Richardson did not miss AD on the 4th quarter throw

[Mitch Connors]

Dont post much but I've seen it said dozens of times on several threads today that AR missed AD on a wide-open TD pass but thats just not right. 

The defender grabbed AD's hip (and got an illegal contact flag because of it) which slowed AD down by a step which made the pass long. AR made mistakes but this throw was not one of them. 

13:41 in the 4th quarter. Watch the play. Watch the redirection on AD. See the overthrow. Celebrate your QB and an amazing throw.

 

(If you are a Texans fan celebrate your DB for grabbing AD and saving a TD)

[KB]

There were two more times earlier in the game that AD was overthrown. One was on the drive that ended in a TD. AR and AD will have to work on chemistry and timing. It was their first game together. It'll happen in time.

 

I agree that the play you are talking about was more on the penalty than anything AR or AD did.

[JediXMan]

I’m impressed with AD route running and ability to get separation as a rookie. We went through a lot of WRs that failed to do both. 

[Smonroe]

Also, it appears that the INT was due to Granson slipping.  
 

He’s not as inaccurate as some believe, but he’s certainly no CJ at this point.  

[Superman]

33 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

Also, it appears that the INT was due to Granson slipping.  

 

Definitely. It seems like bad things happen when he throws to Granson... 

[Chrisaaron1023]

44 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

Also, it appears that the INT was due to Granson slipping.  
 

He’s not as inaccurate as some believe, but he’s certainly no CJ at this point.  

CJ is a madden cheat created player...

 

I was so happy Watson left the Texans, but he's been replaced by the type of dude. He just makes plays.. even when the play is busted, and he is dead to rights then he just makes a play... demoralizing how we lost that game. 

[Stephen]

36 minutes ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

CJ is a madden cheat created player...

 

I was so happy Watson left the Texans, but he's been replaced by the type of dude. He just makes plays.. even when the play is busted, and he is dead to rights then he just makes a play... demoralizing how we lost that game. 

Stroud is much better than Watson that is for sure. It will be tough to beat the texans

[stitches]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

Definitely. It seems like bad things happen when he throws to Granson... 

Granson is just such a... JAG... We need better TE or two. Woods not planning out so far is such a bummer. He has all the physical and athletic talent to be a dynamic weapon, but injuries and maybe something more has been a disappointment.

 

A QB usually develops natural chemistry with his pass catchers and develops trust with some of them and not with others. Granson is probably not very far from naturally losing targets from Richardson because two games in a row now he's not been where Richardson expected him to be and it resulted in INTs on both of those.

 

Pierce on the other hand... Both last year and this year Richardson had some of his best throws to him and he actually caught some hard passes. This might be a good indicator for Pierce's long term prospects in this offense.

[Superman]

2 minutes ago, stitches said:

Granson is just such a... JAG... We need better TE or two. Woods not planning out so far is such a bummer. He has all the physical and athletic talent to be a dynamic weapon, but injuries and maybe something more has been a disappointment.

 

A QB usually develops natural chemistry with his pass catchers and develops trust with some of them and not with others. Granson is probably not very far from naturally losing targets from Richardson....

 

Pierce on the other hand... Both last year and this year Richardson had some of his best throws to him and he actually caught some hard passes. This might be a good indicator for Pierce's long term prospects in this offense.

 

Granson as your 2nd or 3rd TE, fine. Right now, he's the best receiving option out of the bunch, which isn't good. 

 

And I don't mean to make too much out of the little mistakes. Him slipping yesterday probably wasn't his fault, a lot of guys were slipping for some reason. The preseason play probably was his fault, but I would think that with time, stuff like that gets worked out. But it definitely caught my attention that the last two times Richardson has targeted him, it ended badly, and it wasn't Richardson's fault either time. And Granson didn't get another target yesterday... 

 

TE might be the last position on the offense that needs major attention. And like you said, the plan has been for Woods to be in the mix, but that hasn't worked, and I wonder if he even finishes this season as a member of the team. 

 

The Pierce thing has been obvious to me. I'm excited to see if it will continue.

[Solid84]

19 minutes ago, stitches said:

Granson is just such a... JAG... We need better TE or two. Woods not planning out so far is such a bummer. He has all the physical and athletic talent to be a dynamic weapon, but injuries and maybe something more has been a disappointment.

 

A QB usually develops natural chemistry with his pass catchers and develops trust with some of them and not with others. Granson is probably not very far from naturally losing targets from Richardson because two games in a row now he's not been where Richardson expected him to be and it resulted in INTs on both of those.

 

Pierce on the other hand... Both last year and this year Richardson had some of his best throws to him and he actually caught some hard passes. This might be a good indicator for Pierce's long term prospects in this offense.

I think we really missed Downs against the Texans. Him and AR seem to be on the same page.

