Shane Steichen last weekend laid out a methodical, no-nonsense blueprint for what the three months between the NFL Draft and the start of training camp would look like for Anthony Richardson.
"I think the development of learning the offense, learning the system," Steichen said.
We've got to get him in the playbook, learn the lingo, learn the terminology and once you learn that, then you really hone in on the fundamentals and the details day in and day out. This is how we want to look, you've got to show him what it needs to look like and what it can't look like. That's going to be the biggest thing for us as coaches. This is what we want it to look like, this is how we want you to do it and then let his talent take over.
"This guy has rare traits that don't come along very often. We're excited to get him."
That process began when Richardson arrived in Indianapolis on Thursday ahead of this weekend's rookie minicamp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. And this weekend is about coaches honing in on how Richardson learns, and Richardson honing in on how he'll be coached by Steichen, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and quarterbacks coach Cam Turner in the coming weeks and months.
"He's come in every day attacking this thing like a pro," Steichen said prior to Saturday's rookie minicamp practice. "And we just got to continue to be consistent with it every single day."
Richardson, meanwhile, has experience learning how to adjust to a new coaching staff – he had a new offensive coordinator every year he was at Florida, and in 2022, the Gators brought in a new head coach (Billy Napier) to replace the guy who recruited him to Gainesville (Dan Mullen).
Richardson on Saturday talked about the importance of not rushing through learning a playbook that's more expansive than the one he had in college, and emphasized the need to perfect certain things within concepts before moving on to the next thing.
"Getting new coaches all the time, leaning new coaches, new playbooks, it kind of helps you adapt and adjust to certain things," Richardson said. "Coming here and just getting a feel for the coaches and adapting to how they coach me and how they communicate, I think I've been doing that pretty well."
Not only is Richardson getting acclimated to a new playbook and coaching staff, he's getting acclimated to his new rookie teammates – even going so far as to throw with wide receiver Josh Downs in their hotel parking lot Thursday night – and how to handle the responsibilities of being a highly-drafted quarterback in the NFL. The Colts were confident in the pre-draft process in who the 20-year-old Richardson is as a person, and the last few days on 56th Street have only confirmed it.
"He's got a great presence," Steichen said. "He's got a great bounce in his step, he's always smiling, got great energy, enthusiastic. I think when you have that, I think players around him will feed off him."
Richardson has been carrying a football around wherever he goes in the facility – to "make it feel real a little bit," he said – and he's been grinning ear to ear now that he's through the draft process and can focus on hitting the field with his new teammates.
"No more lining up for the 40, getting ready to do this certain drop. Now it's all ball," Richardson said. "I'm out there with my teammates having fun. That was definitely exciting and I just had a big ol' smile on my face all day (Friday)."
