Why I believe the T-Rich trade is a POSITIVE for the team.

[Legend of Luck]

When I first heard the news about the trade, I wasnt sure what to think. As a matter of fact, I thought it was fake. When I realized how real it was, it took me a while to sit and gather my thoughts.

 

My instant reactions were all over the place...

 

"Why did we trade for ANOTHER running back?"

 

"Is Trent Richardson worth the pick?"

 

"Man, I wish we could have kept that pick and improved the O-line in the draft."

 

I was very skeptical to begin with. So I decided to be very analytical and really examine both T-Rich's performance while in Cleveland, and how it will affect our team.

 

My analysis of T-Rich in Cleveland

 

Richardson ran for 950 yards and had 12 touchdowns while with the Browns in his first season. Some people have seen this as a negative, I believe that these stats are very impressive, and here's why. First of all, Defenses schemed SPECIFICALLY to stop Richardson. They knew that if they took the run game away, they would force Brandon Weeden to beat them, which, as we all know, is obviously the correct game plan (thats how WE beat them last year). So Defenses would regularly load the box with 8 men, AND bring the safeties down to within the 10-15 yard line, making it difficult for ANY running back to perform well.

 

Now, yes, running backs like Adrian Peterson and Lesean McCoy still succeed, even against that type of coverage, but so did T-Rich, he just had a much worse offensive line, and defenses do have to respect deep threats in Minnesota like Percy Harvin or QB's like Vick in Philly. The Browns have fast receivers, yes, but not good ones, and Weeden demands virtually no respect from a defensive gameplan.

 

Secondly, Richardson had an AWFUL offensive line (outside of Joe Thomas). He was very often hit behind the line of scrimmage. before he was even given the chance to break free.

 

Now, is he Adrian Peterson or Lesean McCoy? Probably not, BUT we still dont know. BUT he IS a VERY good VERY young 3-down, workhorse running back.

 

How he will affect our team

 

1. Pass Protection- After watching Brown wiff a block on the final play of the Dolphins game, its clear that Richardsons number one priority will be to protect Andrew. That is a strength of Trents game, and with the combo of Trent and Bradshaw, we have a lot of protection from the running back spot.

 

2. A more productive run game- Say what you want, but Richardson is a better running back than Bradshaw. Especially for short distance running and goal line plays. And now, with a true threat of a passing game, there will be much more room for Richardson to run, making HIM even more productive than before. We will stay on the field longer and score more points overall.

 

3. Enhancements to the passing game- With a true threat at running back in the backfield, defenses can no longer rush 3 and drop 8 back into coverage very often. This will open up more passing lanes for Luck and give him more options down field. The obvious improvement also comes to play action plays.

 

4. Longer drives protects our Defense- The more our offense stays on the field, the less our D has to play.

 

Understanding why Trent is worth a first round pick

 

I know that the traditional line of thinking is that a running back should not be taken in the first round. However, this scenario is not that simple or that black and white. 

 

1. Our first round pick will likely be later in the first round, devaluing that pick for every win we acquire.

 

2. First round picks are total busts EVERY year, there is no guarantee that if we kept our first round pick, that he would be the calibur of player that we need.

 

3. I believe that it is much better to have a potential franchise running back; a proven commodity and success in the NFL, versus taking a risk on a rookie who may or may not pan out, ESPECIALLY when that running back is only 22 years old. 

 

 

So, I know theres many of you who agree and many who disagree, but I just wanted to post my opinion so that maybe some people on the opposite side of the fence would possibly rethink their stance and maybe start thinking more positive about this move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dustin]

The Browns o-line is far from awful.

[Stephen]

The Browns o-line is far from awful.

its very awful.

[Stephen]

Weeden was one of the most hit qbs in the league and Richardson was met by guys in the back field a lot. On another note when I first heard about the trade I thought it was fake to. My thoughts were isn't this guy hurt.Then I wondered if he was better than bradshaw. So I did some film study and came away impressed. he makes nice cuts and breaks tackles and is elusive. Even Ap had injury concerns coming into the league. Now I'll wait to see how he looks as a colt because I'm not sure what to expect. I figure if an injured bradshaw and the non vision brown can average 4.1 and 4.3 yards behind our line that Richardson should be somewhere around 4.5.

[cm43sports]

Speaking of the Brown's receivers, I definitely wouldn't mind having Josh Gordon. I think that Luck will greatly open the field for Richardson. I also hope to see a good balance between TRich, Bradshaw and occasionally Brown.

[oldunclemark]

When I first heard the news about the trade, I wasnt sure what to think. As a matter of fact, I thought it was fake. When I realized how real it was, it took me a while to sit and gather my thoughts.

 

My instant reactions were all over the place...

 

"Why did we trade for ANOTHER running back?"

 

"Is Trent Richardson worth the pick?"

 

"Man, I wish we could have kept that pick and improved the O-line in the draft."

 

I was very skeptical to begin with. So I decided to be very analytical and really examine both T-Rich's performance while in Cleveland, and how it will affect our team.

 

My analysis of T-Rich in Cleveland

 

Richardson ran for 950 yards and had 12 touchdowns while with the Browns in his first season. Some people have seen this as a negative, I believe that these stats are very impressive, and here's why. First of all, Defenses schemed SPECIFICALLY to stop Richardson. They knew that if they took the run game away, they would force Brandon Weeden to beat them, which, as we all know, is obviously the correct game plan (thats how WE beat them last year). So Defenses would regularly load the box with 8 men, AND bring the safeties down to within the 10-15 yard line, making it difficult for ANY running back to perform well.

 

Now, yes, running backs like Adrian Peterson and Lesean McCoy still succeed, even against that type of coverage, but so did T-Rich, he just had a much worse offensive line, and defenses do have to respect deep threats in Minnesota like Percy Harvin or QB's like Vick in Philly. The Browns have fast receivers, yes, but not good ones, and Weeden demands virtually no respect from a defensive gameplan.

 

Secondly, Richardson had an AWFUL offensive line (outside of Joe Thomas). He was very often hit behind the line of scrimmage. before he was even given the chance to break free.

 

Now, is he Adrian Peterson or Lesean McCoy? Probably not, BUT we still dont know. BUT he IS a VERY good VERY young 3-down, workhorse running back.

 

How he will affect our team

 

1. Pass Protection- After watching Brown wiff a block on the final play of the Dolphins game, its clear that Richardsons number one priority will be to protect Andrew. That is a strength of Trents game, and with the combo of Trent and Bradshaw, we have a lot of protection from the running back spot.

 

2. A more productive run game- Say what you want, but Richardson is a better running back than Bradshaw. Especially for short distance running and goal line plays. And now, with a true threat of a passing game, there will be much more room for Richardson to run, making HIM even more productive than before. We will stay on the field longer and score more points overall.

 

3. Enhancements to the passing game- With a true threat at running back in the backfield, defenses can no longer rush 3 and drop 8 back into coverage very often. This will open up more passing lanes for Luck and give him more options down field. The obvious improvement also comes to play action plays.

 

4. Longer drives protects our Defense- The more our offense stays on the field, the less our D has to play.

 

Understanding why Trent is worth a first round pick

 

I know that the traditional line of thinking is that a running back should not be taken in the first round. However, this scenario is not that simple or that black and white. 

 

1. Our first round pick will likely be later in the first round, devaluing that pick for every win we acquire.

 

2. First round picks are total busts EVERY year, there is no guarantee that if we kept our first round pick, that he would be the calibur of player that we need.

 

3. I believe that it is much better to have a potential franchise running back; a proven commodity and success in the NFL, versus taking a risk on a rookie who may or may not pan out, ESPECIALLY when that running back is only 22 years old. 

 

 

So, I know theres many of you who agree and many who disagree, but I just wanted to post my opinion so that maybe some people on the opposite side of the fence would possibly rethink their stance and maybe start thinking more positive about this move.

Your opinion is well thought out....

..I just don't think that any theory that Trent Richardson is better than Ahmad Bradshaw..who we just got a month ago..

..is total conjecture...He has not proven it, We are assigning characteristics to him he has not displayed.

The 'Donald Brown is a bad blocker' cult has stricken you even though 2 different coaching staffs had Brown on the field at the end of games and he has picked up the blitz successfully many. many times..

The theory that TRich is better at picking up the blitz is strange since he simply isn't on the field in Cleveland on 3rd down a lot..How do we know? .

Also..why is TRich a potential 'franchise back' after a 900-yard year...where he had multiple injuries..

..but Ahmad Bradshaw is not as good after 2 1,000-yard seasons BECAUSE he is injury prone,.???

See the inconsistency there...Why is Richardson better than Bradshaw...and if he isn't...why did we do this?

Getting back to Brown..who several blamed for last week's loss because he couldn't block Phil Wheeler on 4th down...

Brown was been criticized because he was not worth a No.1 pick.

Accepting that...how did 900 yards justify the 3rd pick in the draft? What he did at Alabama is nice if you're an Alabama fan but its no longer relevant....in the pros. If he's not Adrian Peterson and he's not better than Bradshaw...why did we do this?