[runthepost]

42 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Stroud is much better than Watson that is for sure. It will be tough to beat the texans

Watson was a threat due to his running ability and arm talent but CJ is such a wizard with arm talent and pre/post snap reads 

[Old Man and the COLTS]

With the limited number of offensive plays it’s hard to get in a rhythm and incorporate the TEs and others Did he have more then 2 passes to TEs?
I believe AR was 9/19 passing If those were intermittent passes we would not be as optimistic but to watch bombs flying over 50 yards how can you not get excited 

This new long passing game when it works you are not on the field very long That puts the defense back on the field quicker. Hoping we adjust and can stop the run better and get a little more balance on the TOP 
 

 

 

[indyagent17]

Cox should be a mismatch because of his size but not a single RB or TE caught a ball today and that is awful

 

I know this is an AR appreciation post he missed Mitchell WIDE open in the endzone. Im sure Flacco, Elinger or Bean can make that throw, He needs to figure this out ASAP

[shasta519]

One thing to consider is that AR probably isn't throwing for 300+ yards very often. That's going to limit the week-to-week production of the pass catchers when there are multiple pass catchers. 

[DavePSL]

perception is a funny thing. The long pass by Stroud that was completed could have easily been knocked down or intercepted but both db's played the wr instead of the ball. AR's long throw was put where only the wr could get it and defenders couldn't do anything. On Strouds' other long throw, it  should have been picked by Jones but he batted it down. The worse throw of the day by either Qb was Strouds' bonehead toss up that  should have been intercepted by Brents but he doesn't get both feet in. Our Db's dont make plays when they get the chance. Stroud had just as many errant passes but it doesn't fit the narrative but it does for AR. Does AR need to get better, absolutely but Stroud has plenty of improvement (btw, i like Stroud) in terms of accuracy too and is lucky he didn't come out of there with at least 2 picks....Good Db's make those plays. BTW, if Stroud had made that throw that AR made, it would lead every Sports show today . Been watching football for 40 years, that throw was absurd especially considering he was dodging Smith getting bull rushed  in to him after he slipped while leaning backwards to throw it 68 yards in a bucket........No other QB that i know (maybe Allen but i doubt it) has the arm to make that throw under those conditions. He did not step up into the throw, he stepped out of the throw......Crazy

[ArmchairQB]

3 hours ago, DavePSL said:

perception is a funny thing. The long pass by Stroud that was completed could have easily been knocked down or intercepted but both db's played the wr instead of the ball. AR's long throw was put where only the wr could get it and defenders couldn't do anything. On Strouds' other long throw, it  should have been picked by Jones but he batted it down. The worse throw of the day by either Qb was Strouds' bonehead toss up that  should have been intercepted by Brents but he doesn't get both feet in. Our Db's dont make plays when they get the chance. Stroud had just as many errant passes but it doesn't fit the narrative but it does for AR. Does AR need to get better, absolutely but Stroud has plenty of improvement (btw, i like Stroud) in terms of accuracy too and is lucky he didn't come out of there with at least 2 picks....Good Db's make those plays. BTW, if Stroud had made that throw that AR made, it would lead every Sports show today . Been watching football for 40 years, that throw was absurd especially considering he was dodging Smith getting bull rushed  in to him after he slipped while leaning backwards to throw it 68 yards in a bucket........No other QB that i know (maybe Allen but i doubt it) has the arm to make that throw under those conditions. He did not step up into the throw, he stepped out of the throw......Crazy

There is no doubt the media is all in the bag for the Texans. This was AR’s 3rd complete game ever.  

[csmopar]

5 hours ago, Smonroe said:

Also, it appears that the INT was due to Granson slipping.  
 

He’s not as inaccurate as some believe, but he’s certainly no CJ at this point.  

To be fair CJ sucked his first 6 games last year. 

[Smonroe]

14 minutes ago, csmopar said:

To be fair CJ sucked his first 6 games last year. 

He was fairly accurate for most of those games, one INT in those 6.  Not bad for a rookie, the best of the bunch.  Not great, but definitely did not suck.

 

He killed us yesterday almost as much as Mixon, scrambling and hitting guys down field when it looked like we had him.  He’s trouble for the next 10 years or more.  Already a top 5 QB IMO.  

[Stephen]

50 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

He was fairly accurate for most of those games, one INT in those 6.  Not bad for a rookie, the best of the bunch.  Not great, but definitely did not suck.

 

He killed us yesterday almost as much as Mixon, scrambling and hitting guys down field when it looked like we had him.  He’s trouble for the next 10 years or more.  Already a top 5 QB IMO.  

He is a better version  of burrow

[rockywoj]

10 hours ago, Mitch Connors said:

Dont post much but I've seen it said dozens of times on several threads today that AR missed AD on a wide-open TD pass but thats just not right. 

