Running back depth...merged

[AsianRice]

I never doubt him ever since I know him as a Ravens player. He will get better and stronger and he's going to have a big year.....

[omar586]

On 5/14/2016 at 4:43 AM, Mahatma_Sloth said:

WR too... not a bad problem to have for Harbs

yeah but, u have 2 come off injuries, sss + perriman, but still deep, watson/mathews/butler/aiken/clay, 

[BmoreBird22]

I was reading a Matt Miller article in which he evaluated Trent during his time at Alabama and during his time with the Colts.

I know people question his vision, but from what I was reading, that was not the issue, at all. I mean, to an extent it was, but it's not the biggest issue, especially since some of the plays he's missing were ones he routinely made at Alabama.

What I gleamed from that article is that the biggest issue is Trent isn't confident in himself. At Alabama, he'd hit the hole with a full head of steam and punish players with anger and vengeance. He was basically a bull charging at a matador. In the NFL, he's been hesitant and really isn't going full steam ahead. He's tiptoeing up to the line, stuttering, really not going hard like he normally would. The result is holes are closing faster and defenders are making more plays in the backfield.

If the Ravens can coax out his anger and nastiness again, Trent could be a real steal as a free agent. It sounds like a confidence issue where he's just not trusting his eyes and running style more than anything else.

[JoeyFlex5]

5 hours ago, BmoreBird22 said:

I was reading a Matt Miller article in which he evaluated Trent during his time at Alabama and during his time with the Colts.

I know people question his vision, but from what I was reading, that was not the issue, at all. I mean, to an extent it was, but it's not the biggest issue, especially since some of the plays he's missing were ones he routinely made at Alabama.

What I gleamed from that article is that the biggest issue is Trent isn't confident in himself. At Alabama, he'd hit the hole with a full head of steam and punish players with anger and vengeance. He was basically a bull charging at a matador. In the NFL, he's been hesitant and really isn't going full steam ahead. He's tiptoeing up to the line, stuttering, really not going hard like he normally would. The result is holes are closing faster and defenders are making more plays in the backfield.

If the Ravens can coax out his anger and nastiness again, Trent could be a real steal as a free agent. It sounds like a confidence issue where he's just not trusting his eyes and running style more than anything else.

You can only hope that his time out of the league has helped him mature and now he knows that he can't be timid if he wants to stay in the league. He's in a logjam and that will do one of 2 things: either crush his confidence worse when he can't beat out guys like forsett buck and dixon, or it sparks a fire that makes him finally play to his potential. Sadly I'll go with the former because on top of the confidence he DOES have bad vision which has killed his ability, so if he is out there like a raging bull and still missing holes then he won't get a roster spot and that will likely be the end of it. 

 

He's got an uphill climb to even make the roster with our talent and depth at rb

[BmoreBird22]

29 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

You can only hope that his time out of the league has helped him mature and now he knows that he can't be timid if he wants to stay in the league. He's in a logjam and that will do one of 2 things: either crush his confidence worse when he can't beat out guys like forsett buck and dixon, or it sparks a fire that makes him finally play to his potential. Sadly I'll go with the former because on top of the confidence he DOES have bad vision which has killed his ability, so if he is out there like a raging bull and still missing holes then he won't get a roster spot and that will likely be the end of it.

Didn't really have any issues with vision in college

[JoeyFlex5]

30 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Didn't really have any issues with vision in college

Didn't need vision playing for alabama, that's where a lot of Bama backs struggle to make the leap, they go from flying through wide open holes to needing to stay patient and find the holes when they form. In the nfl the holes open slower, close faster, and rarely get so wide open that the back can get 5 yards past the line untouched. 

 

His lack of vision in the nfl is well known and well documented, I don't see that as a confidence issue, but simply lacking a key aspect of being a successful nfl rb. Not to say that a confidence boost won't help him, but it won't suddenly grant him patience and vision, that's something he really needs to develop over time and he can't let his confidence get shook while he works to upgrade these things.

