Rick Venturi, Colts analyst, anticipates nothing short of greatness from Anthony Richardson. – Great

WESTFIELD, Ind. — There’s a pep in Rick Venturi’s step as he walks down the sideline at Grand Park on Thursday. The Indianapolis Colts are hosting the Chicago Bears for the second of their back-to-back joint practices, and he’s eager to set up shop. The 77-year-old has been doing this for a long time. He landed his first Division I coaching job at Purdue in 1973, rose to the NFL ranks in 1982 and spent 26 years game-planning at the highest level until his final season with the then-St. Louis Rams in 2008. Eleven of those NFL seasons were with the Colts, for whom he’s now a radio analyst, and in all of his time around the game, he’s rarely seen anything like this.

Venturi, now satisfied with his location on the sideline, flips open the portable chair he’s been carrying and plops down. He starts pointing at and talking about the most important player on the Colts roster: rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. The excitement oozes out of Venturi’s mouth, and pretty soon, moments after mentioning that he needs two knee replacements and can’t stand for very long, Venturi’s back standing and still talking. He can’t help himself.

“It doesn’t take any evaluator of talent to know what his skill set is in terms of running and throwing. You can look at the combine stats!” Venturi says of Richardson. “What has been impressive to me is he brings more quarterback skills than I expected.”

Richardson, who lit up the NFL Scouting Combine and is arguably the most athletic quarterback ever, is three practices into being the Colts’ starter. The rookie has made noticeable strides throughout training camp with his grasp of Indianapolis’ playbook and his decision-making, and Venturi is sold.

“Number one, he’s calmer in the pocket than I ever thought he would be,” Venturi says. “I kind of envisioned one look and go, like a lot of rookies, particularly rookies that are good athletes. But he gets to his second and third reads. Number two, his delivery — he has really good quarterback mechanics. That ball jumps out of there. And number three, there’s a charisma about him. It’s not something you can normally define, but you know it when you see it.

“There’s gonna be some bumps in the road, but there’s just no — and I say this without reservation — there’s no doubt in my mind that at some point we’re gonna see greatness.”

My oberservations from Day 1 of the #Colts-Bears joint practices:

— Anthony Richardson’s early miscue (and how he responded)
— His chemistry with Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr.
— Offensive line issues
— Defensive standouts
— Jonathan Taylor’s absence https://t.co/crwPA5osqf

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 17, 2023

The clock reads 5:47 p.m. when Venturi makes his bold claim and sits back down to recharge for the two-hour joint practice scheduled from 6-8 p.m. He jokes about being 77 going on 30, with the only exception being his knees, and shakes his head at the idea of truly retiring from the game he loves. “You don’t die, you don’t get married and you don’t have a baby during football season,” he says, laughing. “Those are the rules.”

Venturi is now in the booth on game days instead of on the sideline, but he remains a coach at heart. The Athletic shadowed the football lifer during the Colts’ 13th and final training camp practice in Westfield. Here’s what he saw and said 24 days before Indianapolis’ season opener.

6:21 p.m.: The Bears and Colts are done stretching, and Venturi makes a beeline toward the south field, where Indianapolis’ cornerbacks are squaring off against Chicago’s offense in the red zone. The ball is on the 15-yard line and Colts top cornerback Kenny Moore II is lined up against Bears top wideout DJ Moore. “This is best on best,” Venturi says. DJ Moore starts running hard toward the pylon before breaking off his route and turning back inside. Kenny Moore II loses ground once DJ Moore changes direction, and Bears starting QB Justin Fields zips the ball past Kenny Moore and into the hands of his receiver. It’s a solid rep, and Venturi tips his cap. A few plays later, the two players are matched up again, and this time Kenny Moore gets the best of DJ Moore. He blankets the receiver in the end zone and the ball sails over DJ Moore’s head.

“We need that from him,” Venturi says of Kenny Moore. “You’re gonna battle when you have really good players, particularly one-on-ones with no pass rush. That’s a tough drill on the corner, but it tells you a lot about what you have.”

