3 Takeaways from Colts training camp practice No. 9: Anthony Richardson bounces back

USA Today

a day ago

Here are the three big takeaways from the Colts' ninth training camp practice on Sunday.
The Indianapolis Colts returned to the field on Sunday for their second straight training camp practice and their ninth overall.
While there's always a lot that takes place, let's dive into the three big takeaways from Sunday's practice.
Anthony Richardson bounces back
It was a rocky showing from Richardson during Saturday's practice, but he was able to bounce back on Sunday.
According to Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan, Richardson went 10-for-14 passing during the team portion of Sunday's practice, where he worked mostly with the first team offense. This included Richardson converting a red zone touchdown and leading the offense into field goal range during a two-minute period.
Prior to Saturday's practice, Richardson had put together multiple strong performances. Bad days are going to happen, but seeing Richardson bounce back like he did today is important.
"I thought he did some really good things today," Shane Steichen said. "I thought he bounced back really well today."
As far as Daniel Jones goes, Bowen also had him completing 10-of-14 passes. Shane Steichen has said that he's looking for consistency at quarterback, but before Sunday's practice took place, Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle posted that Jones "could use some more flash."
Is the starting spot next to Zaire Franklin up for grabs?
All offseason, we've presumed that Jaylon Carlies will be starting next to Franklin--and that very well could end up being the case still.
However, we also can't ignore the play of Joe Bachie, who seems to make a play every practice. Bowen would write that Bachie "has flashed more than Carlies."
Bachie doesn't have ample defensive experience in his career, but he is the more seasoned NFL player compared to Carlies, not to mention that he's spent the last few seasons playing under Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati, so he is very well-versed in this new-look Colts' defense.
"He played some really meaningful snaps for us in Cincinnati," Lou Anarumo said, via Horseshoe Huddle, "and we won some games with him operating – not only as just a guy, but as the green dot when Logan Wilson got hurt and Joe stepped in. So, I have the utmost confidence in Joe. He's a worker. He's a great guy. He's going to be in the right spots more than the wrong.'
It's also important to point out that due to offseason shoulder surgery, Carlies was unable to practice during OTAs and minicamp, so to a degree, he's playing catch-up right now.
The defensive line dominates the line of scrimmage
As Nate Atkins of the Indy Star posted, the Colts' offensive line struggled mightily against the defensive front. By Atkins' count, the Colts' defense had around eight sacks just in today's practice.
Defensive ends Laiatu Latu and Kwity Paye were two of the defenders who stood out to Atkins, and Steichen mentioned their play as well afterward.
"Phenomenal," Steichen said of the play of the defensive line. "They were in the backfield a lot today. They had a ton of sacks there. I let it play out a little bit just to let the drill get going, but those guys are rushing hard. Latu had some really good rushes. Kwity had a good rush. Those guys are doing a great job."
This is a position group that GM Chris Ballard has invested heavily into over the years, both in terms of salary cap space and draft capital, but this unit should also get a boost from playing in Lou Anarumo's more aggressive and disguise-heavy scheme, which up front, should also feature more movement to help generate mismatches.