wise.
01:55So I didn't get to see why.
01:56But this is my takeaway.
01:57As long as we're talking about the Chiefs and the Ravens for 30 seconds here is that
02:02see like every other team there are tangible like football reasons as to why like roster
02:08reasons as to why they can't win the Super Bowl like the Ravens are a really good team.
02:12They lost some offensive linemen.
02:14They've got issues on the offensive line.
02:16You know they've got other issues that are functional the Texans you know have functional
02:20issues with the roster depth here right there.
02:22They can't run the football whatever it may be.
02:24Christian Harris has a Kyle Tucker disease.
02:26Yes.
02:27Yes.
02:28Yes.
02:29Stuff like that.
02:30With the Chiefs.
02:31It's all.
02:32They have a target on their back.
02:33Nobody.
02:34You know nobody's ever three peat.
02:36It's all these things that just can't happen because they've never happened.
02:41It's all skin a Mac.
02:42Yeah.
02:43It's all like you're like.
02:44It's OK.
02:45It's it's not what I was really hoping for or expecting but yeah yeah yeah.
02:49Right.
02:50Right.
02:51There is.
02:52There's even there's even there.
02:53OK.
02:54There's a long history of taking guys like luxurious really developing them at cornerback.
03:00Yeah there's there's no glaring Achilles heel with the Chiefs.
03:02I'm with you on that one.
03:03That's a good one.
03:04I'm going to root for the Ravens this week this week because I need to say I need the
03:08Chiefs to look mortal.
03:10They looked mortal in the regular season last year.
03:12It's just they've got the switch.
03:13I mean you know what it feels like a little bit is the Spurs forever where you know with
03:19me I'm so well Kelsey's going to get old and that's what it looked like last year in the
03:23regular season.
03:25Well Kelsey's just not the same.
03:26Yeah.
03:27And then you realize.
03:28Oh OK.
03:29But in the playoffs they've got that they've got that Astros switch.
03:31They're at a point now where because they have so much experience in the playoffs and
03:35it was like this with the Patriots before the Chiefs that there's there's no accounting
03:40for how much that that playoff experience and comfort level pays off in the postseason.
03:47Yeah.
03:48Yeah.
03:49By the way.
03:50And just for anybody wondering yeah like how they because they went through 10 teams in
03:53that article right.
03:54They did 10.
03:55Yeah.
03:56The Texans are on most boards they're like fourth or fifth favored to be a Super Bowl
04:01champion right now.
04:02Yeah.
04:03Yeah.
04:04On the odds board.
04:05Yeah.
04:06This was this was one of those articles where this guy has a computer simulate the season
04:08a million times or whatever it is and then they just take the percentage.
04:12So it's run an MS DOS screw that.
04:14Yeah that's true.
04:15That's true.
04:16MS DOS.
04:17He's running basic.
04:18All right.
04:19Let's get to the Colts.
04:20Here was Dwight Freeney Colts Hall of Famer by the way.
04:24And in this this this offseason with Andre Johnson he was on with Kay Adams.
04:28We know there's a lot of chatter a lot of chatter between the Colts and the Texans this
04:33off most of it instigated by Kay.
04:35But yes.
04:36Right.
04:37Well we got E.J. speed and Zyre Franklin versus C.J. Stroud that little thing going on.
04:42Here was Dwight Freeney saying this this baby's after being prompted by Kay Adams.
04:47You're right.
04:48I said this is gonna be a bloodbath no matter who you're playing and especially as a team
04:51like a rival you're trying to get after you know and they just happen to make it public
04:55for everyone to know Houston knew you know they know what's going on.
05:00They may know that this is a division opponent.
05:03They don't like us.
05:04We don't like them.
05:05Same thing with the Colts.
05:06So there is no surprises here.
05:08You know it's going to be a you know not for better words a bloodbath out there and it
05:14should be first game of the year adrenaline is going to be hype and pump in the building
05:17is going to be rocking.
05:18It's going to be a great game.
05:21A bloodbath for Dwayne Freeney.
05:23She tried like hell.
05:24She took like three she took three swings at that before she finally got him to say
05:28anything remotely inflammatory.
05:31And it's it's a lot worse when you see it in print.
05:33It's going to be a bloodbath.
05:34Yeah.
05:35He basically said even handedly that it's going to be a bloodbath that both both teams
05:39are very very motivated.
05:40Yeah.
05:41But but you know for for all for all current purposes Dwight Freeney who seems like a pleasant
05:47gentleman let's let's ruin his inaugural year in the Hall of Fame.
05:51Let's let's just get this thing started.
