1st Round Pick vs. T-Rich

[Iancolts]

Well a lot of people are saying Trent is not worth a first rounder so I asked if anyone we take this upcoming draft will have godly stats coming out of college because that what people expected from Trich

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There will be good players available. Why do they have to make an immediate impact?

The same reason Richardson has to be Earl Campbell Jr. or bust, right out of the gate. Patience is a virtue that is becoming quite scarce in modern times. Who believes that good things come to those who wait, other than me and DB?

[coltsfanatic24]

Would rather have Richardson still think he's gonna be good. The draft pick will be low anyways and with the play of Rogers wr is less of a priority, assuming that's what most would have wanted in the 1st if Matthews was there. Rogers has a ton more potential then Matthews who's a good player and route runner, but Rogers is faster, bigger,more physical and is just a better talent( would have been a 1st round pick if not for off field issues). Basically Rogers is our 1st round pick and i would rather have him over any other wr in the draft. The biggest need on the team is ILB and we can still draft a player like Smallwood in the 2nd round.

[Dustin]

I wouldn't give up a 1st round pick for Adrian Peterson. I'd keep the pick.

[Balzer40]

I wouldn't give up a 1st round pick for Adrian Peterson. I'd keep the pick.

Right there with ya. People don't get the point. If Richardson turns out to be good...then great...but Im keeping the 1st rd. Pick every single time. RB's are an absolute dime a dozen and I would have traded a late rd. pick for a backup RB when the other RB's went down or I would have just signed somebody off the street. RB's are the least valued position in football and are never worth 1st rd. picks despite how good they are supposed to be.

[BOTT]

The same reason Richardson has to be Earl Campbell Jr. or bust, right out of the gate. Patience is a virtue that is becoming quite scarce in modern times. Who believes that good things come to those who wait, other than me and DB?

I don't have patience waiting on running backs who generally have a short shelf life and teams aren't eager to give second contracts to.

[Warhorse]

Naw they'll just get that "Golly! He never showed anything before. Happy he proved me wrong!" Attitude going and slip in on the bandwagon.

Baziiiiiiinga!!!

 

 

 

Oh ya.....Trent.

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I don't have patience waiting on running backs who generally have a short shelf life and teams aren't eager to give second contracts to.

How long has Trent been a Colt, he is signed for 2 more years right?

 

[wig]

I think we value the term "1st round pick" too much and associate it with the likes of Andrew Luck value as opposed to Kyle Long value. Immediate game-changing impact vs long term team improvement.

 

People on this board want someone that is a complete game changer and want them to produce huge numbers right away. They don't consider the long term or what that player might do for the overall team. Trent had 950 yards last season and missed time. That's still better than anyone on our roster not named Bradshaw performed last season. So based on the small sample size, I like Trent better than the potential of a late round guy in a relatively weak draft class. Another thing to note is that we will probably be more stingy with our draft picks when we have less cap room. But for now, I think the mentality is that we can sign quality FA's for short contracts if we have holes to fill due to our $30 mill (roughly?) 

 

I will be interested to see what Trent looks like after a full off-season with the Colts and hopefully an improved offensive line.

I'd take T-Rich over a draft pick, but I would trade Long for Trent all day.

[BOTT]

How long has Trent been a Colt, he is signed for 2 more years right?

 

Richardson has been in the league almost 2years now and has been mediocre the entire time. Not exactly what you want from a 1st round running back. I can wait for linemen, corners, receivers, quarterbacks.....not real patient with running backs.

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Richardson has been in the league almost 2years now and has been mediocre the entire time. Not exactly what you want from a 1st round running back. I can wait for linemen, corners, receivers, quarterbacks.....not real patient with running backs.

He had a good year for the Browns,(ypc I know) he has struggled this season no doubt. Being traded during the season did not help his development. Trent should be rounding into form by the time the playoffs roll around, and he's got fresh legs. I am not big on predictions but he may go all Zach Crockett or Rosey Potts circa 1995. Stranger things have happened.

