INDIANAPOLIS — Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is halfway through his rehab from shoulder surgery. He’s falling in love with a team that’s launching the playoff run he always believed they had in them.

But he’s also discovering that the waiting is the hardest part.

"Whenever I'm on the sideline, I'm rocking back and forth because I'm ready to hop out there on the field," Richardson said during an event at Riley's Children's Hospital on Tuesday, where he and other Colts players were singing Christmas carols and visiting with patients.

The No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft, Richardson played just 173 snaps in parts of four games this season as he was delayed first by a brain injury and then by an AC joint sprain in Week 5 against the Titans.

The decision of what to do next, ultimately, was a strenuous one.

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"It was a little rough for me at first," Richardson said. "Everybody was giving me their opinions on it. We talked to some doctors that agreed that (surgery) was the best thing for me to do long-term for my career. Although I didn't want to get the surgery at the time because I wanted to play and be there for my team, this was probably the best thing for me, my future and for the team. It allows me to come back healthy and 100%.

"... I think I'm progressing way faster than everyone thought."

He’s now exactly eight weeks out of surgery, or halfway to the 16-week timeframe doctors told him he needs until he can throw a football again. He's hopeful he can beat that schedule, which adds a challenge to his daily rehab at the Colts facility.

Richardson won’t be coming back to play this season, as the Colts are expressing patience with a rookie who turned 21 years old a few weeks after the draft. They’re planning to roll with Gardner Minshew, who has managed enough to have the Colts at 8-6 and firmly in the AFC wildcard race.

But that doesn’t make this a lost season for Richardson entirely. He’s still so young in football years after starting just 13 games at Florida.

"I think it's a great learning environment for a young quarterback, a rookie quarterback," Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "... Anthony has done a nice job of asking his questions when the time is right and taking notes and being locked in.

"... You've got the ability to learn some things when you're not going into the line of fire. He's not learning something so he can go execute it in 45 minutes on a practice rep. He's able to dive a little deeper into a different nuance of the play or the idea or the defender to hopefully build a little more long-term understanding, which we hope will pay off in the future."

Richardson was heartbroken when the injury first happened, as he had been working on his slide and running out of bounds or hard through the end zone in order to avoid extra hits. The one that injured him was a routine quarterback sweep where a Titans defender landed on his shoulder. It came one game after his most explosive showing, when he ripped off two passing touchdowns and a rushing score to lead a 23-point comeback in what was eventually an overtime loss to the Rams.

"When I got injured, the first thing I wanted to do was to grow mentally," Richardson said. "This year just flew by for me. Everything went just so fast. I never really had the time to sit down and study the game for real. Just having this opportunity to watch Gardner and how he goes through the week and processes defenses, I'm trying to get to that level. I'm trying to get as much information as I can.

"Sometimes it sucks that I have to sit back and watch, but sometimes the best thing you can do is sit back and watch."

Tuesday’s visit with the patients at Riley’s was a way to stay plugged into the community he wants to make a long-term home for him and his family, which includes his mother, step-dad and brother, Corey, who is a freshman quarterback at Westfield High School. Richardson joined teammates in singing Christmas carols and also took on kids in games of NBA Live, where he said he got destroyed.

"I don’t think it’s going to hit me ever to this magnitude that people see me as a role model," Richardson said. "... My little shoulder is nothing compared to what they’re going through."

It’s a way to pass the time with a smile until he can get back to his most talented act with that football in his right arm.

"Hopefully I can throw next month," Richardson said. "But if not, whenever that time does come, I know I'm going to rip it."

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts' Anthony Richardson is 8 weeks from throwing a football again