05:53I just the Colts have been what they have been the last few years a team that's got
06:00a great roster but they just can't figure it out at quarterback and maybe maybe Anthony
06:06Richardson is the one but there's also a good chance that he's going to be injured by week
06:10three.
06:11Yeah.
06:12Smoking while you got him with Anthony Richardson you might not see him again in the second
06:15the second matchup.
06:16He's very polarizing from this standpoint and I know you did a you did a really good
06:19video on him on your YouTube feed which we can touch on here is a good chance to touch
06:23on it but it's them playing the Colts in week one is a very it's like it's I have mixed
06:30feelings about it because on the one hand this is the time of year you know Anthony
06:33Richardson is going to be fully healthy early in the season we saw it last year in week
06:37two.
06:38On the other hand this is a guy who has started 23 games at quarterback in his life in high
06:44school college in the NFL.
06:47He has started 23 games at this position so he is still very very green.
06:55On the one hand he is one of just four quarterbacks to open his NFL career in the first month
07:02three touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns.
07:06On the other hand against the Texans on the other right two against the Texans.
07:10On the other hand the other three quarterbacks to do it are Dante Culpepper major disappointment
07:16Cam Newton MVP of the league who was who couldn't run by the time he was in year seven but the
07:22best of the three.
07:23The other one's RG three who I don't know how to feel about RG three these days but
07:27RG three.
07:28Right.
07:29Yeah.
07:30That's a bit.
07:31But my point is on the one hand that's really impressive.
07:32Like he comes into the league and he takes it by storm on the other hand.
07:35This is no sort of predictability factor for success for future success.
07:40If you're making comparisons and I'm not I'm not talking about direct physical comparisons
07:45here because I think that when you think about rookie quarterbacks who take the league by
07:51storm but then it kind of fizzles out for him later.
07:54I think the one that probably resonates most with us Texans fans emotionally is Vince Young
08:01who in his first the first time he came to NRG Stadium he just you know he tore the cover
08:06off the ball in a good way for them and you know his career wouldn't quite work out that
08:12way but there's an ambush element to really gifted quarterbacks when they're young.
08:17Now Andy Richardson's arm talent when it's good is very elite.
08:23It's just he struggles to do it consistently but he makes some throws that are crazy.
08:28So I I shy away from saying OK RG3 or Vince Young because you know an RG3 could throw
08:36the hell out of a deep ball but Richardson if he could if he can really refine his going
08:42better than it is he could be scary with his arm but he's still got an erratic quality
08:48to him to where the ball sails on him more than you'd like.
08:52Some of the simple throws are just a bit off.
08:55And then his legs to it like he just if he can stay healthy.
08:59He's a scarier runner than RG3 he's a scarier runner than Vince Young.
09:03It really is.
09:06It's scary if you think about what he could become and you can see what people saw in
09:10him but it's just a huge experiment right now.
09:13So tell me how to feel then Seth should I feel nervous that we're getting Anthony Richardson
09:17in week one fully activated or should I feel should I feel good that we're getting Anthony
09:25Richardson while he is starting game number 24 of his life.
09:28I think honestly to not even make it as much about Anthony Richardson from watching the
09:34preseason which is dicey when he's trying to make forecasts with the preseason but it
09:39was very clear from the two times he he showed up in the preseason that he and his receivers
09:44aren't quite on the same page and now sometimes you know they're just running experiments
09:49in the preseason and they're doing some things that maybe just haven't been ironed out yet
09:53but it and I think most of the time it was the receivers fault.
09:58It's tempting sometimes when you see some of the errant passes to think oh yep yep
10:01same old Anthony Richardson.
10:04Most of the most of the passes that I watched it on the TV copy if you're just watching
10:08through the highlights of the game look like a bad pass.
10:11We're actually him in the receiver not being on the same page in 80 Mitchell a couple of
10:16times.
10:17It just really Mitchell was playing more like a rookie.
10:20He's just like all that is right a little bit.
10:24And so that's I think a positive for the Texans.
10:26I think that this Colts offense and Anthony Richardson coming back still very inexperienced.
10:31I don't think they quite got it dialed in yet and that's where the chance for some turnovers
10:35comes in.
10:36I am.
10:37I am shocked that the spread is what it is on this game minus one for the Texans.
10:43So you I know you had said on your video minus one it and it may be minus one in some
10:47places.
10:48Yeah it was.
10:49I'm looking at Yahoo right now and I'm and I will recall Amy and I stopped in Lake Charles
10:54on our way home from where we were in Louisiana during the week last week and it was minus
11:00two and a half Texans.
11:02It's OK.