[OLD FAN MAN]

Richardson has been in the league almost 2years now and has been mediocre the entire time. Not exactly what you want from a 1st round running back. I can wait for linemen, corners, receivers, quarterbacks.....not real patient with running backs.

most draft picks come with a wait till they learn period, trent served his learning period before he got to us, perfect, he is ready to contribute now,we don't have to wait 3 or more years like we did with db, excellent trade grigs, he got another player that did not come with a rookie wait till they learn period

[BOTT]

most draft picks come with a wait till they learn period, trent served his learning period before he got to us, perfect, he is ready to contribute now,we don't have to wait 3 or more years like we did with db, excellent trade grigs, he got another player that did not come with a rookie wait till they learn period

Running backs shouldn't have a wait period imo

[OLD FAN MAN]

Running backs shouldn't have a wait period imo

they shouldn't, but a lot of them do, maybe the o-line influences this, some qbs, receivers, and rbs can take right off as they should. linemen  and lbs sometimes have a 3 or 4 year learning period before they  contribute, which is one reason I don't like them to use a first or second round on these positions unless they are supermen

[fatboy]

Since next year's #1 pick cannot run nor catch out of the backfield, I have to go with Trich who is actually helping a playoff bound team right now.

[BOTT]

66 liars and counting lol

[esmort]

Well a lot of people are saying Trent is not worth a first rounder so I asked if anyone we take this upcoming draft will have godly stats coming out of college because that what people expected from Trich

 

Terrible and useless comparison ... Richardson is not a rookie and we traded for him with expectations of immediate production.

 

The same reason Richardson has to be Earl Campbell Jr. or bust, right out of the gate. Patience is a virtue that is becoming quite scarce in modern times. Who believes that good things come to those who wait, other than me and DB?

 

Again Richardson is not a rookie ... yes lets all be patient and wait give him another year so his rookie contract is almost up and than if we want to keep him we will get to pay him all the money we supposedly saved because Cleveland had already paid his bonus.

 

I do not know why people insist on acting like Richardson is a rookie and deserves the same patience afforded to rookies.  People need to quit trying to compare him to players like Werner.  Werner is a rookie learning a new position with a far steeper learning curve than RB.  Richardson was brought in to give us immediate production and plays one of the easiest positions in the NFL for rookies to transition to; good running backs aren't that hard to come by and if you spend a 1st round pick on one for some ignorant reason they had better come in and be a stud in their first season.

 

I don't know who all is voting that they would rather have Richardson than the 1st round pick ... even Grigson wouldn't make that trade again. After seeing what he got Grigson would love to have that first round pick back. 

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Terrible and useless comparison ... Richardson is not a rookie and we traded for him with expectations of immediate production.

 

 

Again Richardson is not a rookie ... yes lets all be patient and wait give him another year so his rookie contract is almost up and than if we want to keep him we will get to pay him all the money we supposedly saved because Cleveland had already paid his bonus.

 

I do not know why people insist on acting like Richardson is a rookie and deserves the same patience afforded to rookies.  People need to quit trying to compare him to players like Werner.  Werner is a rookie learning a new position with a far steeper learning curve than RB.  Richardson was brought in to give us immediate production and plays one of the easiest positions in the NFL for rookies to transition to; good running backs aren't that hard to come by and if you spend a 1st round pick on one for some ignorant reason they had better come in and be a stud in their first season.

 

I don't know who all is voting that they would rather have Richardson than the 1st round pick ... even Grigson wouldn't make that trade again. After seeing what he got Grigson would love to have that first round pick back. 

Our rookies attended camp and were better prepared than a guy traded mid-season. Richardson had a solid rookie year in Cleveland. How the hell do you know what Grigson wants to do or what the team expected? Furthermore I never said TR was a rookie, Rookie!

[Colts_Fan12]

Our rookies attended camp and were better prepared than a guy traded mid-season. Richardson had a solid rookie year in Cleveland. How the hell do you know what Grigson wants to do or what the team expected? Furthermore I never said TR was a rookie, Rookie!

No use in trying lol most of the forum here dislikes him no matter wat

[esmort]

Our rookies attended camp and were better prepared than a guy traded mid-season. Richardson had a solid rookie year in Cleveland. How the hell do you know what Grigson wants to do or what the team expected? Furthermore I never said TR was a rookie, Rookie!

