I recall a lot of Bengals fans pining for Richardson to be a draft pick. Guess that was our good fortune.
The Browns also are also switching QBs already. I think PB is haunting them.
"Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"
This move only make sense if the Browns brass thinks Richardson isn't any good. Its the only reason you move him 2 games into the season to a team that probably will draft no lower than 20 in the upcoming draft.
The part I don't get is this. Lets assume that Richardson improves slightly on his rookie season this year in Cleveland. His trade value may have suffered a little, maybe they could get a high 2 for him. Sure they may have not gotten as much value but they wouldn't have pissed their fan base off. They wouldn't have traded their most marketable player and thrown in the towel for an entire season. The Browns haven't been good for a decade but they are telling their season ticket holders at $75 a game that this season isn't going to matter. And since they are pretty much throwing in the towel on the 2012 draft class the next couple of seasons don't count. If Richardson goes on to be a bust then the Cleveland FO will look like geniuses. Anything other than nailing their draft next season and they will look like idiots.
Sea Ray (09-19-2013)
The more I think about it, the more I get it. Use this first round pick along with your other one to bolster the needs of the team, and then find a hidden gem running back later like a lot of teams are doing. They need to make sure they can find the next Alfred Morris or Arian Foster though, or a DeMarco Murray/Steven Ridley, and not just the next Jordan Todman or Chris Rainey.
“I don’t care,” Votto said of passing his friend and former teammate. “He’s in the past. Bye-bye, Jay.”
I like the trade for the Browns for a few reasons.
RBs are very replaceable in today's NFL. Unless you have a Shady McCroy or a Peterson or someone like that, good solid RBs aren't hard to find. With the way the league has changed I don't think you should ever become too attached to a RB or pay one a ton of money, unless you have one of the few special backs.
They need to upgrade a lot of talent, no better way to do that than with a bunch draft picks. Look no farther than the Bengals to see how much of an immediate impact good draft picks can have. They have two 1s, a 2 and two 3s next year. I don't think they should trade up (if they would have to), but they have the picks to do so now. There's also a lot of talented RBs that should be coming out. Yeldon and Gurley I think?
They weren't going to win the SB or even make the playoffs with this team. I know people say it's unfair to the season ticket holders, but I think the job of that front office is to try to get a better product on the field as soon as possible. This trade helped that.
For the Colts I don't like the move that much. Unless Richardson ends up having a very nice career there I don't think he was worth a 1st. In their pass happy offense they could have found a quality back on a practice squad somewhere. Now they're a young team trending in the right direction that's going to have to sit out the first round of a draft.
How much money does anyone want to bet the Browns draft Yeldon from Alabama?
Yards per carry as rookies:
Emmitt Smith: 3.9
Walter Payton: 3.5
LaDanian Tomlinson: 3.6
All became great players once they were paired with an experience QB.
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Revering4Blue (09-19-2013)
Also, Trent Richardson should be used like Sproles. Screens, draws, and wheels .
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What this trade means for the Browns is that they are going to suck this year and are going all in for either Bridgewater, Johnny Football or Tajh Boyd.
Franchise QBs - gotta have one.
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Not sure how many guys would have succeeded with the Browns as they are primarily a poor throwing team, and although a decent line, one that specializes in pass protection, not run protection.
I read a stat somewhere that TRich had to fight for yards more than anyone else in football in his time in Cleveland (ie. an average back might have been flirting with a YPC more in the 2.5+ range). He's great in pass protection, has great hands, and a good runner. Passes the eye test. I think he's going to explode in Indy, but still not sure it ever makes a ton of sense to trade first rounders for running backs, but he may be the perfect piece in Indy.
This was my initial thought too. However, the more I think about it, the more I am at least okay with it. Richardson is easily the best back Indy has had since James. With a good QB and passing game, he should flourish. The big question is can he stay healthy? If so, then I think at a minimum, it will be a decent trade. Maybe better.
Outside of Luck, the Colts have not been overly successful with 1st round draft picks for a while now. I know it's a new regime so it's not fair to blame Grigson for that, but the larger point is that late 1st round picks certainly aren't sure bets. Richardson is definitely a a good bet if his health holds up.
What is concerning however is that their defense and O-Line probably should've been a higher priority. I'm just not sure how that gets fixed. It's clear the Colts have decided to double down on the offense, but it's hard to do that when the O-line is so bad.
George Anderson (09-20-2013),Revering4Blue (09-19-2013)
Yup.
The NFL keeps changing their rules to make it easier and easier to pass the football -- elite QBs, WRs, and TEs are the currency of the modern "hands off, no hitting" NFL. The days of the road-grinding RBs / 20+ carry backs are over and done with.
The Browns, essentially, got a do-over with an awful pick. Now they can get someone who aids in the passing attack or helps defend the passing attack like they should have in the first place with this pick.
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