Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen was asked on Friday about backup quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has been charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Asked whether Richardson would face further punishment from the team, Steichen said: “We put out a statement. I’m going to refer to that statement, and I’ll keep all the stuff internal, in house.”
Asked whether Richardson remains the backup to Daniel Jones, he said: “Right now, he is. Yes.”
The charge was filed on Monday and stems from a traffic stop in Carmel, Indiana, on October 12, the day after the Colts’ loss in Pittsburgh. Richardson was cited and given a summons; he was not arrested. The Colts’ statement said: “We are aware of the situation involving Anthony Richardson and are currently gathering additional information. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Asked whether he had spoken with Richardson about it, Steichen said: “I had conversations with all guys that have incidents, and I keep those in-house. I don’t put them in the public.” Asked whether he knew before Friday, he said: “I’ll refer to our statement.”
Warren, Gardner and Gould are out
Steichen opened by ruling out wide receiver Anthony Gould (concussion), cornerback Sauce Gardner (calf) and tight end Tyler Warren (groin) for Sunday’s game at Minnesota. Warren was a game-time decision before missing last week’s loss to Tennessee. “Got him some work this week and just, you know, didn’t work out,” Steichen said. Rookie linebacker CJ Allen “got an ankle. So, we’ll see,” he said, and punter Rigoberto Sanchez, who did not practice all week, still has a chance to play.
The 2-4 Colts are last in the NFL in turnover differential at minus-8. “I think it’s the biggest correlation stat to winning. It’s one of them without a doubt,” Steichen said. “You got to win the turnover battle. It’s a huge point of emphasis, but we got to go do it.” Asked whether he tells players when their names come up in trade talks, he said: “I haven’t had those conversations. Right now those are all hypothetical conversations, and so we’re focused on the Minnesota Vikings right now.”
To get ready for the noise at U.S. Bank Stadium, he said the Colts had “the music, the sound, the crowd noise cranked out as loud as possible when the offense is out there.”
O’Connell: “Things are looking positive” for Mason
Across the matchup, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said running back Jordan Mason, who was designated to return from injured reserve with a thumb injury, practiced fully all week. “Really good week of work. We’ll work through what that looks like, but he is technically questionable right now,” O’Connell said. “No other player will go in with a designation for the game. So we’ve been able to get a little more healthy. We’ll talk to Jordan and see, but things are looking positive for him being available.”
Aaron Jones has carried the backfield while Mason was out. “With the workload Aaron’s had and the type of warrior he’s been, it’ll be good to have JP back,” O’Connell said, adding that he is excited to see the two paired “because we feel so confident in both of them.”
He also spoke about life without tight end Josh Oliver, who tore his biceps in September. “Josh Oliver is a guy that has been so huge for us,” he said. “I knew when we lost him it was going to be a really significant thing.”
O’Connell praised assistant coach Ryan Nielsen — “he is a technician” — for the Vikings’ run defense ahead of a matchup with Jonathan Taylor. Talking about how defenses now focus on stopping big plays and forcing turnovers, he said “you can film a documentary on the punch-outs going on in the league right now.”
The unbeaten Vikings, coming off their bye, host the Colts on Sunday, October 25, at noon CT (20:00 Cairo).
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