Trent Richardson has yet to look like a first-round draft pick. The former Alabama star running back cannot seem to find his groove in the NFL after ending his college career as a Heisman trophy finalist. At first some chalked it up to being a member of the struggling Cleveland Browns. However, after a trade to the Indianapolis Colts, Richardson is still struggling, leaving his coaches baffled.
Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner compared Richardson to some of the great running backs to play in the NFL. The former coach of the running back was confident that he would put up big numbers; it was just a matter of time. Well, everyone is still waiting for that to happen, including Colts head coach Chuck Pagano.
"I don't know if he's snake bit, I don't know what the heck is going on," Pagano said, via ProFootballTalk.com. "We'll get it fixed. We'll get the holes there. He's making the right reads, he's doing all the right things, he knows what to do. He played great without the ball, protection-wise, those things. His numbers are going to come. I'm not concerned about that."
In eight games with the Colts, Richardson has put up 272 yards on 96 carries. That is not exactly what the team was intending for when they opted to give up a first-round draft pick for the running back. Pagano admits that 2.8 yards per carry was less than satisfying from the back, but he is not ready to put all the blame on Richardson. Instead, Pagano is calling out the offensive line, something that has been an issue for the Colts all season long.
"You look at Trent's runs, for whatever reason, there's penetration, a guy is pulling and falls down," Pagano said. "There's a guy in the backfield waiting there. He had some really good runs, plays that he made in space, screens, things like that he does a great job with. That's going to come."
Recently, Donald Brown has emerged as the top running back for the Colts. Despite the success of Brown, Pagano says there is no buyer's remorse when it comes to the trade for Richardson. NFL .com is reporting that if the Colts could do things over again, they would still make the deal for the running back, remaining confident that with time he returns back to his old form.
