In The Pocket Part 1B
by Longvillian65 | 1 year ago | 0 Comments
In The Pocket Part 1B
By: Kirk Herbstreit
A good morning to everyone! There are no days off in the life of a RedZone analyst, so we are releasing part 1B of “In The Pocket”. This time we travel to the crossroads of America through all the cornfields and wind farms. Yes, we are talking about no other than Indianapolis Indiana and the Colts Organization. We were able to grab Coach Mayne after practice and got the downlow on rookie sensation Anthony Richarson.
Coach Mayne and the Colts
The second team we are going to look at are the Indianapolis Colts led by Coach Mayne. The season has started off as expected by many of the analysts. The Colts had a roster able to make waves in the division once they found their QB. Now with Richardson they are holding their own in the AFC South. Without further ado here is the interview.
Herby- How would you rate the overall performance of your quarterback this season so far?
Coach- Easily the most talented QB that I’ve had the pleasure to coach in my RZ career. Has the arm to make all the throws from the pocket. And can scoot out of the pocket to either by time or make a play with his legs. He’s had his share of rough spots vs top tier coaches and defenses. But he’s only going to get better from here. I’m excited to see what he becomes later in this cycle.
Herby- With being such a young player, have there been any issues with the development this season? What kind of specifics can you share?
Coach- When you are the kind of talent Anthony is, your arm strength and legs can carry you through high school and college. When you get to the pros, it’s about accuracy and timing. With our OC Garrett Pratt and myself, we feel we’ve developed a system that best fits his skill set. So now it’s honing in on the accuracy and making the correct reads and decisions in practice. Then making sure that translates to gameday.
Herby- How much do you associate the success, or lack thereof, with the performance of your young signal caller?
Coach- Some people like to say that wins are a QB stat. But football is a team game through and through. So the blame that gets placed on the QB can also get placed on the 53rd guy on the roster. And the same thing goes with the praise for quality play. There will be times where Anthony will carry us to victory, while other times it will be the offensive skill spots or the defense making big plays. And I’m sure there will be people that point out times when all of those people miss plays or come up short, which would result in losses.
Herby- We have seen many young QBs come in and sit behind a mentor to develop, or some get thrown in right away without that adjustment period. Do you believe that you have adjusted the playstyle and play calling to help cater to a younger QB, or have you gone with trial by fire in hopes he fits in right away?
Coach- In a perfect world, you’d love to have a guy in place, draft his eventual successor, have him develop behind him and have a smooth transition. But nothing in RZ is ever perfect. Plus, it’s a case by case basis. In our case, Anthony’s talents and abilities shined in mini camp and all through the joint practices and preseason. So we felt our best course of action was for him to play and for us to get him as many weapons on offense that we could. Hence the acquisition of TJ Hockenson.
Herby- We have seen this as a Quarterback first league so it is interesting that the younger guys just can't keep up with the veterans stat wise. Only two rookie or 2nd year quarterbacks are in the top 10 of TD thrown this season as we near the halfway mark. Do you think the efficiency of the young guys are hindered by coaching, the development, or the overall of the team so far?
Coach- I think there’s a certain amount of development that needs to happen for a young QB, regardless of how highly touted they are coming into RZ. I can’t think of the late time a rookie QB came in and was hot out the gate. Plus, in most cases, the team that the young QB is going to may be devoid of talent, hence why they are drafting so high in the draft. So I’d say development and team around the young QB are the big two reasons.
Herby- We have seen how coordinators make such an impact on total offense and the system in which younger quarterbacks struggle or flourish. Do you see any changes coming in the way you handle your young QB in development the rest of the season or next year? New offense possibly, or having the coordinator focus on bettering his own tree to help develop others better?
Coach- After Mr. Irsay hired me and then I met with both coordinators, they both sold me on each of their systems. I believe wholeheartedly in what we are trying to do. And I do not foresee making any changes this season, next season or in the future.
Herby- Any advice you believe should be shared from one coach to another for those who will be drafting, signing, or trading for a young QB?
Coach- Do your research. Don’t settle. If you draft a QB and he’s not the guy, don’t be afraid to move off of him. Also, if someone else drafts a guy and your scout believes they may be willing to move off of their guy for a new guy, reach out and see if the QB may be a better fit in your system. That’s how I was able to get my hands on Travis Peterman two cycles ago.
As far as signing a big-ticket QB in free agency, make sure you have all your other pieces in place first. Weapons, OLine, defense. Let that be the last piece you need before making the push over the hump.
Talking to Coach Mayne is a pleasure and always very enlightening. Coach can woo an entire room when he speaks and this time was no different. Richardson is the freak athlete that coaches dream of getting, but are sometimes nervous about how rough around the edges they may be. I love the fact that Coach puts the responsibility of team success on all 53 men on rosters. The culture there in Indy was noticeable as soon as you walked in the building. Coach Mayne has the guys in place with a system and culture of inclusion and accountability. This team will be exciting as the season goes and can’t wait to see where they finish in a tough division.