‘QB whisperer’ Bruce Arians weighed in on Anthony Richardson (and held nothing back)

Bruce Arians, known as the “quarterback whisperer,” had his first head coaching position with the Indianapolis Colts when he filled in for Chuck Pagano for 12 weeks while Pagano battled leukemia. Under Arians, the Colts made it to the playoffs, and was named NFL Coach of the Year. And after leaving Indianapolis, his career only took off even more.

 

He’s been called the NFL’s ultimate quarterback whisperer, due largely to his role in developing multiple Pro Bowl quarterbacks – including, most notably for Colts fans, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. Now, in an interview with Jeffrey Gorman, Arians looked back on his time with the Colts, as well as how he feels about Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.

Anthony Richardson

Like many, Arians acknowledged that Richardson is an incredible athlete. But as a quarterback, he believes Richardson needs a lot of work.

Anthony, I think needed two more years of college… you know, as a passer, not as an athlete. He’s a great athlete,” he said. “But as a passer, I didn’t see him coming out. Being able to beat anybody in two minutes, third down, and that’s where you went in the NFL. If you can’t win third down to a minute, you’re just an average guy. And I don’t care how good you run. You don’t run the ball in two minutes as a quarterback, you throw it. And you command the game. I think his growth this year is going to be huge. If he can’t make it. The growth that I think he can make and put the – I think he’s going to put the work in. He’s got a great reputation as a hard worker. So it’s Daniel pushing. Daniel’s going to really push.”