Browns RB Trent Richardson To Get More Snaps
It’s only taken five short weeks for the Cleveland Browns to finally realize that they spent the #3 overall draft pick on running back Trent Richardson, from Alabama.
A back coming out of the NFL Draft that I felt was as good as Adrian Peterson coming out of Oklahoma, if not better, Richardson has all the tools to be an every down workhorse, which is something rare in the NFL now.
But it’s evident that the Browns are starting to figure out that they have a much high probability of scoring points if their star rusher is on the field.
Browns head coach Pat Shurmur stated that Richardson “needs to be involved from start to finish”. And he’s right about that.
For the last five weeks, there have been too many third downs with Brandon Jackson or Chris Ogbonnaya. There have been too many camera points to a perfectly healthy Richardson on the sideline.
You don’t draft a running back in the top half of the first round if he can’t play every down. Of course, there is the knee injury argument, which is understandable.
Richardson was held out of the preseason and much of training camp after having his left knee scoped to get rid of excess cartilage that forced some swelling.
Because of his surgery keeping him out, it’s a question as to whether or not he was in football shape, not to mention the Browns wanted to be sure that his knee was 100%.
I think it’s safe to say that his knee is 100%, and it looked like it even after the Philadelphia game. Richardson needs to play every snap for the Browns if they want to start winning football games.
He can run through the middle, to the outside, catch out of the back field and block extremely well. No other running back on the Browns roster can do any of those tasks better than him, therefore it is seemingly pointless to keep him out.
Despite their first 0-5 start since the team returned in 1999, the Browns have not played like an 0-5 team. A tough 17-16 loss in an outstanding 3.5 quarters by the defense was a heartbreaker in the opener at home, while week two was game that featured no defense, and plenty of offense.
In week two, the Browns really missed Joe Haden defensively as Andy Dalton and the Bengals put up 34 points on them, although Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson managed to keep the Browns in the game scoring 27 points.
On Thursday Night Football, the Browns were a Brandon Weeden pick six away from a potential victory, and a defensive crumble in the second half killed their 14-0 start against the Giants.
The Browns have been in every game this season, and likely will pull out a few surprise victories. The key is to getting the defense and offense to sync together and play their best football at the same time.
However, the biggest step here is getting Trent Richardson snaps and opportunities to make plays with the football because he is as legit a rusher as Cleveland could ask for.
