Latu's strip sack, Taylor's explosive runs and the Indy defense send all those Bears fans home unhappy

It wasn't aesthetically pleasing, but at 0-2, a victory of any stripe will suffice.

One day in training camp, rookie Laiatu Latu found himself on the sidelines talking to a short, muscular fellow, clad in all black, who was telling him how to execute the rip-through move. Initially, Latu wondered, “Who is this dude and why is he coaching me up?” At which point, he looked at the man’s nametag and almost lost his cool.

“Holy shit,” he thought. “It’s Robert Mathis.”

When Mathis talks pass rushing, you listen. Few players in NFL history have achieved more than the one-time fifth-round draft choice, who retired as the all-time leader in forced fumbles/strip sacks with 54 during a 14-year NFL career, all with the Colts. Someday, he may end up in the Hall of Fame.

What Latu did Sunday in the Colts’ imperfect but deeply necessary 21-16 victory over the Chicago Bears was reminiscent of Mathis in his prime. How many times have I seen Mathis and/or Dwight Freeney turn a game around with a massive strip sack? I lost track. Let’s just say…often. But with the Colts leading just 14-9 with 6:52 remaining in the game, Latu blasted his way around right end and tight end Cole Kmet, closed in quickly on Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams and used his right arm and hand to club the football. Grover Stewart recovered, and the Colts would go on to score their second touchdown off a turnover (the other came after one of Jaylon Jones’ two interceptions).

“I remember when Kwity (Paye) told me I woud get that look to attack a certain person,” Latu said, referring (I’m assuming) to Kmet. “I did that on the edge and then shoot” – he says “shoot” a lot – “Caleb (Williams) was about to throw it and I went after the ball.”

This was a day when the running game and the defense had to come to play because if we’re being honest – and we’re always honest, unless it’s inconvenient – Anthony Richardson was fairly awful. OK, drop the “fairly.” He was awful, full stop, completing 10-of-20 passes for 167 yards, two interceptions and a microscopic 39.0 passer rating. He missed short. He missed intermediate throws. He missed downfield.

I’m not a quarterback whisperer – it’s not on my current business card – but Richardson has been a boom-or-bust guy at this early point in his career. He’ll made the occasional explosive play, but force him to throw short or intermediate, and it’s a bit of an adventure. Both interceptions were poor throws, poor decisions, and there were several missed throws to receivers who were running open.

If you’re worried about Richardson and his ability to be the future of the franchise, I’m telling you, you’re going to be fretting for a very long time. This doesn’t mean he will definitely be the real thing over time; it just means we can’t tell whether he’ll be the real thing this early in the process. I will issue this reminder in virtually every column to come: He played 13 games in college at the University of Florida. He played four games last season and just finished his third game this season. I remember when Richardson bristled ever-so-slightly when my friend at The Athletic, James Boyd, asked Richardson at the scouting combine if he sees himself as a project. Well, he is a project, and he will remain one for weeks and months and maybe years to come. He just hasn’t had enough time on task. This is completely understandable and fully expected.