 

Hes has had more than enough time to get up to speed, it not like we are asking him to play QB. Teams take RBs off the street and have them playing at a relatively high level frequently.

 

I don't have solid proof of what was expected.  But, if you don't think the circumstances and timing of the trade indicated that Grigson and the Colts were expecting immediate production from Richardson than you need to go back and look at the situation and time line again.  The trade would look even worse than it already does if Grigson made that trade when he did without an expectation of an immediate contribution from Richardson.  Don't kid yourself Grigson would reverse that trade in a second if he had the opportunity.

 

The Rookie comment was directed to more posters than just you, but you compared him to Werner on more than one occasion; even in the first sentence of your response you refer to what rookies did again ... you don't have to come out and call him rookie for it to be obvious you are viewing him in much the same light. Which gives him a pass he doesn't deserve.

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Hes has had more than enough time to get up to speed, it not like we are asking him to play QB. Teams take RBs off the street and have them playing at a relatively high level frequently.

 

I don't have solid proof of what was expected.  But, if you don't think the circumstances and timing of the trade indicated that Grigson and the Colts were expecting immediate production from Richardson than you need to go back and look at the situation and time line again.  The trade would look even worse than it already does if Grigson made that trade when he did without an expectation of an immediate contribution from Richardson.  Don't kid yourself Grigson would reverse that trade in a second if he had the opportunity.

 

The Rookie comment was directed to more posters than just you, but you compared him to Werner on more than one occasion; even in the first sentence of your response you refer to what rookies did again ... you don't have to come out and call him rookie for it to be obvious you are viewing him in much the same light. Which gives him a pass he doesn't deserve.

I only compared him to Werner because he was drafted about the same slot that the Browns will use our pick in 2014. Lets see what Trent can do in the playoffs, might change your mind, then again maybe not.

[esmort]

I only compared him to Werner because he was drafted about the same slot that the Browns will use our pick in 2014. Lets see what Trent can do in the playoffs, might change your mind, then again maybe not.

 

I hope he performs well, because unfortunately we are stuck with him. But, I think the odds are slim that he ever plays to a level that justifies the trade or using a 1st round pick on a RB.

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I hope he performs well, because unfortunately we are stuck with him. But, I think the odds are slim that he ever plays to a level that justifies the trade or using a 1st round pick on a RB.

With the luck of the Browns, he will probably beast out in the playoffs. Maybe drop that first round pick closer to the 30 spot.

[Buck Showalter]

Never mind...

[FanFromtheWasteland]

Until we get this O-line problem straightened out I find it difficult to judge how good his play can be. At the present time I will take him over the pick. We gave Brown over 4 years to do something here. I think that T-Rich deserves at least til mid season next year before he should be fully judged on his production for us.

[rockywoj]

In this year's past draft, the players taken in and around the Colts' pick at 24th, which will likely be close to the upcoming draft's placement, are ....

 

21. Tyler Eifert TE

22.  Desmond Trufant CB

23.  Sharrif Floyd DT

24.  Bjorn Werner DE/OLB

25.  Xavier Rhodes CB

26.  Datone Jones DE

27,  DeAndre Hopkins WR

 

Granted that I do not follow other teams close enough to know exactly how well and impactful any of these players have been in 2013, but Trent Richardson, although not doing so well from an average per carry perspective, is a player that when he is on the field is having to be accounted for by opposing defenses, he is quite good at pass blocking, and he is an effective receiving threat.  

 

How much of his poor average per carry is the result of bad play calling and or bad run blocking?  No sense in rehashing the debate, but from what I have seen, usually he has very little running room.  I don't recall many gaping holes that he has simply missed hitting because of bad decision making or lack of speed and explosion.  I blame his lack of production on a combination of bad play calling and bad blocking.  Otherwise, though, he has been a player that still brings much to the table and I am not so sure that any of those players taken around the 24th slot would have brought more to the table at this point.  Based on last year's picks, I would rather have Trent Richardson.

