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Tag your favorite radio station tomorrow on social media and use hashtag National Radio Day to celebrate. That's hashtag National Radio Day. It is the JR Sport Brief Show here with you coast to coast. on the Infinity Sports Network. Indianapolis Colts making some news today, letting everybody know that Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback.
for the team over Anthony Richardson, who they just drafted two years ago. This decision made public by Shane Steichen We now have a word from Anthony Richardson's agent. He's like, oh, we're surprised. The trust has been broken between us and the team, but there's a lot to discuss. When it comes down to these Indianapolis Colts.
Joining us right now is someone who covers a cult on the beat for A-dise sports. His name is Destin Adams. Destin, how are you, man? I'm doing good. Thanks for having me.
Absolutely. I'm sure you're feeling better than Anthony Richardson right now.
Well, we just heard from his agent. thinks that the trust has been broken. They They're thinking about the fact that they gave this man, Daniel Jones, a $14 million deal. Are we going to see Anthony Richardson throw the ball again for the Colts this season? It's a good question.
I mean, he's on the roster. There's not been a formal trade request made. There's not been a trade request of any kind made from Richardson or his team.
So as of right now, he's on the roster. He's going to back up Daniel Jones. And There's a lot of talk about how many games Richardson's missed in his career. But Daniel Jones is the guy that's missed roughly 25% of the games of his NFL career as well due to injury.
So I definitely think there's a door for Richardson to have the opportunity to see the field again this year. I guess the question is going to be is uh d does he want to see the field as a colt again? When you think about his performance just over the past two years, whether it's the injuries to his shoulder, a concussion, a leg, he. Asked out last year. Would you have given him the first crack, especially how much they've invested in him two years ago?
I mean, it's definitely been an up and down ride for Richardson and the Colts. And I think there were definitely things that had to improve during this training camp. And I think anyone you would ask, Steichen himself mentioned it today that this was Richardson's best training camp since entering the NFL. The Colts just ultimately landed on it, wasn't enough. And for me, I feel like the logistics of the situation just weren't considered enough here by the Colts Brass because.
To me, like you technically are not benching Richardson because he was not the starter for 2025. This feels like a second benching, right? Like you bench him for Joe Flacco last year. You're sending him to the bench this year for Daniel Jones. And There's just not many stories across the NFL's history of a guy being benched two separate occasions for two different people that you're basically saying we think this guy.
is a better quarterback for us to win games. And how many times did those guys come back from something like this and become that team's franchise quarterback? It feels like a mountain has been created and they're asking him to climb it. Can he be that outlier? I guess we'll find out.
But for me, I feel like it would have made more sense for if you think he gets one more shot, it should have been week one and the beginning of the season and letting him play that out. And if it wasn't good enough, you send him to the bench then. Colts beat writer Dustin Adams is here with us on the JR Sport Brief Show. Yeah, I agree with that sentiment, unless he was just so bad they the locker room wouldn't even trust them. Let's go ahead and and put him out there.
Thinking about What they did a couple of seasons ago when he was drafted, giving him the keys to the entire organization. Instead of saying, hey, Gardner Minshew, you go ahead and give it a shot. It seems kind of backwards. Did they kind of throw him to the Wolves too soon when he was drafted? Yeah, I mean, Chris Boward's mentioned it since that that's one of his regrets is throwing him out there as the week one starter and not letting him kind of learn by watching early on, especially for a guy that they themselves told everyone to be patient with.
And looking back on it now, the Colts weren't. The Colts were not patient. They did not practice what they preach in that regard. And it feels like they kind of had to pay for it. And Richardson's paying for it now, obviously, with having to just kind of have those bumps where maybe he would not have had to go through them.
And the Colts have not done this kid any favors throughout his career. It it's hard not to feel bad for him, but obviously just the fan base in general right now. A pretty low moment for the fan base today once that announcement was made. Oh, so the fan sentiment is is is not in favor of w what's taking place. No, I think the fans probably resonated with what I said earlier that.
The logistics here just pointed to the logical thing to do: is if you are going to keep saying, which the team keeps saying, Ballard said it, Steichen said it, Assistant General Manager Ed Dodds has said it, that just if Richardson did not win this job, it did not mean his future in Indianapolis was over. And you can say that, and those are cool words, you can put it on a Hallmark card if you want, but no one's going to believe it. Because again, like I said earlier, this is just not something that's happened very often. You've not seen quarterbacks come back from this kind of thing.
