Colts' Anthony Richardson names biggest lesson he's learned during young career

Long before Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson experienced numerous ups and downs as the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, he famously made only 13 college starts with the Florida Gators.

Richardson recently shared the biggest lesson he has learned from his days in college through the week leading up to this coming Sunday's game between the 6-7 Colts and 8-5 Denver Broncos.

"Try not to be Superman all of the time," Richardson said, per James Boyd of The Athletic. "I’ve always been able to create big plays, and that’s kind of been a thing of mine that I always wanted to do as a player. And understanding as a quarterback, sometimes you need those Superman plays, (but) sometimes you just gotta be a regular guy."

Multiple injury setbacks limited Richardson to just four starts as a rookie, and he was then benched for two games earlier this fall after he controversially took himself out of a contest because he was "tired." There apparently were also some questions about his dedication to the cause back in late October, but he has since impressed his coaches with his response to a demotion that could've lasted longer had backup Joe Flacco played better. 

According to Boyd, Richardson kept in contact with head coach Shane Steichen during Indianapolis' Week 14 bye in an attempt to be as ready as possible for the upcoming matchup in Denver. 

"I was trying to get as much information as I could ahead of (game) week so when we did come back here, it was a little bit easier for me to get back into the routine," Richardson explained. 

In his three starts following the benching, Richardson completed 43-of-82 passes (52.4 percent) for 553 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 141 yards and three scores on 29 attempts. Most importantly, he notched a pair of game-winning drives en route to keeping Indianapolis' postseason hopes alive. 

As of late Thursday morning, the NFL's website showed that the Colts had a 26 percent chance to make the playoffs. At that same time, DraftKings Sportsbook had Indianapolis as a four-point underdog against Denver.