Sep 29, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown (31) makes a 50-yard run as he is pursued by Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Mike Harris (20) in the second quarter of their game at EverBank Field. The Indianapolis Colts beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 37-3. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Indianapolis, IN – The Indianapolis Colts went out and made a huge trade to acquire running back Trent Richardson earlier this season, but things haven’t panned out to this point in the season. He has averaged just 3.0 yards per carry with the Colts so far this year and that just won’t get the job done. In an ideal world, the Colts would be receiving about 4.0 yards per carry from Richardson, but that has been far from the case.
Many are questioning whether or not the Colts should begin using Donald Brown a bit more on the ground. Brown has totaled 244 yards this season on just 39 carries, which averages out to 6.3 yards per carry. Granted, he is not getting gameplanned for as much as Richardson does, but he finds ways to get yardage with each of his carries. Should Donald Brown start getting a few more of Richardson’s carries based on the success of each back?
It’s hard to say that Richardson should have some of his carries taken by Brown, but the fact of the matter is that Brown has been performing at a higher level with less time on the field. Richardson is a power back that can break out some plays, but has been unable to break anything down the field in his tenure with Indianapolis this year. Brown has broken a few long runs and has the better playmaking ability overall.
One idea that I have heard is to use Trent Richardson from inside the 20 on both sides of the field. Let him work the Colts out of bad field position and finish out drives in the opponents redzone. Brown would obviously have the open field to work with in between the 20’s. Very intriguing idea no doubt, but how would Richardson take the demotion? He is expected to be the feature back for the Colts for years to come, so you don’t want to get out to a bad start by taking his carries away.
This is a situation that the Colts need to be extremely cautious with. Personally, I think that Donald Brown needs to be getting a couple more carries per game than he is right now, but nothing too major. Richardson has the talent to turn things around, but he has to get his burst back and his vision needs to improve as well.
Evan Massey is an Editor for Naptown’s Finest. Follow Evan and Naptown’s Finest on Twitter.