So if you really did want to give him one more shot, like you keep saying you do. Why would it not be the start of the season when you don't have to have any of this if and or but about benching him to start the year. Uh Think of that route. He he's WQ me too to start it. It's the JR Sport Reshow here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network.
We're being joined by Colts beat rider Dustin Adams. Knowing that. Jim Ursay is gone. It's an ownership transition to his daughters. What does this mean for Ballard and Steichen?
And is there a potential that? that there is a reset all the way from the top down. Yeah, I mean, I definitely think there's just a sense of change in terms of the ownership. It just, you can tell that there's a change there. I think with Jim, rest in peace and thankful for everything he was able to do for the city of Indianapolis and the Colts franchise.
And I think there was just a sense of closeness between this regime and Jim that made it really hard for anyone to kind of see a world where Either guy was going to get moved on from anytime soon. I think that sentiment kind of changes a little bit here with the Ursae daughters coming in and not having as much of a Relationship in that regard with these guys to where results need to be had this season. I think everyone there feels like if they don't win this year. jobs across the team could be up for grabs. The head coaching position, the general manager position, I think veteran players probably feel the sentiment that if the team does not win this year, the team could look very different this time next year.
And I think that maybe plays a factor into what happened today. Just wondering if there's a little bit of fear that has creeped in with this organization. And anytime you start operating out of fear, I think that's going to be where you lose a little bit of the fan base, where you're going to lose a little bit of credibility in terms of these moves. But if it works out, they look brilliant. And they'll be telling everyone, I told you so.
If it doesn't work out, they're not going to be around to say much at all. Dustin Adams here with us on the JR Sport Brief show. Knowing what the team might look like, just first on the offense, I'm real interested to see what. A. D.
Mitchell can do here, but uh Jonathan Taylor, I guess they're gonna run this guy into the ground, huh? Yeah, I mean, Jonathan Taylor is going to be the focal point either way. I think his job becomes a little bit tougher. Going to Daniel Jones. I do think the team prepared for it a little bit with the fact that they went out and got a quarterback that can use his legs more so than they've had the last two years with Richardson under center in terms of Joe Flacco being the backup, in terms of Gardner Minshew being the backup.
Because when you did have to make that switch from quarterbacks, there was a pretty drastic shift in the offensive identity because of that. Joe Flacco. Great guy to cover, don't get me wrong. Not a guy that's going to move around much anymore, or if at all, in his career.
So, going from Richardson to that was pretty shell-shocking to watch for the Colts offense last year. And you could tell in Jonathan Taylor's production just how much easier it felt for defenses to kind of focus in on Taylor because they knew there wasn't any other rushing attack coming at them. Whereas with Richardson, a linebacker to kind of have to stay honest and keep assigned to Richardson on any given play. I think Dale Jones is going to present that element to where he. has legs that can extend plays that defenses are going to have to account for.
And I think that's going to be big for Jonathan Taylor, and hopefully that makes it to where he can still continue with the success he had last year with being a 1,400 yard rusher.
Well, Dustin, you talk about defense. The Colts' defense was pretty pathetic last year. What can we expect from them this upcoming season? What's on your mind right now? The song you can't get out of your head?
That breaking story? Or that conversation you just have to be a part of? That's the brand new song from. This is a breaking news report. He shoots!
He scores! That's radio happening now, connecting you to what matters most, exactly when it's happening. From the airwaves to every device you stream on, radio is everywhere you are. It's local, live, and it's for you. Tag your favorite radio station tomorrow on social media and use hashtag National Radio Day to celebrate.
That's hashtag National Radio Day. Yeah, I think it's a much better group. I think they've been able to improve the secondary with signings of Charvarius Ward with Cameron Bynum in the secondary to upgrade a group that really struggled mightily throughout the year.
Some injuries have impacted corner, so it's not going to maybe be as high of a ceiling of a group as they were hoping for, but definitely improved. And I also think the team is just very excited for the shift in defensive philosophy that's happened from moving on from Gus Bradley, moving into a well more aggressive style with Lu Anna Rumo. And I think we've seen it in the preseason. The Colts, the last few years, even before Gus Bradley, you go all the way back to the Matt Eberflues era. The Colts have just not been a team that have blitzed very often.
