Cleveland Browns Star Rookie Trent Richardson's Injury More Serious Than We Think

 

The table was set after Shonn Greene of the New York Jets ran all over the Indianapolis Colts for 161 yards and three touchdowns a week before. So what did the Cleveland Browns and Trent Richardson do on the ground on Sunday? Nothing.

Wearing a Kevlar vest specially designed for him and very similar to a bullet proof jacket a police SWAT member would wear, Richardson ran for eight yards on eight carries. He added two check down receptions for 11 yards. The vest tried to protect the back’s ribs as he took some punishing hits on the first couple of attempts. The rookie looked hesitant and had no burst through the minimal holes that were there to begin with. About half way through the second quarter, as Richardson sported a baseball cap, it was evident he was not returning to the ball game.

In the last two weeks, TRich has been seen stuttering at the line of scrimmage. The cartilage injury in his ribs is a lot worse than they want us to believe. Seeing as a bullet proof vest couldn’t protect him, this has to be a major concern for the Browns.

With nine games left to go, the first year player needs 652 more yards to reach the infamous 1,000 yard plateau. If he can find his way back on the field quickly and only miss one or two games, the mark is still attainable. Still, personal goals are great but Richardson just wants to win football games.

Although he is listed as day to day, asking Pat Shurmur about the injury is completely out of the question. The head coach had this to say, “If he’s ready to play, he’ll play. If we see this is bothering him to a point where he can’t perform, then we’ll make those decisions as we go.” Richardson could get three weeks to heal and return after the bye week.

Taking his place will be the two headed monster of Montario Hardesty and Chris Ogbonnaya. No one knows why veteran Brandon Jackson has fallen off the face of the earth. In limited time, both Hardesty and Ogbonnaya have ran hard and showed quickness in the open field. If Richardson is absent the next game or two, Hardesty and Ogbonnaya should be prepared to fill his shoes.

Ryan Ruiz – Cleveland Browns Writer

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