The Indianapolis Colts' front office must have never gone shopping at a flea market or a swap meet. If so, then perhaps they would have realized that when a deal is too good to be true, it more than likely is just that. RB Trent Richardson was labeled as a can't-miss prospect coming out of the University of Alabama in 2012. He had speed, strength, could catch the ball out of the backfield and he could be called upon to block as well. It was a no-brainer for the Cleveland Browns to draft him and lock up their backfield needs for another five years or so.
Back in September, the league seemed to laugh in unison when reports surfaced that had Richardson going to the Colts for seven draft picks through the first four rounds of the NFL draft next year. Even the most casual of all fans thought this deal meant bad business for the Cleveland Browns. But after eight subpar games in Colts blue, Richardson has proven to be less than mediocre. For those who might be wondering, less than mediocre is pretty darn bad. Though Richardson looks the part of a great NFL running back, he hasn't played like it at any point in during this season.
The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Tennessee Titans 30-27 on Thursday night despite Richardson running only 8 times for a measly 22 yards. Trent is currently averaging 2.8 yards per carry. You don't need to be Chris Berman to know that number is atrocious. Despite it all, the Indianapolis Colts told the NFL Network's Ian Rappaport that, knowing what they know now, they would still pull the trigger on the massive mid-season trade. Perhaps that old saying "a sucker is born every minute" does have some weight after all.
"He's young. They love the violent way that he runs. Plus, he's cheap. The Browns are picking up a ton of his tab. … He's had several head coaches, he's had several offensive coordinators. The Colts really think that once he immerses himself in their offense, he's going to go off."
Sounds like a bunch of fluff to The Shadow League right now. They're not just going to come out and call him a bum. If so, it would be the first time in the history of professional sports that a team official went on record to say a trade was a bust only eight games into the deal. But all indicators are pointing toward the former.
