Colts QB Anthony Richardson says playing in the NFL is easier than playing in college

Look at Anthony Richardson putting a horseshoe in his mouth. I will never doubt the man's talent in his second professional season out of Florida, but you can't say this, man. The No. 4 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 NFL Draft didn't play very much during his rookie season because he got hurt. The Colts were a playoff-caliber team because of the play of backup Gardner Minshew II.

While appearing on the Club 520 Podcast, Richardson had the audacity to say that "playing in the NFL, I feel like, is easier than in college." That is a really convenient thing to say for a guy who is 2-2 in four career starts for the Colts. Then again, he is a sixth of the way there to the 24 games he played for Florida over the course of three years from 2020 to 2022. Don't make yourself an easy target...

I will give Richardson credit on one very small point in his argument. In the NFL, everybody is a pro and everybody on the field out there with you knows what is at stake. They do play with a greater crashing sense of urgency and more confidence than some college players do. So with that in mind, yes, you may not have to carry a team as much as you might in college. This is a quarterback, folks.

Richardson is the face of a franchise that has not won a division title since he could shave his face.

Right now, I have the Colts looking up at the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars in-division.

Anthony Richardson says the NFL is much easier than college football

There is a lot to unpack here. For one, what an indictment on the state of Florida Gators football. Richardson is arguably the most physically gifted quarterback to play at Florida ever. His skillset reminded me of what former Gator Cam Newton looked like coming out of Auburn. However, Newton was never afraid of having to take over a game. He was a good teammate throughout his pro career.

This is the absolutely wrong mindset for a franchise quarterback to have. Although quarterbacks of division rival teams like Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud may have had an easier time of things in college than Richardson, you don't see the faces of the Jaguars and Texans franchises saying nonsense like this. Have a little more respect for the game, man. It will forget about you immediately.

Ultimately, for as much as I want to try to understand where Richardson is coming from, these are the type of comments you keep to yourself. Yes, he may have felt incredibly comfortable on the podcast, but this quote is just fuel for Jaguars, Texans and Tennessee Titans pass-rushers forever going forward. When Jeffery Simmons takes you to the turf already down 17 points late, will it still be easy?

You have to have more self-awareness than this. It is why the Colts are not raising a banner in 2024.