Colts' Chris Ballard Blasts 'Impatience' with Quarterbacks

"Look, competition brings out the best in everybody," Ballard said. "We're so impatient nowadays. We have zero patience with players, especially the quarterback position. If they're not a superstar right away, they're a failure, which I disagree with. I mean, they've gotta work through their struggles, and they have to fail, and they have to get up, and they have to get better from it.

"I think we have two guys that are examples of that," Ballard continued. "That have had moments of success but have also had some struggles. So, to watch both Anthony and Daniel compete against each other is gonna be good for both of 'em. There's nothing wrong with competition."

While many on the outside question how good of a competition this really will be for the Colts, featuring two players who are running out of opportunities to become NFL starters, there is still upside for the Colts to believe in.

Richardson is facing the first regular offseason of his young career. As a rookie, his offseason was focused on preparing for the draft. He then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023 that he has to rehab last offseason. This year, he just got to focus on getting better as a quarterback.

After a franchise record-low 47.7% completion percentage last year, has Richardson accomplished enough to smooth out some of the rough edges in his game?

As for Jones, this may be the best supporting cast he's been with in his career, featuring an offensive line that should be at least adequate, a deep pass-catching corps that just added first-round tight end Tyler Warren, and a run game featuring Jonathan Taylor.

Ballard is also very fond of players who face challenges head on rather than looking for an escape plan, which is something that endears him to both Richardson and Jones.

"In a world today where quarterbacks in college football jump at the first chance they can if they have to compete, like, that's the wrong message for the long-term growth of them, and so competing's a good thing," Ballard said.

So, when will we know whether Richardson or Jones has won the competition?

"I don't have a timeline on it," Ballard answered. "When one of 'em steps forward and we think he's the guy, then that's the direction we'll go. I think it will be in training camp, but we'll see how that plays out over time."

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