 

[BmoreBird22]

30 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

Didn't need vision playing for alabama, that's where a lot of Bama backs struggle to make the leap, they go from flying through wide open holes to needing to stay patient and find the holes when they form. In the nfl the holes open slower, close faster, and rarely get so wide open that the back can get 5 yards past the line untouched. 

 

His lack of vision in the nfl is well known and well documented, I don't see that as a confidence issue, but simply lacking a key aspect of being a successful nfl rb. Not to say that a confidence boost won't help him, but it won't suddenly grant him patience and vision, that's something he really needs to develop over time and he can't let his confidence get shook while he works to upgrade these things.

You can't seriously go back and watch Trent play in college and tell me he was not a patient runner that waited for plays to develop and showed the requisite vision to hit holes as they became open.

I get it- Alabama had great offensive lineman, but in the SEC, there are great defensive lines and he still had to find the holes and creases and make plays. 

[Ravensfan23]

I really think T. Rich's vision issues have been blown way out of proportion. Has he missed some reads, of course, what back hasn't. I still remember Ray Lewis and Harbs constantly staying on Ray Rice about staying on track with Leach when the offense first moved to a zbs. So it's takes a while for a RB to get comfortable and develop in a running system, because he has to read a lot of different keys and get familiar with how his olineman block in certain situations. 

Not looking to make excuses for Richardson, but I think his issue basically comes from the confidence factor. He went from being the man at Bama, to having a really impressive rookie year with the Browns, only to be traded 3 games into the next season. The Browns really screwed this guy. The confidence of 1st and 2nd year players are so fragile that most times teams will protect their young players. The Browns not only didn't protect him, they hung him out to dry. .Who gives up on a 3rd overall pick who is coming off a 1300 all purpose yard 12 TD season? The Browns should have built around this kid, not ship him out of town. Even though he was going to a better team, being traded wrecked him because for the first time in his life he was told he wasn't good enough. Also he was traded to a completely new scheme, coaches, and teammate, just unfamiliar. Again no excuse for the guy, but that's tough for a young guy. Imagine where Jimmy Smith's career would be if the Ravens traded him after his shaky rookie season? 

I'm sure he has his faults like ever young player does. But that's why they still have player development for young players. I don't know what he'll do, but if confidence was the only issue, I think he'll do great for the Ravens. 

[GrimCoconut]

I think Trent may surprise some people and make this team. If he can get his confidence, and I agree with @BmoreBird22 that confidence is his biggest issue, I think I said the same back in the thread that mentioned the signing that it sounded like he lost his confidence in the video that person posted. Even if I didn't, that's what I got as my impression from watching the video. I think Richardson could turn a corner even now in the NFL as late as it is. Forsett did something very similar, although he wasn't the #3 or #2 whatever overall pick. 

We'll see. He'll make it or he won't, obviously. LT can't stay healthy and has been injured every single year, and we have no real bruiser of a RB so I'd love for him [Richardson] or someone else to be it. 

[rmw10]

I don't doubt that confidence does play a factor in his struggles, but the vision still isn't there - at least not all the time.  Aside from the screenshots that are available all over, there are still some average runs where he just doesn't see the hole.  It's a consistent problem for him.  On the same token, when he does find the hole, he can explode through it.

There's not much excuse for something like this, and you can find a lot of instances of it.

He can also do things like this which has to frustrate the hell out of everyone because he looks like a superstar here.

The talent is clearly there, but the consistency isn't.  I'm have some hope for him but I'm not willing to be overly optimistic at this point.

Edited May 21, 2016 by rmw10

[GrimCoconut]

@rmw10 Yeah, he has vision issues, but looking at that first GIF, it looks like quite a few of those OL just really didn't know their assignment and it seemed to screw up the entire OL on the right side. I can see what they wanted to do, but it looks like they just choked and had an epic fail as a unit. I clearly see the hole Richardson had if he adapted, but I think the play was designed for something different and that clearly failed.

[rmw10]

Just now, GrimCoconut said:

@rmw10 Yeah, he has vision issues, but looking at that first GIF, it looks like quite a few of those OL just really didn't know their assignment and it seemed to screw up the entire OL on the right side. I can see what they wanted to do, but it looks like they just choked and had an epic fail as a unit. I clearly see the hole Richardson had if he adapted, but I think the play was designed for something different and that clearly failed.

