Colts' Shane Steichen explains how Anthony Richardson has improved since benching

It was previously reported that Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen benching Anthony Richardson earlier this fall "lit a fire under" the second-year quarterback. 

After Richardson guided the Colts on a game-winning drive that he finished with a dramatic two-point conversion in Sunday's 25-24 victory at the New England Patriots that improved Indianapolis to 6-7, Steichen spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about how Richardson has "made great strides" and shown "great growth in all aspects of his game" following a demotion that lasted just two contests. 

"He’s in there at 5:30, 6 o’clock in the morning consistently -- on a consistent basis -- which has been really good to see," Steichen said about Richardson's work ethic. "Being around his guys and having that morning routine has been huge for him. The daily process of the meetings and the walkthroughs and the practice, he’s been taking it in stride and done a good job with it."

Steichen sat Richardson shortly after the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft admitted to taking himself out of the Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans because he was "tired," but veteran Joe Flacco then failed to impress in back-to-back defeats. 

Richardson has since completed a late game-winning drive against the New York Jets, and The Athletic's James Boyd noted that the 22-year-old took his offense 80 yards down the field on 19 plays to stun the Patriots with seconds remaining in regulation of Sunday's matchup. 

Richardson still looked like a work in progress over his last three starts. He completed under 53 percent of his pass attempts across those games, and he connected on just 12-of-24 passes for 109 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions versus New England. 

With that said, it seems that last week's update about the Colts still seeing "something in terms of [Richardson's] talent and especially his character" was accurate. 

"His pocket presence, he’s had calmer feet in the pocket as he’s been going through it," Steichen said about Richardson's play since he reentered the lineup. "That’s just repetition more than anything. … He’s playing more and seeing more looks and seeing different things. That’s been good. He’s had good feet in the pocket. The one thing is he’s not throwing it to the wrong spots. His reads are good, all those different things have been good."

Steichen added that Richardson has "got a chance to be very special." How the signal-caller works to continue his improvement during Indianapolis' Week 14 bye could ultimately determine if the club holds onto him through at least the upcoming offseason.