So, what exactly do the Colts have?

Moore II is the only cornerback on the Colts’ roster who’s started more than four games in his career. He’ll start in the slot, but the outside starting positions are up for grabs among a slew of inexperienced and unproven players. Second-year undrafted pros Dallis Flowers and Darrell Baker Jr. started in the preseason opener at Buffalo, with the latter coming on strong throughout camp.

However, the cornerback who’s catching Venturi’s eye is rookie seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones. The former five-star recruit is matched up with DJ Moore, who charges up the field, stutter-steps and breaks to the outside for what’s normally an easy pitch and catch from Bears backup quarterback P.J. Walker. But Jones mirrors Moore’s route perfectly, drives on the ball and dives to knock down the pass.

“He’s gotta get his hands up sooner like a boxer, because when you don’t have your hands up, that allows the receiver to get their release off quicker,” Venturi says. “That’s a pet peeve of mine, but this kid is playing his butt off. I don’t know how his story ends, but as far as competing and production in training camp, he’s fighting.”

6:33 p.m.: The Bears’ first-team offense is matched up with the Colts’ first-team defense on the north field, and on one play, Indianapolis defensive end Kwity Paye bursts around the edge and forces Fields into an errant throw.

Paye says he’s trimmed down from playing at 270 pounds last season to 264 pounds this year, and his explosiveness is evident on that rep. Venturi is impressed with Paye’s disruptiveness and believes the 24-year-old, who recorded a career-high six sacks last season despite missing five games due to an ankle injury, could be in for a big season.

“Right now, so much of my focus is corner and defensive end,” Venturi says. “We gotta make an impact on the pass rush or (defensive coordinator Gus Bradley) has to become more of a pressure guy and bring people. Sometimes you gotta just create it with blitzes.”

A couple of plays later, Venturi’s focus shifts back to cornerbacks after Baker is flagged for a questionable defensive pass interference penalty. “Let the guys play,” he mutters before giving his assessment of the room. Venturi notes that fifth-round pick Darius Rush has shown exceptional recovery speed, while second-round pick Julius Brents is a little behind, literally and figuratively, as he tries to make up for all of the time he’s missed with injury. But of all the outside cornerbacks, Baker is the one who has impressed Venturi the most.

The 25-year-old was only on the Colts’ active roster for one game last year, but that will change soon if he continues his ascension. Venturi adds that he’s another guy with “a great story,” and Baker’s track and field background has Venturi convinced that he could step up if called upon during the regular season.

“When Baker was in the starting lineup in minicamp, I kind of had to study him,” Venturi says. “I didn’t really know him that well, and then when I researched him, he was the (high school) long jump state champion in Georgia. That’s not the long jump champion of North Dakota. … I’m a big metrics guy — running, jumping and length. I’m not a dinosaur coach when it comes to that stuff. I really believe in prototypes and he’s that prototype.”

#Colts rookie Darius Rush had a pick-six in yesterday’s joint practice against the #Bears, adding to the pick-six he had in his preseason debut.

“I had to turn my phone off, actually. It was blowing up. I’m probably at like a thousand messages right now.” https://t.co/crwPA5osqf pic.twitter.com/MQJmu2O7CL

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 17, 2023

6:49 p.m.: Richardson is up in seven-on-seven, and Venturi, sporting dark sunglasses, is locked in. The rookie drops back to pass and holds the ball for what seems like forever on two straight plays. The first one he may have gained a yard on a potential scramble at the last second, but the second one would’ve certainly been a sack in a real game.

Venturi mentions that Richardson appears to perform better in 11-on-11 because it streamlines his processing. Seven-on-seven makes a young QB look “for the perfect play,” Venturi says, while 11-on-11 allows Richardson to play more naturally. The latter also complements his dual-threat capability.

