The former 3rd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Trent Richardson has failed to live up to expectations in his brief NFL Career to this point. After sitting out the 2015 regular season entirely it seems his opportunity with the Ravens could very well be his last. Let’s examine why he has failed to this point and where he can find his niche with Baltimore.
Let’s face it people the rookie version of Trent Richardson showed flashes of explosion and real potential. That person still exists and is dying to be seen again. One of the reasons he succeeded was because of offensive coordinator Brad Childress who was fired after the season. Childress came from the Andy Reid coaching tree and received mild success as an NFL head coach with the Vikings. His main success was of course developing running back Adrian Peterson during his first few seasons but I guess that’s no big deal. Once the new coaching regime came to town run by dumpster fire Rob Chudzinski it completely ruined T-Rich’s confidence. What are Chudzinski’s best accomplishments? I’m glad you asked he was Carolina’s offensive coordinator from 2011-2012 where Cam Newton’s development looked very stagnant. Of course he has since taken off with the help of Mike Shula. Chudzinski was fired after one year with the Browns and landed in Indy. When he was later promoted to offensive coordinator this past season Andrew Luck suffered career lows across the board. Again I might be seeing a pattern but when Trent Richardson was dealt to the Colts in 2014 he fell right in the hands of the running game coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Isn’t it possible that poor coaching lead to indecisive patterns in Richardson’s ability to hit the correct lane in the running game? Coaching matters folks and when it comes to Rob Chudzinski I would have more confidence handing an NFL offensive game plan over to my 8 year old brother before the dumpster fire that is known as Rob Chudzinski.
When it comes to Richardson’s chances in Baltimore however he does have a tall task in order to even make the roster. Justin Forsett, Buck Allen, Terrence West, Lorenzo Taliaferro, and rookie Kenneth Dixon round out the group. While offensive coordinator Marc Trestman’s passing offensive tendencies gives me nightmares with his lack of deep ball passing routes his running backs have had success in the past, mainly Matt Forte of course. For Richardson to be effective in this particular offense he may have to do so in more a pass catching role to start. The talent and the opportunity is here for Trent Richardson in Baltimore, the task for him now will be to give 110 percent effort and crank out a productive preseason. Richardson has experienced NFL rock bottom to this point and while he may not ultimately end up making to team I expect to see a new an improved version of Trent Richardson in 2016.