I don't disagree.  I think the big thing there is that the LB over pursued and left a running lane that Trent just didn't see.  I just pulled gifs off of Google for the sake of ease, but some actual tape on him shows the same things over and over.

One big thing I noticed is that he stops his feet way too much.  It's like he's always looking for a cutback lane instead of trying to explode.  When his feet stop, he doesn't have the acceleration to get vertical again.  I do think that could be a confidence thing with him.

[GrimCoconut]

3 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

I don't disagree.  I think the big thing there is that the LB over pursued and left a running lane that Trent just didn't see.  I just pulled gifs off of Google for the sake of ease, but some actual tape on him shows the same things over and over.

One big thing I noticed is that he stops his feet way too much.  It's like he's always looking for a cutback lane instead of trying to explode.  When his feet stop, he doesn't have the acceleration to get vertical again.  I do think that could be a confidence thing with him.

I agree. He stops his feet a lot and looks like he gets confused. I mean, running behind the Alabama OL wasn't exactly rocket science and they typically did a great job scheming things open and getting their way. It could very well be that he's not smart enough to adjust and needs it to go as expected or else he chokes. When things go right he can explode through the hole. 

[Ravensfan23]

2 hours ago, rmw10 said:

I don't doubt that confidence does play a factor in his struggles, but the vision still isn't there - at least not all the time.  Aside from the screenshots that are available all over, there are still some average runs where he just doesn't see the hole.  It's a consistent problem for him.  On the same token, when he does find the hole, he can explode through it.

There's not much excuse for something like this, and you can find a lot of instances of it.

He can also do things like this which has to frustrate the hell out of everyone because he looks like a superstar here.

The talent is clearly there, but the consistency isn't.  I'm have some hope for him but I'm not willing to be overly optimistic at this point.

That first gif is so misleading imo. It doesn't show the split second decisions these guys have to make. The play was designed to go off tackle but the RT got blown up forcing Richardson to make a cut in the backfield. That hole that appears to be there really isn't, at the time he made the cut, he saw a unblocked LB in the hole and made another cut to try and get back on track with the blocking. It looks terrible and makes him look worse, but I think that was more poor blocking and people piling on him because the lack of vision thing has grown legs. 

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

3 hours ago, rmw10 said:

I don't doubt that confidence does play a factor in his struggles, but the vision still isn't there - at least not all the time.  Aside from the screenshots that are available all over, there are still some average runs where he just doesn't see the hole.  It's a consistent problem for him.  On the same token, when he does find the hole, he can explode through it.

There's not much excuse for something like this, and you can find a lot of instances of it.

He can also do things like this which has to frustrate the hell out of everyone because he looks like a superstar here.

The talent is clearly there, but the consistency isn't.  I'm have some hope for him but I'm not willing to be overly optimistic at this point.

yea but watch the 1st play. I agree that he should be able to improvise... but its clear by watching the blocks that he's going to where the hole is SUPPOSED to be. The play was designed to go exactly where he was heading. The lineman are trying to create a crease right where hes headed, it just so happens that a hole opens up behind the blocks bc the defenders over commit to plug the lane up.

For a young back on a new team that's cramming to learn the offense, he's just trying to learn and run the plays as designed. I know part of a backs job is to see the field, improvise, make a cut and explode up field.... but in the first video you posted he ran the play exactly as designed.... the lineman didn't execute for him. It only looks so bad bc the defenders over commit and sold out to stop the hole.... but its clear he has 2 reads on the play - either off tackle or cut inside and follow the pulling Center to a crease between the RT and RG. Both the RT and RG get absolutely blown off the ball so theres no push, and the pulling center completely misreads the play by missing the LB who originally is clogging the "wide open" hole you're wanting Richardson to hit, and instead blocks absolutely no one. Richardson, once he sees the RT gets beaten, knows he cant bounce outside so does the right thing and goes to his 2nd read, follows his lead blocker who fails him.

Cant blame that all on Richardson, if he even deserves any blame.