..and there's the legitimate question of whether you can get running back quality in the 2nd a third rounds while you cant get premier linemen and top corners there.....and we'll regret sending Cleveland what figures to be a mid-round 1st rounder

After all this time, and all my posts, I would hope people know Im a Colts fan and I hope all our backs do well.

I hope TRich gains 1,000 yards and proves well worth that No.1 pick we could have used on an O-lineman...

I want the Colts in the playoffs every year.

But to be honest...there are doubts about how much better he is that what we have.

I don't see how there cant be.

[oldunclemark]

The Browns o-line is far from awful.

This is another thing...Cleveland's offensive line is better than ours'

it was 2 weeks ago

[Stephen]

This is another thing...Cleveland's offensive line is better than ours'

it was 2 weeks ago

not in run blocking it isn't

[ponyboy]

To the OP.. you've obviously put a lot of thought into this.  You mention that you've analyzed Trent's performance in Cleveland and I'm curious how you came to your conclusions.  Don't take this the wrong way, I'm genuinely interested how you researched this.

 

One thing I'm curious about is Trent's pass protection.  I've read several claims that this is one of his strengths, including yours.  Looking at PFF "Pass Blocking Efficiency" stats for 2012, Trent is listed as #61/63 for pass protection (behind all Colt RBs -- Donald Brown is #53).  So far in 2013, Trent is #48/53 (Donald Brown is #39).  I went to Game Rewind and watched both Cleveland condensed games from this year -- discovered they have a pretty good TE in Jordan Cameron but otherwise looked really flat offensively.   Trent wasn't in the game on most 3rd down passing situations.

 

What have you seen that makes you feel pass protection is one of his strengths?

[Stephen]

To the OP.. you've obviously put a lot of thought into this.  You mention that you've analyzed Trent's performance in Cleveland and I'm curious how you came to your conclusions.  Don't take this the wrong way, I'm genuinely interested how you researched this.

 

One thing I'm curious about is Trent's pass protection.  I've read several claims that this is one of his strengths, including yours.  Looking at PFF "Pass Blocking Efficiency" stats for 2012, Trent is listed as #61/63 for pass protection (behind all Colt RBs -- Donald Brown is #53).  So far in 2013, Trent is #48/53 (Donald Brown is #39).  I went to Game Rewind and watched both Cleveland condensed games from this year -- discovered they have a pretty good TE in Jordan Cameron but otherwise looked really flat offensively.   Trent wasn't in the game on most 3rd down passing situations.

 

What have you seen that makes you feel pass protection is one of his strengths?

funny you should say that. I read the pep article earlier today and he was very excited about Trent. He said he stayed up all night watching footage of trent in cleaveland and Alabama and said he was a complete back who can pass protect has great vision  is hard to bring down and can catch out of the back field.

[Stephen]

To the OP.. you've obviously put a lot of thought into this.  You mention that you've analyzed Trent's performance in Cleveland and I'm curious how you came to your conclusions.  Don't take this the wrong way, I'm genuinely interested how you researched this.

 

One thing I'm curious about is Trent's pass protection.  I've read several claims that this is one of his strengths, including yours.  Looking at PFF "Pass Blocking Efficiency" stats for 2012, Trent is listed as #61/63 for pass protection (behind all Colt RBs -- Donald Brown is #53).  So far in 2013, Trent is #48/53 (Donald Brown is #39).  I went to Game Rewind and watched both Cleveland condensed games from this year -- discovered they have a pretty good TE in Jordan Cameron but otherwise looked really flat offensively.   Trent wasn't in the game on most 3rd down passing situations.

 

What have you seen that makes you feel pass protection is one of his strengths?

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/23770066/pep-hamilton-on-trent-richardson-awesome-deal-for-colts

[Carlos Danger]

Its early to tell, but I think that this trade will have been worth it. I think that Richardson is a very similar back to Bradshaw. He looks faster, stronger, and more elusive on tape, but isn't as elite a blocker. They are both downhill types with enough speed to break long runs and good enough hands to catch passes out of the backfield.

 

Those who are upset because we could have used the draft pick on an O-Lineman should realize that it is usually just as ill-informed to take an OG in the 1st as it is to take a RB...

[HarassedOffTheSite]

I was very skeptical to begin with.

Ehhh skepticism is wasted on skeptics.

I'm glad you came around but honestly, you should've come to these conclusions after 5 quiet minutes of reasoned consideration.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

The Browns o-line is far from awful.