 

Now, let's look at how the 2014 ranked prospects compare (as rated by CBS Sports - granted, I don't know how well they are at rating it, but I am not going to go into a hugely indepth draft analysis in making my point):

 

21.  David Yankey OG

22.  Vic Beasley  OLB

23.  Louis Nix  DT

24.  Eric Ebron  TE

25.  Davante Adams  WR

26.  Justin Gilbert  CB

27.  ReShede Hageman  DT

 

I am not up to speed on the 2014 draft prospects to be able to comment on these players and their potential.  The question is, though, given the serviceability of Trent Richardson this year to date and moving forward for the rest of the season and playoffs, combined with his expected contributions next year, do any of these players offer a greater impact next year?  I am thinking not.  Down the road to 2015 and beyond, well that might be arguable.  Bottom line for me, though, is I am dubious at best that any of these players will be more impactful on the field than Trent Richardson will be on the field for the remainder of this year, next year, and the next couple of years thereafter.  For me, I still make that trade for Trent Richardson, for I think he is and will be a key offensive weapon moving forward for the next several years.  Certainly in my mind, he is a more impactful weapon that needs to be accounted for by opposing teams as compared to some journeyman rb that so many think can readily be had on the cheap.

 

Ergo, I prefer to have Trent Richardson as compared to this coming draft's first round draft pick.

[BOTT]

In this year's past draft, the players taken in and around the Colts' pick at 24th, which will likely be close to the upcoming draft's placement, are ....

 

21. Tyler Eifert TE

22.  Desmond Trufant CB

23.  Sharrif Floyd DT

24.  Bjorn Werner DE/OLB

25.  Xavier Rhodes CB

26.  Datone Jones GB

27,  DeAndre Hopkins WR

 

Granted that I do not follow other teams close enough to know exactly how well and impactful any of these players have been in 2013, but Trent Richardson, although not doing so well from an average per carry perspective, is a player that when he is on the field is having to be accounted for by opposing defenses, he is quite good at pass blocking, and he is an effective receiving threat.  

 

How much of his poor average per carry is the result of bad play calling and or bad run blocking?  No sense in rehashing the debate, but from what I have seen, usually he has very little running room.  I don't recall many gaping holes that he has simply missed hitting because of bad decision making or lack of speed and explosion.  I blame his lack of production on a combination of bad play calling and bad blocking.  Otherwise, though, he has been a player that still brings much to the table and I am not so sure that any of those players taken around the 24th slot would have brought more to the table at this point.  Based on last year's picks, I would rather have Trent Richardson.

 

Now, let's look at how the 2014 ranked prospects compare (as rated by CBS Sports - granted, I don't know how well they are at rating it, but I am not going to go into a hugely indepth draft analysis in making my point):

 

21.  David Yankey OG

22.  Vic Beasley  OLB

23.  Louis Nix  DT

24.  Eric Ebron  TE

25.  Davante Adams  WR

26.  Justin Gilbert  CB

27.  ReShede Hageman  DT

 

I am not up to speed on the 2014 draft prospects to be able to comment on these players and their potential.  The question is, though, given the serviceability of Trent Richardson this year to date and moving forward for the rest of the season and playoffs, combined with his expected contributions next year, do any of these players offer a greater impact next year?  I am thinking not.  Down the road to 2015 and beyond, well that might be arguable.  Bottom line for me, though, is I am dubious at best that any of these players will be more impactful on the field than Trent Richardson will be on the field for the remainder of this year, next year, and the next couple of years thereafter.  For me, I still make that trade for Trent Richardson, for I think he is and will be a key offensive weapon moving forward for the next several years.  Certainly in my mind, he is a more impactful weapon that needs to be accounted for by opposing teams as compared to some journeyman rb that so many think can readily be had on the cheap.

 

Ergo, I prefer to have Trent Richardson as compared to this coming draft's first round draft pick.

I'm thinking they do....although cbs isn't very accurate. I would take one Louis Nix over 10 TRich's......but Louis Nix will be long gone.