Edited May 21, 2016 by BOLDnPurPnBlacK

[Mahatma_Sloth]

9 hours ago, rmw10 said:

 

he is supposed to follow his pulling C(72) and his RT(78?) really let him down as it seems they are trying to fake the sweep and pop back in with a hop step behind the pulling C(72). The RT(78) was not able to get leverage or position and seal off the DE(91) even though the DE(91) has to come across the RT(78) whole body to make the tackle. if he cuts back into that vacant lane(A gap) the ILB(didn't see number) who stacks on his DTs(didn't see number) hip will will pop in to that gap vacated by the pulling C(72) and cream is bumbum(notice how he jumps into the gap that T Rich chooses eyes always on trent). At least folowing the design of the play he has 3 blockers(76,72,14) in the area. The RG(76) gets shucked like an ear of corn at a cookout and the LG(75) whiffs on his block allowing the weak side ILB(55?) a good chance to make that A gap tackle. I think his fall from grace had a lot to do with scheme and poor O-line play resulting in loss of confidence plus 2 of the 3 teams he played on were the browns and raiders. too demoralizing..... I'm prepared to be amazed. also I think Mike Wallace will be Jacoby Jones 2.0  

Edited May 21, 2016 by Mahatma_Sloth

[BmoreBird22]

@JoeyFlex5, @GrimCoconut, @rmw10

Just a quick question, but don't the Colts use a man on man blocking scheme?

If they do, that's not really designed for cutbacks and a lot of his failures could be due to the offensive line.

It starts with the center identifying the front and letting the other lineman know who to block. If the center doesn't read the front correctly, you get blown up plays because someone isn't blocking correctly. And we all know Indy has had some TERRIBLE offensive lines, especially centers.

Also, pretty sure most of these runs have a designed direction and gap to hit and if your blockers don't hold up, well, you're gonna get blown up. These aren't meant for a back to improvise, which may be why Trent stutters so often. He knows the play isn't developing well, but what can he really do? 

It's a reason why man blocking is being used less.

I wanna see him in the ZBS before we call into question his vision. He never had an issue at Alabama and the ZBS is actually used to have a back read the creases and holes as they come open and make a play on it, not necessarily go to a predetermined gap.

All I'm saying is it's easy to say he lacks vision, but if he's operating under the offense, then can we really say that? Not so much. This really wasn't an issue at Alabama, so there's a disconnect somewhere. I'll admit he's not reading everything as well as he should, but this could be due to overthinking the scheme and really not letting loose. Again, I want to see him in the ZBS

@The Raven, correct me if I'm wrong on the above. 

Edited May 21, 2016 by BmoreBird22

[rmw10]

@Ravensfan23 @Mahatma_Sloth @BOLDnPurPnBlacK

I'm definitely not overlooking the poor OL play there, but he's at the next level and he's got to make something happen there.  That might not be the best play to illustrate it, but it was the gif that was already created so I just used it lol.  If you watch even a little bit of tape on him though, you'll see many instances where he cuts right into traffic.  I'm still not of the opinion that his vision is as bad as some of the screenshots suggest, but there are definitely issues there.  There are far too many times where he's hit the hole and then made a very poor decision at the second level.

[The Raven]

1 hour ago, BmoreBird22 said:

@JoeyFlex5, @GrimCoconut, @rmw10

Just a quick question, but don't the Colts use a man on man blocking scheme?

If they do, that's not really designed for cutbacks and a lot of his failures could be due to the offensive line.

It starts with the center identifying the front and letting the other lineman know who to block. If the center doesn't read the front correctly, you get blown up plays because someone isn't blocking correctly. And we all know Indy has had some TERRIBLE offensive lines, especially centers.

Also, pretty sure most of these runs have a designed direction and gap to hit and if your blockers don't hold up, well, you're gonna get blown up. These aren't meant for a back to improvise, which may be why Trent stutters so often. He knows the play isn't developing well, but what can he really do? 

It's a reason why man blocking is being used less.

I wanna see him in the ZBS before we call into question his vision. He never had an issue at Alabama and the ZBS is actually used to have a back read the creases and holes as they come open and make a play on it, not necessarily go to a predetermined gap.

