In the early part of last season, Colts GM Ryan Grigson pulled off one of the best moves of the 2014 draft, but no one else seemed to notice. He traded for Trent Richardson, laying the foundation for a playoff run later that year. The best trades are the ones that are vilified. As a young fan, I remember the Cowboys criticized for trading Herschel Walker to the Vikings in 1990.
There are people reading this thinking, "Wait a minute. The Cowboys got a lot of picks in that deal. Those picks got them Alvin Harper, Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson, and formed a foundation for three Super Bowl titles."
Cowboys fans at the moment couldn't see that. All they knew was Walker was basically their entire offense, akin to Adrian Peterson.
And that's why I'm still strongly defending the Richardson deal. He's only turning 23, he's not a 29-year-old shopworn Eric Dickerson whom the Colts acquired in 1987. He's a guy who's had to endure coaching chaos in Cleveland. I well remember when the news broke on the Indianapolis CBS station and Richardson appeared in tears, shocked that he was traded by the team that had drafted him, the man who was then known as the next great running back. So, let's see what he does in his first full season as a Colt before judging him so harshly. He's powerful enough to gain yards in the trenches, like Emmit Smith..but he's also elusive enough to do very well in the open field, like Marshall Faulk did and it was out in the open field that Richardson excelled late last season.
Richardson has been quite vocal in saying the Colts has a first-round pick, himself. Whether you agree or disagree with that statement, I submit that the trade has already made the draft a successful one for the Colts, allowing them to focus on the offensive and defensive lines and perhaps snagging a wide receiver or tight end that could be undervalued by other teams. The draft is so fluid in its nature that I hesitate to volunteer any names, but except the Colts to make a deal if it nets them some additional picks to rebuild the offensive line.
It would look like a decent trade by the Colts had they not seen the emergence of Donald Brown in the backfield. I think Trent Richardson can be a great Running Back, but his stats weren’t even decent last year (2.9 Yards per Carry) compared to Donald Brown (5.3 Yards per Carry). So far, it is looking like the Browns won in this trade, but only time will tell.
Christopher, that is a valid point..however, watch Brown struggle as he adapts to the Chargers. They turned to Brown because Richardson couldn’t learn the playbook quickly enough in midseason. Brown emerged because the Colts suddenly had to trust in him. Thanks so much for reading. I will address this in a column today, I think.
The Cleveland Browns won the trade by a mile. Richardson cannot block and never could. His yards after contact are abysmal.
Career highlight-400 carries with only 11 ending in a gain of more than 10 yards. Thats not just bad its worst in the NFL.
The colts have Luck and need a back that can block, catch and suceed on short yardage situations. He cannot do any of these things. In fact, id love for the author to tell us what Richardson does well at all…Nothing. He has zero strengths. The entire group in cleveland (GM to coaching staff) responsible for the disastrous Richardson and Weeden trade year have been fired an run out of town for good reason.
Vick Ballard will (and should) start for the Colts this year. Richardson has no ability to run without exceptional blocking like he had at Alabama where half their damn offensive line went in the 2012 draft. His [Richardsons] game does not translate well in the pros at all. Richardson will never be a starting back in this league. Richardson wont be on the Colts roster for long. The front office can pretend he is an asset and pump him to the public as long as they like but this is the same organization that cut Peyton Manning without a second thought. I expect Richardson will be gone before the trade deadline.
I really appreciate your comments, Billy…but I just don’t trust Ballard coming off the ACL. The Colts had to think about the future as well as the present. Richardson’s past at Alabama gives him a brighter future than Ballard. Trent should start. Without a doubt, the Colts are still the clear winners of this deal for now. We have no idea what the Browns will do tonight at 26…and they still have their own pick at 4. We really can’t say the Browns win the trade until after next season at the earliest.
Bily, I’d love to hear why you’d sign Manning? If you did, whom would you draft with the 1 pick?
Mr. Rowe, Richardson has POTENTIAL to do all those things quite well. Keep in mind, he’s 23, not 29..or 31..