Colts' Anthony Richardson Won't Change amid Injuries: 'We Play a Dangerous Game'

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was limited to just four games during his rookie season in 2023 because of injuries, but he isn't going to change as he approaches his second campaign.

Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com shared some of his comments Wednesday:

"Changing my game and my play style? I don't feel like there's anything wrong with my play style. 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. The times 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.

"But necessarily changing my play? I don't think I'm gonna change it, but being smart, knowing when to get extra yards and knowing when to get down, I feel like I know how to do that. It's just I have to do it and do it at the right time, I guess. I don't know if I'm gonna change my game, but being smarter for the team, of course."

Richardson suffered a concussion and then a Grade 3 AC joint sprain in his shoulder during his first NFL season. He ended up needing season-ending surgery for the shoulder setback, although Indianapolis still battled for a playoff spot because of Gardner Minshew.

Minshew is now on the Las Vegas Raiders, and there is no doubt Richardson is the quarterback of the present and future for the Colts after they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft.

And they will need him to live up to the expectations that come with that status as both a runner and a passer if they are going to compete with other AFC South teams with young quarterbacks in C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans) and Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars).

Living up to those expectations will require good health, though, so Indianapolis might need him to utilize a bit more caution even if he doesn't change his approach.