[MaoBerry]

Can somebody please explain to me why ballard, bradshaw, brown, herron and choice ran much better behind that same o-line that T-RICH has??? How can a street free agent (choice) run so much better than him??? How???

[rockywoj]

...How can a street free agent (choice) run so much better than him??? How???

 

Because it was "garbage" time with the game already decided and effectively over?

[MaoBerry]

Because it was "garbage" time with the game already decided and effectively over?

 

 

Always an excuse for the guy.

[rockywoj]

I'm thinking they do....although cbs isn't very accurate. I would take one Louis Nix over 10 TRich's......but Louis Nix will be long gone.

 

When the draft occurs, you can look at what actual players were there in and around where the Colts are slotted to pick.  I don't know much about Louis Nix, but if he turns out to be available when the Colts pick occurs, then I will watch with much curiosity to see if he is able to be a contributor to a greater extent than the Colts current DTs at the time and if such contribution is more impactful than Trent Richardson's.  That being said, to be more impactful, he'd have to turn out to be quite an upgrade at DT, methinks.

[indyagent17]

Just look at Werner, our most recent late 1st round pick He was asked to play a different position in the NFL and seems to be adjusting well

 

A late first round pick is hit or miss. It just depends on the heart and talent that doesnt always translate into the NFL

 

I will take TRIch and consider him our first round pick of 2014. He will have a full training camp under his belt and hopefully a better interior offensive line in front of him. He is still finding his game behind our line and that is not an easy thing to do

 

Reggie Wayne for MVP!

[rockywoj]

Always an excuse for the guy.

 

You asked the question.  The answer is given and the fact was the fact.  I would argue, however, that T. Rich did well against the Bengals, so I would argue that your off the street FA did NOT do any better than Richardson.

 

T. Choice       =  5 carries for 18 yards with a long of 6 yards.

T.Richardson = 19 carries for 64 yards w/a long of 22 yards PLUS 4 receptions for 38 yards with a long of 18 yards and 1 TD.

[Balzer40]

You asked the question.  The answer is given and the fact was the fact.  I would argue, however, that T. Rich did well against the Bengals, so I would argue that your off the street FA did NOT do any better than Richardson.

 

T. Choice       =  5 carries for 18 yards with a long of 6 yards.

T.Richardson = 19 carries for 64 yards w/a long of 22 yards PLUS 4 receptions for 38 yards with a long of 18 yards and 1 TD.

 

 

 

Choice still had a better ypc than Richardson. 

 

Choice - 3.6

Richardson - 3.36

 

Now, if you take out their long runs.

 

Choice - 3.0

Richardson - 2.3

 

The excuse for Richardson all season so far has been that he's not acclimated to our offense or our O-line, and yet, Choice comes in off the street with 3 days practice and ran just as well if not better than Richardson. My point is, that him not being acclimated to our offense is a horrible and pathetic excuse. RB is a simple position to learn and it absolutely does not take 10 weeks to figure out an offense for any RB, let alone one that is supposed to be so supremely talented as Richardson supposedly is. Yes, I do know it's a terrible comparison to compare Richardson to Choice, but the excuse that he needs more time to get acclimated to our offense is silly and not true at all. Fact is, he has just flat out sucked rushing the ball. Thank God for him, that he has actually shown something in his receiving, because if it wasn't for that, he would be taking much more crap than he already is.(deservedly so IMO).

[Gavin]

Choice still had a better ypc than Richardson. 

 

Choice - 3.6

Richardson - 3.36

 

Now, if you take out their long runs.

 

Choice - 3.0

Richardson - 2.3

 

The excuse for Richardson all season so far has been that he's not acclimated to our offense or our O-line, and yet, Choice comes in off the street with 3 days practice and ran just as well if not better than Richardson. My point is, that him not being acclimated to our offense is a horrible and pathetic excuse. RB is a simple position to learn and it absolutely does not take 10 weeks to figure out an offense for any RB, let alone one that is supposed to be so supremely talented as Richardson supposedly is. Yes, I do know it's a terrible comparison to compare Richardson to Choice, but the excuse that he needs more time to get acclimated to our offense is silly and not true at all. Fact is, he has just flat out sucked rushing the ball. Thank God for him, that he has actually shown something in his receiving, because if it wasn't for that, he would be taking much more crap than he already is.(deservedly so IMO).