They've not been a team that throw very complex coverage systems at people. They are a team that really gives teams the easy stuff and tries to take away the big stuff. The Colts are going to be a little bit more of an attacking defense this year. They're not going to win. Wait for things to happen.
They're going to make things happen is something you hear a lot of Colts players say. I think Colts players are excited to not be so reactionary this year and being able to be on the offensive. Ironically, talking about a defense, obviously. But I think they are really excited to kind of bring that aggression on the defensive side of the ball. And I think even though Morale might seem low with fans right now because of that, I think the defense is going to be a bright spot and something exciting to watch this year, just that shift.
And so, overall, thinking about hopefully what is not a back and forth between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson. What should we expect? This is not going to be like the Cleveland Browns, everybody paying attention to the QB situation every week, is it? The team doesn't want that. I mean, Steichen today, when asked about it, said that he doesn't want to have a short leash with the starting quarterback situation.
So the job is Daniel Jones. If the struggles continue and he just struggles to start the year and they make that switch, they make that switch. But I think the veteran players have spoken out about it. Last year, when you had Richardson benched, Flacco comes in, gets a two-week stretch, and they go back to Richardson. I think that back-and-forth nature.
Upset the locker room more than just making a switch, if that makes sense. You need to have a constant presence in that quarterback position. You need to have a constant presence in the locker room in general, but at the quarterback position, it's so crucial. You have that same identity throughout the year. The guys know who they're going to battle with, they know who they're going to battle for.
And if the guy's healthy, he needs to be the quarterback.
So for me, If they do decide to make a switch at some point this year, it needs to be the switch. If Daniel Jones is not working early on, go to Anthony Richardson, let him in the year. And you just kind of have to roll with those punches and see where. Let things fall where they may, because I don't think the Colts can afford another season like last year where the locker room just has no idea what the identity of this team is. Destin, final question to you.
When I take a look at this, it seems to me I'd lean towards things probably getting much worse before they get better. Do you think I'm accurate in saying that? We know there's a possibility for something good to happen, but I don't feel positive about this. Yeah, I don't think many people do, JR. I think it's a a situation that Everyone is going to hope to be proven wrong, but I don't think you see many.
people reacting to this that don't have a negative connotation of We think they're making a mistake. And again, like I said earlier, maybe the Colts are going to be the wise ones. And Daniel Jones is able to have a resurgence like we've seen some of these other veteran quarterbacks when they make that second stop in their career. Will he be a Sam Darnold? Will he be a Baker Mayfield?
Will he be a Geno Smith? These are the names they throw around. In training camp pressers, when talking about what they think Daniel Jones can do. Do I think that's going to happen? I personally don't see it with the Daniel Jones that I've seen on the practice field, the Daniel Jones that I've seen over the years.
I'd love to be proved wrong and see him have a successful resurgence in his career, rooting for him for sure. But I definitely am a skeptic. Yeah, well, damn it, I think you're being a realist.
So we'll see what happens there. Hey, good luck to the Indianapolis Cults. I just feel this is going to be a bad season. I think we're going to have quite a few people in management who are going to get a boot. to the backside, and I think the Colts fans are going to be the ones to have to pay for it.
They've been paying for it for the past couple of seasons and they may have to tack on A few more. Hey, Destin, thank you so much for the time. Tell everybody where they can follow you and all your work covering the cults. Yeah, you can catch me on X or Twitter, whatever you call it these days, at The Destin Adams. I'll post all throughout the season covering the Indianapolis Colts, and you'll get a bit of other content from me throughout the year covering the NFL draft up until that process.
And you can also find all my written work on the Colts and the NFL draft at adzsports.com. Hey, Dustin, thank you. We'll catch you on down the line. Hopefully, things are positive when we have you back, okay? Yeah, for sure.
Appreciate you having me. What's on your mind right now? The song you can't get out of your head? That breaking story? Or that conversation you just have to be a part of?
That's the brand new song from... This is a breaking news report. He shoots! He scores! That's radio happening now.
Connecting you to what matters most, exactly when it's happening. From the airwaves to every device you stream on, radio is everywhere you are. It's local, live, and it's for you. Tag your favorite radio station tomorrow on social media and use hashtag National Radio Day to celebrate. That's hashtag National Radio Day.
