It was the trade of the season up to this point in the NFL and of course I am referring to the shocking deal that centered on the Cleveland Browns sending their 2012 number 1 draft pick, running back Trent Richardson, to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round draft pick. With the Browns being one of the worst offensive teams in the game and one of the worst teams for years, it was beyond surprising that they decided to move a guy who scored 11 touchdowns for them as a rookie and who many thought was headed for stardom. However the company line was that Richardson's running style didn't fit the Browns' offensive philosophy and maybe they were unhappy with his rookie average of only 3.6 yards per carry. Be that as it may Richardson was still drafted as a late first round or early second round draft pick in fantasy football leagues prior to the season with the anticipation that he would improve on his very solid rookie year. Also the average couldn't be held against Richardson given how he got no support by the team's passing game and the offensive line was awful. So once the deal was consummated, there was more than a little excitement from these same Richardson owners as he was headed to one of the best offenses in the game filled with playmakers such as WR's Reggie Wayne, T.Y. HIlton, tight end Coby Fleener, and QB Andrew Luck. With Luck under center, Richardson surely would have tons of room to run and thus put up major numbers the rest of the season.
Fast forward to present day and maybe the Browns knew something the rest of us didn't. The fact of the matter is that Richardson has not done much of anything since arriving in Indy and since the deal was made. In fact Richardson's average per rush has DROPPED to a very ugly 3.1 and in four games he has a grand total of only 2 receptions. This from a guy who caught 51 passes as a rookie with Brandon Weeden as his passer. Want some more scary numbers? Richardson has not rushed for more than 60 yards in any of his four games with the Colts. It has gotten to the point now where Richardson has slipped to running back 3 status and thus no longer has every week automatic status. How the hell did this happen? How is possible Richardson could be even worse with the Colts?
As far as answering the previous questions, we have some theories. It is in fact starting to look like Richardson is not the explosive runner we thought he would be. He has been very light on the big runs since coming into the league and now that he has struggled there with two different teams with vastly differing levels of offensive support, it lends credence to this thought. In addition, the Colts are a passing outfit who do most of their damage in the air. Thus Richardson is not featured by any means in the offense like he was in Cleveland out of necessity. Richardson has not carried the ball more than 20 games in any game with Indy and that has come with Ahmad Bradshaw out for the season. And overall the Colts don't throw the ball to the running back much as Luck is always looking to chuck it downfield. Put it all together and you have a very shaky fantasy football running back. We didn't that coming that's for sure.
Overall if you are a Richardson owner you have no choice but to stay the course. Play the matchup game for now until we see better results. Right now it is not looking good at all and it might not get better. No one in your league wants him now so you pretty much are stuck with the guy. You should have listened to me when I told you in the summer that Richardson was vastly overrated as a first round pick.
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