In fairness you cant take away a rb's run, Fact is his current statistical output or whatever his future statistical output wont be enough to say the trade was worth it......were talking about a rb whos a physical runner who looks for contact at a position where if your one of the lucky teams you can get 6 good years out of him, As it stands now if we continue with this running back by commitee approach he will have to want resign anyway to a running back by committee role....Thats assuming the staff thinks he has done enough to deserve a second contract.....He probably wont get one unless he stays healthy AND shows he has not lost a step from an athletic standpoint......Im thinking he wont be here at the end of his contract, Ya know my stance on it,  have voiced it a few times......But he is here and whats done is done

[Balzer40]

In fairness you cant take away a rb's run, Fact is his current statistical output or whatever his future statistical output wont be enough to say the trade was worth it......were talking about a rb whos a physical runner who looks for contact at a position where if your one of the lucky teams you can get 6 good years out of him, As it stands now if we continue with this running back by commitee approach he will have to want resign anyway to a running back by committee role....Thats assuming the staff thinks he has done enough to deserve a second contract.....He probably wont get one unless he stays healthy AND shows he has not lost a step from an athletic standpoint......Im thinking he wont be here at the end of his contract, Ya know my stance on it,  have voiced it a few times......But he is here and whats done is done

 

 

 

That's pretty much how I feel about it too. I hated the trade from the beginning and said it enough times that everybody knows it, but were stuck with him now so I hope that he gets his head out of his rear and starts living up to his supposed talent. IMO, I hope like hell that we don't resign him after his contract is up. Like I've said hundreds of times before, RB's are a dime a dozen and are easily replaceable, so resigning one that will probably think he's worth way more than he actually is...is a bad idea.

[Superman]

Choice still had a better ypc than Richardson. 

 

Choice - 3.6

Richardson - 3.36

 

Now, if you take out their long runs.

 

Choice - 3.0

Richardson - 2.3

 

The excuse for Richardson all season so far has been that he's not acclimated to our offense or our O-line, and yet, Choice comes in off the street with 3 days practice and ran just as well if not better than Richardson. My point is, that him not being acclimated to our offense is a horrible and pathetic excuse. RB is a simple position to learn and it absolutely does not take 10 weeks to figure out an offense for any RB, let alone one that is supposed to be so supremely talented as Richardson supposedly is. Yes, I do know it's a terrible comparison to compare Richardson to Choice, but the excuse that he needs more time to get acclimated to our offense is silly and not true at all. Fact is, he has just flat out sucked rushing the ball. Thank God for him, that he has actually shown something in his receiving, because if it wasn't for that, he would be taking much more crap than he already is.(deservedly so IMO).

 

Does the type of run play matter to you? 

 

Look, Richardson isn't doing a good job overall as a rusher, and it shows. There are multiple reasons for that, and it's willful ignorance to dismiss ANY of them, whether it's poor line play or poor ball carrying (and there's been plenty of both). 

 

But what the Colts did in this game was drastically different, from jump. We predominantly used traps and zone plays, as opposed to trying to blow the other team off the ball. When we did try to blow the other team off the ball, we failed (like Richardson's red zone carry in the second quarter, when the left side of the line collapsed like a bounce house).

 

This difference is well illustrated in two back to back carries by Richardson in the third quarter, with about 8 and a half minutes to go. First and 10, we try to run off right guard, and we pull Thornton from the left side. JJ Watt isn't interested, gets penetration and redirects the back, and no one else on our line gets any push to speak of. Richardson sneaks ahead for one yard. A more explosive back might have tried to bounce it outside and beat the defense around the corner, but there were two or three guys waiting for him out there anyways. Just a dud of a play, and it's primarily because of a predictable scheme and poor blocking.

