WESTFIELD, Ind. – Few people understand the challenge of facing Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor better than the two guys who deal with it the most in practice.
"You just can't really trust nothing that you see," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "It's constantly putting me or EJ (Speed) in tough situations to make a decision, and I'm not gonna lie, sometimes you gotta guess. (And) you guess wrong sometimes."
The Colts are five Sundays from unleashing the Richardson-Taylor duo on the NFL for more than the two negligible snaps they played together during the 2023 season. In an offseason otherwise defined by continuity, the Colts see pairing together two of their most explosive players in Richardson and Taylor as an important change in 2024.
For 31 other linebacking corps, the challenge posed by Richardson and Taylor is mostly theoretical. For Franklin and Speed, there's nothing theoretical about it.
"It's tough," Franklin said. "We do our best — Anthony, just his combination of being able to run and all the plays he's able to make with his arm, he puts us in a tough, tough position. Shane puts those guys in tough positions.
"Every day, I was just telling EJ, I just feel like me and JT are playing cat and mouse — it's like I'm constantly trying to catch him and run him down just like Tom & Jerry."
Having to account for Richardson's arm talent and explosive speed, plus Taylor's vision and breakaway playmaking ability, is sharpening Franklin and Speed – already one of the NFL's most productive linebacking duos – during training camp. But the flip side is facing Franklin (the two-time franchise record-setter in tackles) and Speed (one of two players in 2023 with 100+ tackles, 10+ TFLs and 3+ forced fumbles) is a good test for Richardson and Taylor as they figure things out before the season starts.
"(They're) two of the better linebackers in the league," Taylor said. "So just being able to play that chess match with them. It's not just a physical match with Zaire and Speed, which I like, because really in this league, you're going to come across some great linebackers where the physical talent is not gonna matter, it's going to be all about the mental aspect."
Eventually, the Colts will debut their 2024 offense – with Richardson and Taylor next to each other – for the rest of the league to see and experience. For now, though, the work will happen in practice.
With Franklin and Speed both taking the test and handing it out.
"Being in a full live contact situation having to respect Anthony's legs and then tackle JT in space," Franklin said, "is easier said than done."
News & Notes
- Head coach Shane Steichen said he'll make a decision this week on if starters will play in the Colts' preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 11 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
- Cornerback Kenny Moore II played tight coverage to force an incompletion on an intermediate throw early in 11-on-11.
- Wide receiver Alec Pierce acrobatically snagged a pass from Richardson down the sideline in 11-on-11.
- Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell had a couple of catches in 11-on-11, first on a deep ball down the sideline from Richardson, then after he created plenty of space on a throw from quarterback Joe Flacco.
- In a "call it" period of 11-on-11 work, Richardson threw a pretty 25-yard touchdown to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
- Running back Trey Sermon carved out a chunk gain later in that "call it" period.
- Defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore quickly created pressure on Flacco to force an incompletion in 11-on-11.
