The Indianapolis Colts were like a lot of teams a few years ago. They became enamored with a quarterback who seemed to have all the physical tools in the world, drafted him high, threw him right into the starting lineup, and then watched as he was swallowed up by inexperience.
Of course, injuries did not help Anthony Richardson with his situation either. But the fact is, he relied very much on his ability to run with the football and did not seem to catch on to the idea of reading defenses and executing the playbook.
In the NFL, rookies sign and the team gets four years to decide what to do. So they need to know whether the player is part of their future. For the time being, the Colts have exhausted their patience with Richardson, and they will start the 2025 season with Daniel Jones at quarterback as they face the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday (1 PM ET).
Pro Football Betting Odds at Pinnacle Sportsbook
The Dolphins find themselves a slight favorite as they visit the Colts:
Miami Dolphins -1 (+105)
Indianapolis Colts +1 (-116)
Over 46.5 Points -110
Under 46.5 Points +102
Giants reject ready for second chance with Colts
Jones, as you probably know, has also had his injury problems, as well as some difficulty with turnovers. But at his best, he also led the New York Giants to the playoffs and then a playoff win.
It was a good time for that to happen, because the Giants had to decide what to do with Jones. And what they did was sign him to a four-year, $160 million contract. Then they turned around and released him the next season in what was a rather graphic example of buyer’s remorse, amplified by the fact that as they signed Jones, they declined to lock up Saquon Barkley.
Now he’ll run the offense, and although he doesn’t have an abundance of help, he’ll have a ground game headed by Jonathan Taylor, a pretty fair offensive line featuring Quenton Nelson, a couple of interesting wide receivers in Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce and a tight end (Tyler Warren) who was taken on the first round after catching 104 passes at Penn State last season.
Miami has a little defense
The Dolphins probably got the better end of the deal when they got rid of troublesome CB Jalen Ramsey and added Micah Fitzpatrick to the secondary. There aren’t any major complaints about this defense, as they should get a decent pass rush, especially if Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb can get through the season healthy.
It may be surprising to hear that the Miami defense is what keeps them afloat, but head coach Mike McDaniel, who has a fertile offensive mind, hasn’t been able to implement what he wants to do on the attack end, and that might make his time short.
McDaniel’s offense hits some speed bumps
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who’s had a number of concussions, is generally getting rid of the ball too quickly to take advantage of the kind of speed they have on the outside in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and as you know, Hill got pretty frustrated with it last season, as he didn’t even average twelve yards a reception.
Miami should have been able to better take advantage of the opportunity to shore up some weaknesses on the offensive line. But they didn’t do that. This will hang over them this season.
We’re going to move with the Colts in this near-pick’em matchup at home.
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Current line: MIA -1 (O/U 46.5).
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