All I'm saying is it's easy to say he lacks vision, but if he's operating under the offense, then can we really say that? Not so much. This really wasn't an issue at Alabama, so there's a disconnect somewhere. I'll admit he's not reading everything as well as he should, but this could be due to overthinking the scheme and really not letting loose. Again, I want to see him in the ZBS

@The Raven, correct me if I'm wrong on the above. 

 

22 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

@Ravensfan23 @Mahatma_Sloth @BOLDnPurPnBlacK

I'm definitely not overlooking the poor OL play there, but he's at the next level and he's got to make something happen there.  That might not be the best play to illustrate it, but it was the gif that was already created so I just used it lol.  If you watch even a little bit of tape on him though, you'll see many instances where he cuts right into traffic.  I'm still not of the opinion that his vision is as bad as some of the screenshots suggest, but there are definitely issues there.  There are far too many times where he's hit the hole and then made a very poor decision at the second level.

 

First play is man blocking, but second is a rare zone play where the center pulls. And, the center pulling was the problem.  If the center went straight to play side backer - who helped make the tackle - a crease might have opened up where Trent was running. Also, remember that backs are taught to follow the damn lead block, if there is a pulling lineman. Moreover, Trent made the right read. Looks like an inside zone to me. The RG (76) got to the outside shoulder of the 3 tech - the read man on inside zone. If the RG gets to the outside of the DT, you, of course, go outside. 

The issue here on this play is definitely not Trent. The RT and the pulling center just screwed it up in my view. The RT got beat and the C pulled unnecessarily. I don't think the C made a good read on that play. Might've worked if the RT actually made his block but...

By the way, you can tell that second play is zone blocking because every offensive lineman steps with their right foot first. Everyone is moving right. If it was man or gap, there'd be some angle blocking in there. There is none.

TL;DR: Oline sucked on that play.

[GrimCoconut]

@BmoreBird22 & @The Raven

Yeah, that's how I saw it. I don't think Richardson has this terrible vision. I do think it's just okay, and he'll stutter step a lot, but in situations like the ones shown a lot of times it's the OL blocking, as I said above. Alabama executed their run blocking as well as anyone in college, and the stutter steps and bad vision could be a combination of low football IQ & lack of confidence in himself & his OL. 

[BmoreBird22]

7 minutes ago, GrimCoconut said:

@BmoreBird22 & @The Raven

Yeah, that's how I saw it. I don't think Richardson has this terrible vision. I do think it's just okay, and he'll stutter step a lot, but in situations like the ones shown a lot of times it's the OL blocking, as I said above. Alabama executed their run blocking as well as anyone in college, and the stutter steps and bad vision could be a combination of low football IQ & lack of confidence in himself & his OL. 

I doubt he's low IQ just because Nick Saban expects as much as anyone, but I still maintain terrible blocking crushed his confidence.

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

3 hours ago, rmw10 said:

@Ravensfan23 @Mahatma_Sloth @BOLDnPurPnBlacK

I'm definitely not overlooking the poor OL play there, but he's at the next level and he's got to make something happen there.  That might not be the best play to illustrate it, but it was the gif that was already created so I just used it lol.  If you watch even a little bit of tape on him though, you'll see many instances where he cuts right into traffic.  I'm still not of the opinion that his vision is as bad as some of the screenshots suggest, but there are definitely issues there.  There are far too many times where he's hit the hole and then made a very poor decision at the second level.

I get that the gif is just one example, but honestly in most of the pictures and videos I've seen people post to show Rich's laughable lack of vision, it's usually a case of the poster not understanding the play design... not saying that was the case with you.

Most of the time the examples show a wide open hole and TRich hitting a huge pile of players. What they don't show, or what gets overlooked is the leverage the O-Lineman are playing with which indicates the play design, or that he's already made his cut based on a read and the wide open hole becomes available after the fact, and it only becomes open the defender that was keying on TRich vacates the hole to join in on the tackle. Very similar to the gif you posted.

