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Sunday, April 8, 2012

Trent Richardson to the Cleveland Browns is a no-brainer


With the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns have an opportunity to draft a player that could be a real difference-maker and no player will make a bigger impact on this team than Alabama running back Trent Richardson.


At least no player that will be available. The top two difference-makers in this draft will both be gone by the time the Browns get to make their selection but drafting Richardson still gives the Browns a chance to fix one of their most glaring weaknesses from last season which was their porous running game.

The Browns ranked 28th in rushing last season and were dead last in rushing touchdowns scoring only four times last year. To make matters worse, the Browns didn’t resign their top running back from last season and failed to pick up anybody in free agency.

Having a solid running game in the AFC North division is a must. That would seem to go against logic since the other three teams in Cleveland’s division were all in the top-ten against the run but having a solid running game is the only way to keep those defenses honest.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals all love to stuff the run and put teams in obvious passing situations so they can tee off on the quarterback. And since teams didn’t have to worry about Cleveland’s run game, they were able to focus even more time towards making life miserable for Colt McCoy.

But even if Browns’ fans don’t see it, Browns’ management realizes that McCoy’s numbers would have been a whole lot better if he didn’t have to spend so much time running for his life. Even though his completion percentage and average yards per completion were down, McCoy didn’t throw interceptions as frequently as he did his rookie season.

He did fumble the ball a lot more though which was more a byproduct of him not having much time to operate in the pocket than of him just being careless with the ball. Having a back like Richardson to hand the ball off to will help to alleviate some of that.

But given more time to operate, McCoy may be able to prove to fans that he can get the job done. And if Richardson can make McCoy and Cleveland’s offense more effective, then he is well worth drafting.

Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.

Also check out these stories:

2012 Oakland Raiders: Just run baby!

Ravens’ Joe Flacco looking to have a Manning-like season

 

 

 


7 comments:

  1. No way the Cleveland Browns should use the number 4 pick on a running back and they won't do it. The Browns need a lot of offensive help and just taking a R.B. at number 4 makes no sense.

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    1. True the Browns have a lot of needs on offense but they also have another pick later in the first round and will pick high in every other round giving them a chance to trade up or down as they please. Richardson is their best chance at a homerun hitter with Luck and Griffin off the board when they pick.

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  2. Claiborne is the best value with the pick.

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  3. The article said it all. Cleveland let their leading rusher go and didn't sign any free agents. The pick is going to be Richardson. He's going to see the ball half of Cleveland's plays and gives McCoy the best chance to develop. Same with a top tier Right Tackle. The offense has played much better when the right tackle was blocking well. Remember how different the O-line looked when Ryan Tucker was playing. Look for them to go O-line with their second 1st and receiver or linebacker in the second. They might address the secondary in the third round.

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  4. the cleveland browns need to make history and go for it all! trade 2013,2014,2021 drafts to vikings. trade 2015,2016,and 2017 drafts to tampa bay. trade 2018,2019,2020,and 2022 drafts to rams. then rams,tampa bay,and vikings trade there 2012 picks rounds 1-4 to the cleveland browns. now you can say wow...thats ten drafts. but you also can look at it like this.....the browns will have 5 first round picks and 5 second round picks,and four third round picks,and 5 fourth round picks,2 fifth round picks,2 sixth round picks and 3 seveth round picks in 2012 draft right now and build a solid young team right away,with stacked at every postion and you have to give up something to get something in return. and wil be built young and strong to be a super bowl contender year in and year out and before you know it we will get are draft picks back and continue to build. we shouldn't have any holes but there is always rookie and nfl free agents in the mean time along with trades that could happen as well. so in the 2012 draft the cleveland browns.....first round----ot matt kalil,cb morris claiborne,rb trent richardson,wr justin blackmon,wr kendall wright. second round---og kelichi osemele,wr alshon jeffery,dt jerel worthy,de vinny curry,fs mark barron. third round--og brandon brooks,og brandon washington or qb brandon weeden,cb trumaine johnson,te orson charles. fourth round----wr ryan broyles,lb vontaze burfict,dt marcus forston,dt derek wolfe,wr patrick edwards. fifth round--olb sammy brown,cb cliff harris. sixth round--wr jordan white and ss winston guy. seventh round---lb danny trevathan,de/olb adrian hamilton,de frank alexander.

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  5. y u not publish my post

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  6. Choosing T Rich is the way to go barring another robbery by the Browns in some kind of trading back. From everything I have read or have seen on film the kid is a special RB. His abilities allow McCoy more time to get the ball off rather than their opponent stacking the box. He will help every facet of the Offence. The difference between TR and other RB's is such that no matter who else we would draft in a latter round, I doubt any of them have a 6.9 average when they carry the rock.

    I would really like to see the Browns trading down with their 22 pick or the 37th pick. Get TR, and than be positioned to pick somewhere around 12th to 15th depending on the cost to swap positions with someone else.

    The really great thing is the amount of options the Browns may exercise. If the Draft plays out to our favor, we should be able to come up with 4 starters, that will allow for a much improved Offense. One of those starters has got to address stuffing the run, and getting to the QB. To long have opposing QB's had as much time as they needed. Those who think our D was good last year are wrong. We were unable to stop the run, let alone how often we allowed opponents convert a third down in the middle of the field. Our red zone D was impressive for the most part.

    McCoy will be up for the challenge of moving the chains as he will have a better supporting caste.

    But get after TR as he has the ability to change a game. A real playmaker. Add in a stud RT and WR and we will see a huge difference. Last year was a joke for any who watched. No running game, no pass protection, and 1.5 seconds less time to get rid of the ball than any other QB in the league. What a great opportunity to improve the Offense.....bc

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