6:58 p.m.: Venturi’s evaluation of Richardson’s increased comfort in 11-on-11, which has been the case throughout camp, rings true again on Richardson’s first play in 11-on-11 against the Bears. The Colts call a designed QB run up the middle, and Richardson squirts threw an inside lane for what would’ve been a first down.

“There you go!” Venturi says. “That’s what Jalen Hurts did to us last year. This is where Richardson brings such an extra weapon to the red zone. You’re in a spread (offense), and all of a sudden he runs a counter run, it’s really tough on the defense.”

The play Venturi is referencing was Hurts’ eight-yard designed QB run right up the middle for a TD in the Colts’ 17-16 home loss to the eventual NFC champs last season. Indianapolis had the Philadelphia Eagles on the ropes before Hurts delivered the dagger with 1:20 left in the game.

The man who called that play? Former Philadelphia offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, who is now the Colts’ head coach.

“The day they hired Steichen, they made it possible to have the view of Richardson that they have,” Venturi says. “Because I believe if you just had a normal guy who hadn’t brought along Jalen Hurts, isn’t familiar with this style of offense and doesn’t know how to bring a kid along, how to progress — I might look at it different.”

7:01 p.m.: Jeezy’s rap song “R.I.P.” blasts through the speakers near the sideline as the joint practice enters its second hour. Venturi is over it.

“Just put in crowd noise,” he says while throwing his hands in the air. “I’m still a dinosaur on that one.”

7:03 p.m.: It’s clearly the second day of joint practices because, after every few plays, Colts and Bears players are getting into it. Gardner Minshew is in at quarterback and zips a touchdown pass into the middle of the end zone. It’s unclear from Venturi’s view who caught it, but what is clear is Richardson’s red jersey. The rookie quarterback jogs over to the scrum and, if his knees allowed it, Venturi looks like he’s ready to run over and pull Richardson back himself.

“GET HIS ASS OUT OF THERE!” Venturi screams. “HE’S TOO IMPORTANT!”

7:11 p.m.: Richardson is back in for 11-on-11 and throws one high to Alec Pierce on a crossing route, which Pierce is unable to come down with. Venturi notes that Richardson has to get his feet set when he’s under pressure, otherwise, the ball tends to sail. The rookie finished 2-of-6 passing after going 15-of-19 on Wednesday. However, three plays and two touchdown passes, one to Michael Pittman Jr. and one to Josh Downs, were called back because of an ineligible man downfield.

The Colts aren’t working with their starting offensive line Thursday with center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries both out because of foot and leg injuries, respectively. Venturi acknowledges that isn’t an ideal situation for a rookie QB, but he tips his cap to second-year pro Arlington Hambright, who held his own as the starting right guard.

“The second unit looked terrible,” Venturi says of the Colts’ offensive line and its performance in the preseason opener. “All of it was terrible, except for Hambright. He was doing a pretty good job. He was in at left tackle against the Buffalo Bills and now he’s in at right guard. I’m always looking for a gem, a guy someone may have looked over. He could be one of them.”

7:15 p.m.: Practice isn’t over, but with all of the scuffles, Venturi is ready to head out. He jokes about going home to watch more film, which he still does for 18-20 hours a week, and takes one last look at Richardson.

The Colts have a lot of holes, he admits. The defensive backs are inexperienced, the running backs — highlighted by Jonathan Taylor — are either disgruntled, injured or inexperienced, and although the offensive line should be better than last year, a lack of depth hardly provides any room for error.

But Richardson is the key, Venturi says. If the 21-year-old reaches his potential, addressing the team’s other needs becomes a lot easier.

“I have no insight on this, but my gut tells me this because I was around during the draft,” Venturi says. “They would’ve taken him even if they had the No. 1 pick. Now, that’s just me and what I think. But I think that once Steichen put his signature on it saying, ‘This kid has it, and I can fix whatever he doesn’t have,’ then the rest of it was just vetting him as a kid. And as we all know, this kid grows on you.

“He’s a good kid, and you can’t help but pull for him.”

(Top photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

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