Of course, this isn't to say that he was never at fault. But, I think his "lack" of vision is way over blown. He's not a Shady McCoy type back that's going to dance side-to-side and make multiple defenders miss while improvising to make a play. He's a down hill, at most one cut, power type guy. He needs a block to get going, but man when he gets a head full of steam and can get to the 2nd level, almost no DB is going to tackle him. He needs a line that can get him to the 2nd level, or create that hole/crease as designed... I'm confident that if the blockers do their job, then he can still do his.

I don't know if he'll make the team or not, just because I don't know what kind of shape he's in and what being out of football for the past year may have done to him. He may be shot mentally. But, if his head is in the right place, he's ready to compete, and physically he's in shape ready to go - I think he can make this team and have a big impact. And having a guy like Juice for him to follow could really help him.

I admit that its a long shot, but his vision isn't the issue. If he does make this team though, his potential is through the rough.

[Ravensfan23]

4 hours ago, rmw10 said:

@Ravensfan23 @Mahatma_Sloth @BOLDnPurPnBlacK

I'm definitely not overlooking the poor OL play there, but he's at the next level and he's got to make something happen there.  That might not be the best play to illustrate it, but it was the gif that was already created so I just used it lol.  If you watch even a little bit of tape on him though, you'll see many instances where he cuts right into traffic.  I'm still not of the opinion that his vision is as bad as some of the screenshots suggest, but there are definitely issues there.  There are far too many times where he's hit the hole and then made a very poor decision at the second level.

oh i definitely agree with that. There are areas in his game that he must improve. I just think those gifs have allowed people to pile up on him and a ton of those gifs are misleading. He's extremely low risk but have an huge reward potential, so its all good for the Ravens. I just hope the Browns didn't destroy this kid because you clearly saw the talent level in his rookie year despite the limitations he has in his game. I mean 1,300 yds and 12TD for any RB is good and for a rookie is even better. Hell Forsett had a career year in 2014 and he had 1,500yds and 8TDs, so if the Ravens could just get Richardson's rookie production it'd be great. However if he is able to develop and correct the things he struggle at, he might be a stud in this offense. 

[Ravensfan23]

1 hour ago, GrimCoconut said:

@BmoreBird22 & @The Raven

Yeah, that's how I saw it. I don't think Richardson has this terrible vision. I do think it's just okay, and he'll stutter step a lot, but in situations like the ones shown a lot of times it's the OL blocking, as I said above. Alabama executed their run blocking as well as anyone in college, and the stutter steps and bad vision could be a combination of low football IQ & lack of confidence in himself & his OL. 

I'll continue to go back to Jimmy Smith. Things were so easy for him in college that he was so far behind in his development as a rookie with the Ravens. The talent was clearly there but his technique and poor habits left him vulnerable to double moves and any WR physical enough to beat press. Now when healthy Jimmy is one of the best CBs in the NFL imo. 

I see a ton of that in Trent the more I look at clips of him. I just see a kid who had flaws coming out of college(which they all do) but was robbed of his crucial year 2 and 3 of development because the Browns shipped him out of town and the Colts expected him to give immediate return on their investment because they gave up a 1st rounder and thought they were a Super Bowl team. I really think this kid was railroaded by poor management teams in both Cle and Indy. His success will be determined by him. Will he be able to rebound and play with a chip on his shoulder because he's been screwed? Or will he continue to beat himself up if he doesn't quickly rise to the top of a crowded backfield. Either way I expect the Ravens to provide him with all he needs to be successful and the fact that he busted his butt to get in the type of shape Harbs wanted is a step in the right direction. 

[Raven'evermore]

  Watched tape of him at Indy and couldn't help notice all the excess weight.  May be unrelated, but if in fact he was feeling a lack of confidence; then couldn't that also contribute to depression and in turn cause weight gain.  Or am I reading too much into it?  Posted that I thought he was done, but hope I'm wrong.  Hate to see all that potential get wasted just because he wasn't given a fair chance to succeed.

