Anthony Richardson shows signs of things to come

The Colts rookie made his NFL debut Saturday, and despite an early interception (not entirely his fault), he left a strong early impression

MY COUCH, Ind. – If this Colts season was all about wins and losses, and in most years that would be precisely the case, head coach Shane Steichen would start Gardner Minshew in the season opener at home against Jacksonville.

Minshew, who could double as The Dude from the Big Lebowski, is a professional’s professional, a guy who’s thrown for 44 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in his career and has been effective in virtually every role he’s undertaken. Play Minshew, you win some games; not nearly enough to reach the playoffs, but you’ll be decent, competitive, maybe even surprise a few teams along the way. We saw it Saturday afternoon in Buffalo as Minshew, playing behind a papier-mache second-team offensive line, went 6-for-6 and led a workmanlike touchdown drive in the second quarter.

But this season is not about wins and losses, and for that reason, it’s time to ride or die with rookie Anthony Richardson.