Andrew Luck obviously went to the Colts, everybody and their mother knows where RGIII went (because he's all everybody talked about), and Trent Richardson went to the Browns.
Never in a million years did anybody think Trent Richardson would end up with the Colts, and never in a million years did anybody think the Colts would have the 1st and the 3rd overall picks from the 2012 draft on their team.
But, that's what we get for thinking, eh?
Before the Colts played the 49ers during the regular season, they made a trade that was eye-opening to everybody--they traded for RB Trent Richardson.
Richardson, who had a pretty amazing career at Alabama, was a second year RB that everybody thought could be the next Edgerrin James in the Colts' backfield. "A rolling ball of butcher knives" as Pagano said, was headed to Indianapolis, which could've been/still can be potentially dangerous.
As a rookie, Richardson had 1,317 total yards and 12 total touchdowns, which ironically is just about what Richardson's former college teammate, Eddie Lacy, produced this year, earning him a Pro Bowl selection and also is now Rookie of the Year candidate (1,435 yards/11 TD's).
This year wasn't the best year for Richardson, or any RB for that matter. In fact, he was just about the worst NFL RB in 2013, which makes Grigson look dumb after giving up a 1st round pick in the trade. HOWEVER, Richardson, since being drafted, has had 3 different offensive coordinators and was also asked this year to just "learn each gameplan" week-by-week instead of learning the whole playbook.
The issue with mid-season trades is just that--it's very hard for an NFL player to just pick up another teams' playbook and learn it fast. In fact, it's damn near impossible. But it simply isn't fair to call Richardson a bust, especially after what he's dealt with since being drafted.
Let's take a look at Marshawn Lynch, shall we?
Lynch started off his career with the Buffalo Bills. Granted, Lynch showed some upside, but he still wasn't the RB that they were hoping for. His first couple of years he had over 1,000 yards each, but his third year his carries reduced drastically and he didn't even make it to 500 yards. Then, he goes to Seattle, and BAM! He's now one of the best RB's in the league, and let's not fail to mention that he will be trying to win his first Super Bowl this Sunday.
Why did I bring up Lynch? Well, because Richardson is very comparable!
Richardson had a great rookie year in Cleveland. CLEVELAND! THE BROWNS! And he was still successful. There is upside to Richardson, and a lot of it. I'm so tired of people saying to cut him (which by the way would be the dumbest thing in the world; his paycheck is fully guaranteed), when he hasn't ever even went through OTA's or training camp with the Colts.
In my opinion, give him until after the 2014-2015 season to jump his case. As previously mentioned, he's on his third OC, and next year will be the first time he's had the same OC two years in a row (he dodged a bullet though, since Pep Hamilton decided to remove his name from the Vanderbilt HC job). Next year he'll be able to go through OTA's and training camp with the Colts, which is where most of the learning is done.
Honestly, folks, I think he's a potentially dangerous RB next year. And when/if he is, I don't want any of his "haters" to jump back on his bandwagon!
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