[Ravensfan23]

37 minutes ago, Raven'evermore said:

  Watched tape of him at Indy and couldn't help notice all the excess weight.  May be unrelated, but if in fact he was feeling a lack of confidence; then couldn't that also contribute to depression and in turn cause weight gain.  Or am I reading too much into it?  Posted that I thought he was done, but hope I'm wrong.  Hate to see all that potential get wasted just because he wasn't given a fair chance to succeed.

Trent Richardson

Let him tell you himself. 

[Raven'evermore]

 Thanks for that.  Loved how he takes responsibility although I think now that perhaps he just hasn't been put into the right situation.  Not just a good o line, but coaching as well.  He's had a lot toss onto his shoulders and now he needs encouragement.  I think the Ravens are one of the best teams for that.  Right now I see Dixon, Allen and Forsett.  Maybe not in that order.  As much as I loved LT, I don't think he makes the team because of his history with injuries.  After him though it might be a toss up between T.R and T.W. 

[Willbacker]

13 hours ago, Ravensfan23 said:

Trent Richardson

Let him tell you himself. 

The Cleveland Browns really dogged him (pun intended) but it does seem like he really got down on himself after the trade and started questioning himself. A year off to clear your thoughts after having been released by 2 teams and traded by another could be the magic potion he needs.

[Ravensfan23]

23 minutes ago, Raven'evermore said:

 Thanks for that.  Loved how he takes responsibility although I think now that perhaps he just hasn't been put into the right situation.  Not just a good o line, but coaching as well.  He's had a lot toss onto his shoulders and now he needs encouragement.  I think the Ravens are one of the best teams for that.  Right now I see Dixon, Allen and Forsett.  Maybe not in that order.  As much as I loved LT, I don't think he makes the team because of his history with injuries.  After him though it might be a toss up between T.R and T.W. 

Yea, he definitely took responsibility, however the flip side could say he has to be tougher when handling situations like that. In the NFL or life for that matter, things are just handed to you as a man they way they are handed to you as a stud football player in HS and College. I would have liked to see him play for the Colts with a chip on his shoulder and not as a victim. But sometimes it doesn't matter how long it takes you to develop a certain mindset, it's what you do once you develop it. I think he may have that mindset now and only time will tell. I love how he spoke about getting back to being great and a possible HOFer, not just proving he can make a team. 

Because of drafted position and what they've shown on field, I think it's safe to say Dixon, Forsett and Allen are top 3 right now. However I really think it will be an open competition in camp/preseason and that's where I see T. Rich moving up that depth chart to one of the top 2 RB spots. I don't think there is a RB on this roster who is better as that all purpose RB that Trestman wants to use then Richardson. The combination of size, speed, physicality, elusiveness, pass catching, big play ability, toughness, durability and a noise for the endzone makes him the potential perfect back for what Trestman wants to do. It's completely up to Richardson to prove he's the man. Dixon is a close 2nd to Richardson imo and would provide the perfect compliment to him.

4 minutes ago, Willbacker said:

The Cleveland Browns really dogged him (pun intended) but it does seem like he really got down on himself after the trade and started questioning himself. A year off to clear your thoughts after having been released by 2 teams and traded by another could be the magic potion he needs.

Yea I think often times we just look at these players as assets or liabilities but they are human first and foremost. This guy went out their as a rookie for the Browns and played most of the season at a pretty high level with broken ribs, only to be traded the next season as if you were the problem. That has to be tough on a young kid(which he still was) to deal with that type of betrayal. I definitely think he's focused and has high expectations of being that guy worthy of the #3 overall pick in the NFL draft. I think the Ravens give him a great opportunity. I don't think his signing was just a flier or a lets see what he's got type of deal. I think Harbs and Trestman really saw the potential he can bring to this offense if he's in shape and motivated. He made good by getting into prime shape(back down to his college weight) so the Ravens could sign, I would not be at all surprised to see him running with the first team early in camp so Harbs and Trestman can see what they have. 

[BmoreBird22]

This is just an interesting note to go along with the whole blocking issue.

When Trent was with the Colts, he was actually pretty on par for carries per missed tackle with the likes of AP, LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, and some of the other backs we think of as being really powerful or really elusive. The issue was that he was getting hit behind the line of scrimmage so much faster in Indy.