Colts Football

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson throws during practice Saturday at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.

WESTFIELD – One-on-one drills are a different beast at Indianapolis Colts training camp.

There’s no progression for the quarterback to follow, no pass rush to keep one eye on and no reason to tuck the ball and run.

There’s just a pass catcher and a defender, and sometimes the only thing separating them is the trust the quarterback has in his intended receiver.

Such was the case Sunday at Grand Park Sports Campus when Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson lofted a pass down the sideline toward rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

The target had maybe a half step on cornerback Dallis Flowers, but Richardson threw the ball to a spot near the 5-yard line and trusted Mitchell to go get it.

The rookie delivered in spectacular fashion, leaping for a highlight-reel catch and losing his helmet as he went to the ground.

As a packed crowd roared its approval, Mitchell jumped to his feet, flexed and swaggered toward the grandstand in unfiltered celebration while owner Jim Irsay spoke to a gaggle of reporters just a few feet away.

It was the indelible image of a 90-minute practice that produced plenty of offensive fireworks with Irsay – and NFL Network cameras – on hand for the first time this summer.

“I think that’s a main emphasis of ours is that we definitely wanted to be explosive and exciting to watch,” wide receiver Alec Pierce said. “And we have those types of players, starting from the leader of our offense. Obviously, our quarterback is a very explosive, talented guy (who) can make a lot of big splash plays and create a lot.

“So I think that’s going to be something we see a lot more of this year is kind of just calling it a more exciting brand of football. So I think it’ll be good for hopefully us just scoring the ball and then also just people that are fans of football. It’ll be fun to watch.”

Pierce was part of one big play Sunday, sliding near the sideline to pull in a pass of roughly 20 yards from Richardson.

The 22-year-old quarterback connected on his first seven attempts in full team drills – giving him a streak of 11 consecutive completions over the past two days – and finished 10-of-15 in 11-on-11 work with one “sack” and one interception.

His finest moment came in the second full team period when he lobbed the ball to a spot more than 30 yards downfield, and second-year wide receiver Josh Downs ran under it for the day’s biggest gain.

It’s an example of one of the most important areas in which Richardson has grown this offseason – anticipation throws.

“It shows you that he’s getting more comfortable and accustomed to what’s going on, right?’ wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne said. “And, as a receiver, that’s what you want. You want him to throw that ball early so we can get our hands on it as soon as possible and make our move. But, man, he’s our leader, and we go as he go.”

The crisp offensive performance was a welcome development after a rough day Saturday.

Pierce said mental errors were the primary culprit during a 75-minute practice that saw no fewer than four flags thrown against the offense. False starts were a recurring problem, and there also were timing and snap issues.

Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said corrections would be made overnight as the team looked at film and discussed the underlying cause of its miscues.

Sunday’s response was highly encouraging.

“It was good to bounce back,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “I mean, pre-snap penalties and turnovers will get you beat, and those are things we’ve got to clean up. I know it’s early in camp, but we’ve got to clean those things up.

“I thought our guys offensively challenged it like, ‘Hey, we can’t have this going forward.’ And we cleaned it up today pretty good.”

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