Richardson Dreams of Canton

Published on 10-Jun-2016 by CJ

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Opinion

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Richardson Dreams of Canton

We all have dreams in our munchkinhood.

I, for example, wanted to be an astronaut.

But then the harsh reality of the world sets in and you realize your dreams are just that.

However, not everybody gives up on them, no matter how impossible they may seem.

One such dreamer is running back Trent Richardson.

The former star running back at Alabama has had a volatile NFL career.

The Cleveland Browns traded up to take the highly touted Richardson with the number three pick in the 2012 draft. Dude had a solid rookie campaign with the Browns, as his 11 touchdowns passed Jim Brown’s franchise rookie record for rushing TDs.  

Apparently, the Browns weren't that impressed by Richardson, trading him a mere two weeks in the 2013 season to the Colts, who gave up their own first-round pick to acquire him. He was seen a stud running back to give Andrew Luck a little support.

Unfortunately, Richardson was far from that in Indy. He rushed for a meager three touchdowns and 458 yards in his 14 games wearing the horseshoe.

Dude's missteps were also prevalent in the Colts' post-season run, where he fumbled his first playoff carry, besides rushing for a whopping one yard on four attempts.

2014 was no better. Dude went from being one of the team’s lead backs to being a backup. Things weren’t made better when he left the team -- without giving them notice -- during the post-season, a move which earned him a suspension.

The Colts had had their fill of Richardson and cut him in March of 2015. Other than a short stint with the Raiders during pre-season camp, Trent went without a team that season.

Now, though, Richardson's been able to get himself back into organized football. The Ravens signed him this past April, but he'll need to compete to keep his job when the final cuts are made.

Regardless of past failures, Richardson -- still only 25 -- hasn't given up on greatness.

In an interview with Comcast, Richardson says he envisions himself one day “putting on a yellow jacket.” Of course, that's a referral to his ending up in the Hall of Fame.

It's a pretty big dream when you consider the fact that Richardson has a career rushing average of 3.3 yards per game over his four-year career.

Besides being separated from his best season by five years, the fact he's yet to carry the ball in an actual game for more than a year.

Then again, Hall of Fame finalist Kurt Warner was 26 before he finally got his big break as QB of the Greatest Show.

So, maybe Trent's dream isn’t impossible, after all.

Just very, very, very unlikely.