It hasn't been an easy season for Trent Richardson.
Since being acquired by Indianapolis in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns, the second-year pro plodded to the tune of 2.8 yards per carry before the Coltsbenched him in favor of Donald Brown last week.
Indy's front office has said it wouldn't hesitate swapping a first-round draft pick all over again for Richardson. And it's fair to wonder if a full offseason will help this player, especially after Richardson told Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne he felt thrown into the fire after the swap.
"He came to me, (but) he wasn't pouting or anything," Wayne told WNDE-AM on Tuesday, per StampedeBlue.com. "This was the next day after he found out he was demoted, and he said, 'Now I can sit back and actually watch the way it's supposed to be done.' He kind of feels that he was maybe forced into it early without actually learning it."
Yes, Richardson was thrust into a starting role just days after the trade. Yes, he came from a Rob Chudzinski-led offense in Cleveland that stressed the pass and bore little resemblance to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton's power-rushing scheme in Indy. Still, that was three months ago, and we have yet to see signs that Richardson is about to morph into a sustaining back.
Prepare yourself for a long offseason of flowery reports declaring that "Trent Richardson looks amazing in OTAs." For a guy who has produced rushing totals of 20, 2, 22, 15 and 19 yards on the ground over the past five games, we'll need more than lively springtime reports of T-Rich blooming into what Indy hoped for.
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