11:03I locked it in when it was minus one got a good investment man because this thing moved
11:07this thing is moving in the Texans direction minus two and a half and just to just to contextualize
11:12that for people who aren't well versed in the dark arts of the degenerate wager.
11:19That means that if this game were being played at NRG Stadium the Texans would be easily
11:24over a touchdown favorite in this game.
11:26Yeah.
11:27And I'm not feeling that like I think the Texans are going to be really good this year.
11:30I think the Texans have a chance to get to the Super Bowl this year.
11:33I do.
11:34I think they've got the makings of a team that can get there for them to be a two and
11:39a half point road favorite in an environment that is going to be it's it's in the week
11:43where everybody still feels like they've got a shot at this thing in week one.
11:47You know that that that atmosphere is going to be pretty electric.
11:50I think on Sunday the Colts it was not all that long ago that these two teams were playing
11:54for a ton in that very stadium.
11:57I think the Colts fans I think the Colts themselves remember week 18 last year that is you and
12:03I have discussed on the air and off the air and on the heels of Dwight for any saying
12:07it's going to be a bloodbath.
12:09But there is nothing that's happened this offseason to throw water on that fire.
12:12If anything they've thrown kerosene on that fire.
12:15The Texans being a two and a half.
12:17That's a stay away from me.
12:18I'm not touching that one.
12:20That's the biggest and this is simple but it's 100 percent true and we saw this last
12:26year in week two Anthony Richardson's legs are just a huge wild card in all of this.
12:31I do.
12:32I'm very much looking forward to Kamari Lassiter really being tested for the first time versus
12:38some good wide receivers here for the aside from A.D. Mitchell.
12:43Just there they're receiving more in their tight ends in general.
12:47They're good.
12:48But Anthony Richardson and his ability to bust out long runs against the Texans specifically
12:51last year is just a huge wild card and that's why I you know you can have two discussions
12:56about him.
12:57One is OK.
12:58How is it going to play out long term is mechanics are still kind of janky his footworks all
13:02over the place on any given Sunday at noon central.
13:06I don't care.
13:08There is still an explosiveness there that is really hard to account for and you just
13:12got to be dialed in defensively and playing your responsibilities to keep that from blowing
13:18up in your face.
13:19Let me ask you this then because Christian Harris is going to be out for the first four
13:23weeks.
13:24Yeah.
13:25On the scale of opponents where the downgrade from Christian Harris to I'll say to Henry
13:29Towa Towa because as we know they're in nickel as their base most of the they're nickel more
13:34than anything else.
13:36They're going to be playing with two linebackers more than they're playing with three linebackers
13:39probably but even with three there's still a downgrade Christian Harris to Henry Towa
13:43Towa on the scale of teams that can make the Texans pay for their lack of depth at linebacker
13:49where the Colts do the Colts skew towards the end that can really really hurt you because
13:54of Richardson they skew towards the end where it's not as bad.
13:58It's they can really hurt you because of the RPO and that's the tough thing about the Colts.
14:04They did it with Gardner Minchu last year one of the reasons that that Jonathan Taylor
14:09was able to run for 188 yards in week 18 was that Gardner Minchu is really good at executing
14:15that offense of Shane Steikens and it puts the linebackers in a bind when you've got
14:22the threat of either run or pass or the quarterback pulling it down and Gardner Minchu did a good
14:27job scrambling in that game and running for some positive yardage.
14:32It's a tough mental challenge for the linebackers and safeties.
14:35That's where yes they don't have Christian Harris but I think right now if you look at
14:41last year's game that the Texans won they also they didn't have Val Shire in that game
14:46yeah obviously he was off playing for the Titans off gallivanting about Denzel Perryman
14:51yeah and Denzel Perryman and the other linebackers in that game you could see they were kind
14:57of sitting on their heels against the run some because I think they were so they'd have
15:01been drilled into their head that they'd they'd bitten so hard on play action all year
15:05long that the play action from the Colts and the RPOs could have really really hurt them
15:11so there was everything was a little bit slow and they ended up conceding a lot of run yardage
15:17and it worked out well enough in the end but I think Al Shire is just going to be more
15:22in it than those linebackers were in that game last year.
15:27If I had to choose for this game between having Al Shire or Christian Harris available
15:31I'll tell you I'd rather have Al Shire oh for sure yeah you know and so if you make
15:37it as a comparison to last year it's it doesn't feel as dire it's not like they're losing
15:43it's it's not like they've lost I think it's an it's not a net loss and from compared to
15:49last year got to get him into got to win first and second down man you got to put him in
15:53passing situations and I think they're going to be in good shape if they can do that big
15:57if but if they can do that.