No it isn't. The entire right side is awful.

[LockeDown]

Nobody watches Browns games except Browns fans because they usually aren't televised nationally. Most fans only know Joe Thomas on their line because he has always been regarded as the top 3 at his position if not number 1 and so fans ASSUME the Browns have a good oline.

I don't have a link, but there is a good article on colts.com about Irsay and Grigson wanting to be a dynasty. Grigson appointed a staff member to research dynasties in all sports history to see what made them so great. One thing they shared was thinking outside the box. Most teams wouldn't have thought about grabbing Richardson because he is their best player arguably, but Grigson did his homework, saw that he fit our system the best and got aggressive and went after him. They watched his tape and know exactly why he averaged 3.5 yes per carry and fully believe he will be an important piece in the long haul. This differs from Donal Brown who was a first rounder and will have to search for teams needing a backup and spot duty. Now, that's a waste. T Rich won't be.

[Indianapolis-Colts-Fan]

I think that grigson is more interested in proven olinman rather than going to the draft. At least, that is the feelin I have gotten. And I think we will continue to build the oline through FA this coming period.

[Dustin]

No it isn't. The entire right side is awful.

the right guards is awful. The tackle is solid.

[Dustin]

its very awful.

No it isn't.

[Legend of Luck]

Your opinion is well thought out....

..I just don't think that any theory that Trent Richardson is better than Ahmad Bradshaw..who we just got a month ago..

..is total conjecture...He has not proven it, We are assigning characteristics to him he has not displayed.

The 'Donald Brown is a bad blocker' cult has stricken you even though 2 different coaching staffs had Brown on the field at the end of games and he has picked up the blitz successfully many. many times..

The theory that TRich is better at picking up the blitz is strange since he simply isn't on the field in Cleveland on 3rd down a lot..How do we know? .

Also..why is TRich a potential 'franchise back' after a 900-yard year...where he had multiple injuries..

..but Ahmad Bradshaw is not as good after 2 1,000-yard seasons BECAUSE he is injury prone,.???

See the inconsistency there...Why is Richardson better than Bradshaw...and if he isn't...why did we do this?

Getting back to Brown..who several blamed for last week's loss because he couldn't block Phil Wheeler on 4th down...

Brown was been criticized because he was not worth a No.1 pick.

Accepting that...how did 900 yards justify the 3rd pick in the draft? What he did at Alabama is nice if you're an Alabama fan but its no longer relevant....in the pros. If he's not Adrian Peterson and he's not better than Bradshaw...why did we do this?

..and there's the legitimate question of whether you can get running back quality in the 2nd a third rounds while you cant get premier linemen and top corners there.....and we'll regret sending Cleveland what figures to be a mid-round 1st rounder

After all this time, and all my posts, I would hope people know Im a Colts fan and I hope all our backs do well.

I hope TRich gains 1,000 yards and proves well worth that No.1 pick we could have used on an O-lineman...

I want the Colts in the playoffs every year.

But to be honest...there are doubts about how much better he is that what we have.

I don't see how there cant be.

 

In my original post, I stated why I believe that Richardson is a workhorse back and is a potential franchise back. Despite all the limitations he faced in a decrepit Cleveland offense, a poor offensive line, defenses soley focused on stopping him, and dealing with broken ribs all season, he managed to run for almost 1000 yards in 15 games and have 11 rushing touchdowns. If you extrapolate that type of performance into the Colts offense, then he is very capable of 1300 rushing yards, IMO.

 

As far as Bradshaw goes, I like him a lot as well, I just think Trent has more upside, hes a better pass catcher, and is younger. I do like Bradshaw, but Id prefer Trent.

 

To the OP.. you've obviously put a lot of thought into this.  You mention that you've analyzed Trent's performance in Cleveland and I'm curious how you came to your conclusions.  Don't take this the wrong way, I'm genuinely interested how you researched this.

 

One thing I'm curious about is Trent's pass protection.  I've read several claims that this is one of his strengths, including yours.  Looking at PFF "Pass Blocking Efficiency" stats for 2012, Trent is listed as #61/63 for pass protection (behind all Colt RBs -- Donald Brown is #53).  So far in 2013, Trent is #48/53 (Donald Brown is #39).  I went to Game Rewind and watched both Cleveland condensed games from this year -- discovered they have a pretty good TE in Jordan Cameron but otherwise looked really flat offensively.   Trent wasn't in the game on most 3rd down passing situations.

 

What have you seen that makes you feel pass protection is one of his strengths?

