Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson put in 8 extra hours of preparation on off-day for Jaguars opener

According to his head coach Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson spent eight hours on his off-day Tuesday, putting in extra preparations for the Jacksonville Jaguars this opening weekend (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder):

Of course, Richardson isn’t probably the first Colts quarterback to do this, as NFL stars such as Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and late career Philip Rivers immediately come to mind.

That being said, it speaks to the maturity of the Colts’ 21 year old rookie—whose character and makeup are well beyond his years, and his desire to not just show up, collect a paycheck, and go through the ordinary motions, but to be genuinely great.

All the greats from Manning to Michael Jordan, put in the extra time when the cameras and fans weren’t watching, and when they weren’t required to do so. Whether it was late night film study, extra jump shots after practice, you name it.

It’s a steep price to pay for greatness, but it will ultimately be worth it in the end.

Richardson has already been named a team captain by his teammates for his debut Colts campaign, and he’s already discussed ‘winning a Super Bowl in his first year.’

While those latter expectations should be tempered given the current talent of the Colts roster—which looks to fall well short of having serious championships aspirations in 2023, you have to admire his confidence and ability to work at and hone his quarterback craft early on.