The defender grabbed AD's hip (and got an illegal contact flag because of it) which slowed AD down by a step which made the pass long. AR made mistakes but this throw was not one of them. 

13:41 in the 4th quarter. Watch the play. Watch the redirection on AD. See the overthrow. Celebrate your QB and an amazing throw.

 

(If you are a Texans fan celebrate your DB for grabbing AD and saving a TD)

I made that observation in the game day thread.  AR missed him, barely on that early miss on the right side, but the 2nd time down the left, the throw was perfectly on the money had AD not been held. 
 

Same with the pick, had Granson not slipped, throw was on the money.  AR looks really impressive.  

And remember, Luck was still sailing balls high even in his last, most impressive, season, leaving me at the time to conclude he’d likely never reach Manning’s level of accuracy. (Sadly, never got to find out definitively due to Luck’s premature retirement.)

[lollygagger8]

Once AR and AD Mitchell get their timing down, opposing defenses are going to look silly. 

[smittywerb]

20 hours ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

CJ is a madden cheat created player...

 

I was so happy Watson left the Texans, but he's been replaced by the type of dude. He just makes plays.. even when the play is busted, and he is dead to rights then he just makes a play... demoralizing how we lost that game. 

I wanted stroud so bad that I thought we should’ve traded up to get him.  All it took was the one play vs bama in the playoff game where he broke the pocket, scrambled, and threw an absolute dot in the end zone for td.  I knew he was the real deal then.

 

still happy with how things turned out.  Think we have the qb with the most upside.  AR will become a cheat code once he improves his accuracy.  Already makes the right reads.  Also, sometimes it just comes down to the talent around the qb too.  For ex.:  maybe another tight end wouldn’t slip on that play and makes the athletic catch.  

[Flash7]

51 minutes ago, smittywerb said:

I wanted stroud so bad that I thought we should’ve traded up to get him.  All it took was the one play vs bama in the playoff game where he broke the pocket, scrambled, and threw an absolute dot in the end zone for td.  I knew he was the real deal then.

 

still happy with how things turned out.  Think we have the qb with the most upside.  AR will become a cheat code once he improves his accuracy.  Already makes the right reads.  Also, sometimes it just comes down to the talent around the qb too.  For ex.:  maybe another tight end wouldn’t slip on that play and makes the athletic catch.  

Honest question: Why didn't Cam Newton improve his accuracy?

 

Like AR, he had incredible size for a QB. Like AR, he had a very strong arm and he could run when needed. The issue with Cam was that he was not a good pocket passer. He lacked decision making and accuracy, which most QBs have trouble with. And it didn't improve. (You could also say there were leadership issues).

 

Playing QB is the most difficult position in all of sports. It's not easy to improve upon, which is why we see so many QBs come into the league and struggle. I hope AR improves, but I'm very skeptical. He has the tools to be a good young QB, but after sustained hits running the ball or getting sacked, the legs will go away with time (like Cam). The cannon of an arm will be meaningless if he's not accurate and decisive.

[azcolt]

ESPN nominated AD as having best first game of Colts newcomers. He had only one catch for 2 yards but they noted AR missed him a couple times for long gains. I guess OP defending AR disagrees. 
 

I am as impressed as anyone that AR can throw an accurate pass of 70 yards on occasion but would be even more impressed if he elevates his 9-19 completion rate to the 60+ percent expected of NFL quarterbacks. He probably could easily win a Punt, Pass and Kick competition for adults but that doesn’t have much relevance to being a great QB. 

[Superman]

5 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

Once AR and AD Mitchell get their timing down, opposing defenses are going to look silly. 

 

I totally agree. Three misses to AD, and all three were due to circumstances.

 

First, the deep out on the left side. Both AD and the defender slip at the top of the route. The defender falls down, AD stumbles, right as Richardson is starting to throw it. If AD had kept his footing, that's a huge gain, maybe a TD. Even if the defender hadn't fallen down, it's well-covered, but placed where only the receiver could get to it. 

 

Second, they sniff out the blitz and catch the Texans defense, and if AD knew what Richardson knew, that's an easy TD. There was room for Richardson to throw a lighter ball, which would have given AD a better opportunity to adjust. Either way, that's not an inaccurate throw, it's a miscommunication. And it happened on a play in which Richardson beat the defense before the snap, and threw the ball while the receiver was coming out of his break. (Similar situation on the INT, targeting Granson, who fell coming out of his break.)

 

Third, the other deep ball, on which the defender was called for holding. It wasn't a big hold, but it slowed him down just enough, and the ball was less than six inches out of AD's reach. Again, Richardson was throwing the ball right as AD was beating the defender.

 

So three opportunities for big plays, three different situations in which Richardson throws a catchable ball with anticipation, and each time, it was undermined by something that was mostly out of his control. Richardson's fifth game. AD's first game. If they get synced up, look out.

