Minshew Mania Rides Again As Anthony Richardson Has Been Ruled Out For Sunday With A Concussion
Anthony Richardson was just ruled out for Sunday so it looks like it's time for Minshew Mania this Sunday vs the Baltimore Ravens. Which I'm still trying to figure out a way to spin zone this information into a good thing. What is the shelf life of a rushing Quarterback who potentially has entered concussion protocol twice in his first two starts, and where does he size up with other QB's comparable to AR-5's size?
After watching Andrew Luck get destroyed season after season, I'm predisposed to expecting the absolute worst anytime the face of the franchise decides to hold onto the ball and scurry for a couple of yards. So the last two weeks with rookie QB Anthony Richardson have been an anxiety inducing football experience.
John Mersits. Shutterstock Images.Richardson has looked phenomenal running the ball, two rushing TD's vs Houston with 9:17 still left in the first quarter. Glass half empty, this sucks because it means he is going to keep running in a season where his development as a quarterback is more important than wins.
Richardson has officially started 2 NFL games, and has officially been taken out of 2 NFL games due to injury. Not good. John Rich made a great observation in his blog, saying that even though the Colts said it was a knee injury in week 1, it was probably a concussion. Since Tua went to CTE City on national television last season, the league is more hypersensitive than ever about brain injuries, so hopefully trainers / doctors are simply being cautious with the young Colt's QB and it's precautionary rather than anything too serious. Tua (6'1'' 225lbs) is smaller than Richardson (6'4" 245lbs), so how do players with similar body types and playing styles compare to Richardson? I don't like what I found …
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Andrew Luck (6'4" / 235lbs) and Cam Newton (6'5" 245lbs) are two players that experts have used in comparisons for Richardson. If Richardson turns into the player either of these guys, that would be incredible. BUT, Richardson is not off to a hot start. Andrew Luck's first and only concussion (that we know of) came 4 years after his rookie season during a start in week 11 when Titan's nose tackle Anthony Johnson bounced Luck's head off the turf. Luck finished the game, missed his next start, and returned the next week. Cam Newton's first concussion came 5 years after being drafted in a week 4 start where he took a nasty blow to the head, stayed in the game, and almost lead the Panthers to a 4th quarter comeback.
It seems no one truly gave a shit about concussions until Tua was unconscious for the whole country to see, so maybe no one was paying attention, but potentially going through concussion protocol twice in two starts is concerning. Not to mention the wear and tear that Luck and Newton went through for putting their bodies on the line while running the ball (and allegedly snowboarding). Both QB's have a laundry list of injuries that caused them both to miss time, but those didn't come on till Luck's 4th season and Newton's 3rd. Injuries happen, freak shit occurs, but it's concerning that Richardson seems to be camping out in the blue medical tent. The more Richardson stays inside the pocket, the less likely I am to be put on IR for cardiac arrest.