 

The next play, second and 9, we run a trap play to the right. One similarity is that we pull Thornton to the right again, but the difference is that we aren't requiring our linemen to push their man off the ball. It's run out of the gun, and like a draw, it invites the edge defenders up the field. The interior linemen only have to hold their men off for a second, while the LG and RT pave the way for the back. Richardson makes a safety miss in the hole, and doesn't get touched until he's 8 yards up the field, where he gets taken down. 

 

What Tashard Choice did at the end of the game is run straight ahead into some holes that the line created for him, and most often went down with first contact. He had the one nice carry where he bounced it to the outside and made a guy miss, but it's really kind of irrelevant at that point. He didn't do anything different than any of our other backs.  And the Texans had kind of backed off as of the previous possession, which is what led to Richardson's 22 yarder.

 

People want to play the extremes all the time. It's either/or. Fact is, there's a combination of things. We can be critical of Richardson, and even of the line play, but the fact is we keep asking our linemen to do something they're not equipped to do. And that makes everyone look bad.

[esmort]

In this year's past draft, the players taken in and around the Colts' pick at 24th, which will likely be close to the upcoming draft's placement, are ....

 

21. Tyler Eifert TE

22.  Desmond Trufant CB

23.  Sharrif Floyd DT

24.  Bjorn Werner DE/OLB

25.  Xavier Rhodes CB

26.  Datone Jones DE

27,  DeAndre Hopkins WR

 

Granted that I do not follow other teams close enough to know exactly how well and impactful any of these players have been in 2013, but Trent Richardson, although not doing so well from an average per carry perspective, is a player that when he is on the field is having to be accounted for by opposing defenses, he is quite good at pass blocking, and he is an effective receiving threat.

 

 Xavier Rhodes, Deandre Hopkins, Alec Ogletree (30), & Travis Frederick (31) ... all would have been better/bigger impacts than Richardson and we could have picked up a FA RB off the street that would have given us Richardson's production.

 

How much of his poor average per carry is the result of bad play calling and or bad run blocking?  No sense in rehashing the debate, but from what I have seen, usually he has very little running room.  I don't recall many gaping holes that he has simply missed hitting because of bad decision making or lack of speed and explosion.  I blame his lack of production on a combination of bad play calling and bad blocking.  Otherwise, though, he has been a player that still brings much to the table and I am not so sure that any of those players taken around the 24th slot would have brought more to the table at this point.  Based on last year's picks, I would rather have Trent Richardson.

Irrelevant ... regardless if he would be better with better OL, play calling, etc ...the reason doesn't matter; if a FA could have given us similar poor production under the same circumstances than spending the draft pick was a waste.

 

As I pointed out previously there were several players we could have taken at 24 who would have made a greater impact than Richardson, especially when combined with whatever FA RB we decided to plug in.

 

Now, let's look at how the 2014 ranked prospects compare (as rated by CBS Sports - granted, I don't know how well they are at rating it, but I am not going to go into a hugely indepth draft analysis in making my point):

 

21.  David Yankey OG

22.  Vic Beasley  OLB

23.  Louis Nix  DT

24.  Eric Ebron  TE

25.  Davante Adams  WR

26.  Justin Gilbert  CB

27.  ReShede Hageman  DT

 

I am not up to speed on the 2014 draft prospects to be able to comment on these players and their potential.  The question is, though, given the serviceability of Trent Richardson this year to date and moving forward for the rest of the season and playoffs, combined with his expected contributions next year, do any of these players offer a greater impact next year?  I am thinking not.  Down the road to 2015 and beyond, well that might be arguable.  Bottom line for me, though, is I am dubious at best that any of these players will be more impactful on the field than Trent Richardson will be on the field for the remainder of this year, next year, and the next couple of years thereafter.  For me, I still make that trade for Trent Richardson, for I think he is and will be a key offensive weapon moving forward for the next several years.  Certainly in my mind, he is a more impactful weapon that needs to be accounted for by opposing teams as compared to some journeyman rb that so many think can readily be had on the cheap.

 

Ergo, I prefer to have Trent Richardson as compared to this coming draft's first round draft pick.

 

After this year we could have gotten a RB in a lower round than #1 (we would not have to get a journeyman RB) so his contributions next year are irrelevant unless he becomes an elite top 5 RB. 