 

Anthony Richardson is not as inaccurate as the prevailing narrative would suggest. He's not the 'run first' QB that people think he is. He doesn't struggle reading defenses. He has no issue operating in the pocket. He throws catchable, well-placed balls, with anticipation. Yes, he's raw, his mechanics can be sloppy, he made some mistakes and will continue to do so, not every throw was perfect... But people need to watch what he's actually doing -- even on the unsuccessful plays -- and pay attention. 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, Flash7 said:

Honest question: Why didn't Cam Newton improve his accuracy?

 

Like AR, he had incredible size for a QB. Like AR, he had a very strong arm and he could run when needed. The issue with Cam was that he was not a good pocket passer. He lacked decision making and accuracy, which most QBs have trouble with. And it didn't improve. (You could also say there were leadership issues).

 

Playing QB is the most difficult position in all of sports. It's not easy to improve upon, which is why we see so many QBs come into the league and struggle. I hope AR improves, but I'm very skeptical. He has the tools to be a good young QB, but after sustained hits running the ball or getting sacked, the legs will go away with time (like Cam). The cannon of an arm will be meaningless if he's not accurate and decisive.

 

Relevant similarities between Richardson and Cam: Big, athletic, strong arm.

 

That's the end of the list.

 

Richardson is already better in the pocket than Cam was coming in, and I don't think Cam ever became proficient from the pocket. Richardson is a quicker decision maker, he has a quicker throwing motion, he's better at throwing with anticipation, he has better ball placement, he handles pressure better/faster than Cam did...

 

Not accurate? We'll see how that goes with time. I'm already leaning toward Richardson's accuracy being less of a problem than people insist it is, but I'm withholding judgment on that. Not decisive? Definitely incorrect. 

 

Cam Newton is a cautionary tale for a lot of reasons. I get the comparison. There are a lot of cautionary tales. I think Richardson has already checked a lot of boxes and answered a lot of questions, and people are slow to give him credit for things he's already doing.

[DattMavis]

1 hour ago, Flash7 said:

Honest question: Why didn't Cam Newton improve his accuracy?

 

Like AR, he had incredible size for a QB. Like AR, he had a very strong arm and he could run when needed. The issue with Cam was that he was not a good pocket passer. He lacked decision making and accuracy, which most QBs have trouble with. And it didn't improve. (You could also say there were leadership issues).

 

Playing QB is the most difficult position in all of sports. It's not easy to improve upon, which is why we see so many QBs come into the league and struggle. I hope AR improves, but I'm very skeptical. He has the tools to be a good young QB, but after sustained hits running the ball or getting sacked, the legs will go away with time (like Cam). The cannon of an arm will be meaningless if he's not accurate and decisive.

I think it was a character issue with Cam. I watched a recent interview with him, and the guy is straight up out of his mind. Massively narcissistic, and he doesn't take responsibility for anything. I was shocked at some of the things he said. 

 

I don't see that with AR at all. Anthony is teachable, and he wants people to tell him what he can improve. He seems like a genuinely good person. I'll take AR over a prime Cam 10 times out of 10.

[smittywerb]

1 hour ago, Flash7 said:

Honest question: Why didn't Cam Newton improve his accuracy?

 

Like AR, he had incredible size for a QB. Like AR, he had a very strong arm and he could run when needed. The issue with Cam was that he was not a good pocket passer. He lacked decision making and accuracy, which most QBs have trouble with. And it didn't improve. (You could also say there were leadership issues).

 

Playing QB is the most difficult position in all of sports. It's not easy to improve upon, which is why we see so many QBs come into the league and struggle. I hope AR improves, but I'm very skeptical. He has the tools to be a good young QB, but after sustained hits running the ball or getting sacked, the legs will go away with time (like Cam). The cannon of an arm will be meaningless if he's not accurate and decisive.

 

I think you said it, leadership.  What coaches that Cam was around during his prime would you consider gurus and have the track record to show they’ve developed qbs?

 

Another thing I’ll say, it all depends on the player too.  A perfect example of this is Vick.  Vick in his prime didn’t improve when it came to throwing because he kinda didnt want to.  It wasn’t until he got with Reid and we saw a completely different Vick but by then that Atlanta Vick to combine with the Eagles Vick wasn’t there anymore.

 

We have our Reid in Shane.  And I think we have both types of Vick in AR already, it’s just about repetition atp…which we all know we haven’t had with AR because he hasn’t been available and also doesn’t have the experience others had.

 

just give it time.  AR is doing what he’s doing now at his age and current state of development.  Anyone who doesn’t think he can get better never believed in him from the beginning.

[cbear]

If we want to nitpick, take out slips miscommunication, etc. AR was something like 12-19-275 plus. I think his bad throws may look worse because he has such velocity and does use weird arm angles. And that was what, his 7th game or so? No one should be concerned yet imo.