 

I do have one advantage, and thats that I have a lot of friends who are browns fans (I live in Ohio), and there games are on more often here. I also play a lot of fantasy football, so I tend to pay a lot of attention to certain players, and Trent is one of them. I owned Trent last year, so I watched a majority of his snaps.

 

As far as his pass protection goes, I was always impressed watching it, but I heard a stat yesterday (I believe it was on ESPN) but they said that with Trent off the field, Weeden was rushed, hit, or hurried on 16% of his dropbacks. With Trent on, it was cut all the way to 6%. I thought that was an impressvie stat. 

 

the right guards is awful. The tackle is solid.

 

Joe Thomas, the LEFT tackle, is very good. The entire right side of that line is terrible.

[ruksak]

How Colts fans could be anything but entirely thrilled over this trade, I have no idea?

 

5 years from now, we'll look back at this as a defining moment in the Luck era. We have two 2nd year players that are among the very best in their respective positions, both offensive weapons. Last seasons #1 pick and #3 pick. Just wow.

 

When the season ended in Baltimore last year, I would've never, in my wildest imaginings, had thought that we would have Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Frickin' Richardson in our backfield in 2013. I hope we can keep both for at least 2-3 years. I simply cannot believe how many folks here feel bad about the 1st round pick we "wasted" on an elite sophomore franchise caliber RB. 

[Gavin]

How Colts fans could be anything but entirely thrilled over this trade, I have no idea?

 

5 years from now, we'll look back at this as a defining moment in the Luck era. We have two 2nd year players that are among the very best in their respective positions, both offensive weapons. Last seasons #1 pick and #3 pick. Just wow.

 

When the season ended in Baltimore last year, I would've never, in my wildest imaginings, had thought that we would have Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Frickin' Richardson in our backfield in 2013. I hope we can keep both for at least 2-3 years. I simply cannot believe how many folks here feel bad about the 1st round pick we "wasted" on an elite sophomore franchise caliber RB. 

He's far from elite at this point, good Back but far from elite

[NewEra]

How Colts fans could be anything but entirely thrilled over this trade, I have no idea?

5 years from now, we'll look back at this as a defining moment in the Luck era. We have two 2nd year players that are among the very best in their respective positions, both offensive weapons. Last seasons #1 pick and #3 pick. Just wow.

When the season ended in Baltimore last year, I would've never, in my wildest imaginings, had thought that we would have Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Frickin' Richardson in our backfield in 2013. I hope we can keep both for at least 2-3 years. I simply cannot believe how many folks here feel bad about the 1st round pick we "wasted" on an elite sophomore franchise caliber RB.

It's awesome!!

Luck

Richardson

Fleener

Allen

Hilton

Ballard

Brazil

Chapman

Not to mention this years draft! Now, if we can figure out how to keep these guys together we are going to be a load for years to come! Dynasty!!

[AntonMcG]

I don't understand why so many people on this forum choose to be so pretentious that they must create their own thread to analyze this trade when so many already exist.

[HGRekks]

The Browns line was fine, it's the fact that Richardson has been the only player teams needed to worry about that made his job harder. This is similar to the myth that Barry Sanders never had a line when he had guys like Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover most his career, leaving him with what I'd consider at least an average line. The problem was that he had an inconsistent QB, allowing teams to stack the box. 8 or 9 D players vs. 5 linemen and maybe a TE or 2 means the line can be as good as they want and still not block everyone.

 

Richardson is clearly not Sanders. He's not AD. But go watch some Browns games. Teams would focus on him and stack the box. That's why Nathan Jahnke has charted Richardson as facing a loaded front with 8 or more guys in the box 52.8 percent of the time, yet still has forced 14 missed tackles so far, which is the most in the league. There are some more interesting stats in there, as well, such as Richardson averaging 4.8 YPC when the Browns ran 3 wide, which they've only done on 42 of his carries. So you can't just say that Cleveland's line and say it's better than Indy's, because teams can't stack the box against Andrew Luck the way they did against Brandon Weeden. The dynamics are totally different.

 

He's also given up the most pressures in the league so far, though. Bradshaw might indeed be the 3rd down back.

[ruksak]

He's far from elite at this point, good Back but far from elite

Lemme put it another way; Trent has an elite skill-set and elite potential. 

 

If we were to propose what other RB would you like to see our 2014 1st round pick for, who would be better than TR? Peterson? He's getting a bit old for a RB, so how long would that trade pay off? 

 

Foster? No thanks. Jamal Charles? Yeah that woulda sat well with me. I guess my point is, if we make this trade for any RB in the league, we picked the right one.