 

We don't have him beyond 2015 unless he is as good as you think he will be than we will be paying him a huge contract.

 

You are way undervaluing a 1st round pick (and overvaluing TR) ... its not just about who is available at where we would pick in the 1st round.  That pick could be used to move down (or up if someone great was right above us).  Look what moving down in this past draft could have gotten us ...  RBs that are as good or better than TR, Larry Warford, Keenan Allen, etc ....

 

A RB is just not worth a 1st round pick, finding a good RB outside the first round is common enough that using a 1st round pick on one is a waste.

Ergo, I think you should re-examine the logic of your argument

 

[Balzer40]

Does the type of run play matter to you? 

 

Look, Richardson isn't doing a good job overall as a rusher, and it shows. There are multiple reasons for that, and it's willful ignorance to dismiss ANY of them, whether it's poor line play or poor ball carrying (and there's been plenty of both). 

 

But what the Colts did in this game was drastically different, from jump. We predominantly used traps and zone plays, as opposed to trying to blow the other team off the ball. When we did try to blow the other team off the ball, we failed (like Richardson's red zone carry in the second quarter, when the left side of the line collapsed like a bounce house).

 

This difference is well illustrated in two back to back carries by Richardson in the third quarter, with about 8 and a half minutes to go. First and 10, we try to run off right guard, and we pull Thornton from the left side. JJ Watt isn't interested, gets penetration and redirects the back, and no one else on our line gets any push to speak of. Richardson sneaks ahead for one yard. A more explosive back might have tried to bounce it outside and beat the defense around the corner, but there were two or three guys waiting for him out there anyways. Just a dud of a play, and it's primarily because of a predictable scheme and poor blocking.

 

The next play, second and 9, we run a trap play to the right. One similarity is that we pull Thornton to the right again, but the difference is that we aren't requiring our linemen to push their man off the ball. It's run out of the gun, and like a draw, it invites the edge defenders up the field. The interior linemen only have to hold their men off for a second, while the LG and RT pave the way for the back. Richardson makes a safety miss in the hole, and doesn't get touched until he's 8 yards up the field, where he gets taken down. 

 

What Tashard Choice did at the end of the game is run straight ahead into some holes that the line created for him, and most often went down with first contact. He had the one nice carry where he bounced it to the outside and made a guy miss, but it's really kind of irrelevant at that point. He didn't do anything different than any of our other backs.  And the Texans had kind of backed off as of the previous possession, which is what led to Richardson's 22 yarder.

 

People want to play the extremes all the time. It's either/or. Fact is, there's a combination of things. We can be critical of Richardson, and even of the line play, but the fact is we keep asking our linemen to do something they're not equipped to do. And that makes everyone look bad.

 

 

 

I agree with you for the most part. My only reason for the comparison with Choice to begin with, was just to point out that it doesn't take 10 weeks for a RB to learn how to play RB. Choice had been here for literally a few days and done every bit as well as Richardson and many keep using the excuse that he just isn't acclimated to the playbook yet or that he didn't have a training camp and preseason with the Colts. IMO, that is a ridiculous and unintelligent excuse. some just seem to have a problem admitting that Richardson has been terrible. You're right, there are a multitude of reasons for this, but many of which fall directly on the shoulders of Richardson himself. The interior line is terrible, we all know that but the other RB's haven't had nearly the problems that Richardson has had. Like I keep saying, I hope he gets it together and provides us with who many thought we were getting. Were stuck with him now, so rooting for him to do badly is stupid, but pointing out that he has been bad, is just truthful.

[esmort]

Until we get this O-line problem straightened out I find it difficult to judge how good his play can be. At the present time I will take him over the pick. We gave Brown over 4 years to do something here. I think that T-Rich deserves at least til mid season next year before he should be fully judged on his production for us.

 

If we start getting great OL play we can find plenty of good backs that will run good for us.

 

Making a mistake on Brown should not be a justification for making the same mistake again.

 

What makes TR deserve anything?  He is a player paid to perform and hasn't, I fail to see how that entitles him to anything.