LeGarrette Blount Still Believes in Colts Trent Richardson

Following rumors that the Indianapolis Colts are really unhappy with running back Trent Richardson over reportedly being out of shape and uncommunicative with the team this season, he’s quite possibly running out of allies within the Colts organization. However, he still presumably has one in New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount.

The 6’0, 250 pound big bodied bruiser of a running back still believes that Trent Richardson can play in this league, indicating that Richardson simply has to make some adjustments regarding hitting his running lanes harder:

"“I mean, he’s still a young buck, man. He’s still young,” Blount said. “I feel like he’s a real good running back … but I feel like when I watch him play, I just think he has to be a little bit more decisive. He’s a bigger kid than what most people think, and he’s strong: look at his legs, you know what I’m saying? Just look at how he’s built. As long as he just find that little crease and knows that this is not Alabama, and you don’t have the big, open holes like you had at Alabama, and you find those little creases, and you get downhill, and get into ’em, he’ll be a problem on the second and third level for a lot of teams.”"

Sep 28, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson (34) against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately for Richardson, he hasn’t gotten the annual confidence boost that Blount gets by playing against the Indianapolis Colts swiss cheese run defense every season. The Patriots powerback once again gashed the Colts for 148 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in his team’s AFC Championship blowout of a victory.

However, Richardson has had more than plenty of opportunities with the Colts to show what he can do. The former 3rd pick of the 2012 NFL Draft plodded his way this year to 519 rushing yards on 159 carries, resulting in a middling 3.3 yards per carry average. He’s neither been fast nor powerful and really displayed no distinguishable strength as a Colts running back.

It may simply be wishful thinking on Blount’s part to expect Richardson to resurrect his career just because they have somewhat similar body types and running styles. Blount is much more of a wide load at a “BIG” 250 pounds, while Richardson’s ideal playing weight is around 220 pounds. Unlike Blount, he hasn’t proven to be the type of power running back that’s going to plow over defenders since his Alabama days.

Unfortunately for the Colts, they’ve never had the same Richardson that wowed the country as a member of the National Champion Crimson Tide.

Worst case scenario, the Colts release Richardson and he ends up on the New England Patriots and returns to the player that was once considered one of the top young running back talents. It would be like Deja Vu all over again. If Blount is correct, let’s hope it’s still with the Colts. 

Jan 11, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson (34) runs with the ball against the New England Patriots in the first half during the 2013 AFC divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports