Hayes: Gators' plan is simple -- and scary: In Anthony Richardson they trust
With the schedule they face; Napier doesn't have a lot of choices if he wants to win games - so get ready for Anthony Richardson in the Florida run game.
The Gators aren’t beating Utah in the opener without Richardson’s ability to stress the defense with his legs. They’re not beating Kentucky in the SEC opener in Week 2 without Richardson’s dual-threat ability — or for that matter, most every other SEC game.
So the idea of exposing Richardson to potentially more hits in the run game comes down to a simple win-loss decision.
You’re not winning games without Richardson running the ball, and if he gets hurt running the ball, you’re not winning games, anyway.
“The guy is a phenomenal athlete,” Florida coach Bill Napier says of Richardson, his sophomore dual-threat quarterback. “We’re going to play to his strengths.”
This, of course, could lead to one big weakness: There’s no one behind Richardson in the Gators’ quarterback room.
It’s simple math: The more Richardson runs, the more punishment his body absorbs from multiple angles and from all three levels of the defense — and often, at the same time.
The more punishment he takes, the closer Florida is to playing important games — the month of September is loaded — with quarterbacks who have never taken a college snap and were 3-star projects in high school or lower. Jack Miller is a 4-star, but he’s also injured and isn’t expected to be ready until late September.
Now, some good news: After getting a high school knee injury cleaned out this offseason, and a full offseason of rest on a nagging hamstring injury, Richardson says he’s in the best shape of his career. “Never felt healthier,” Richardson told me in July.
He has also never been more prepared. Napier is Florida’s quarterbacks coach and play-caller, and offensive analyst Ryan O’Hara works exclusively with the quarterbacks. Richardson also spent any time away from Gainesville with his personal quarterbacks coach Denny Thompson of 6 Points QB Training.
“I’ve been with Anthony since high school,” Thompson said, “and I feel like he’s never been in a better position to succeed.”
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