Before the last time the Colts played the Titans, NFL Network reported that the Colts would still send a first-round pick to the Browns for running back Trent Richardson. Before the rematch, NFL Network reports that Richardson has been benched.
Yes, it has taken only 17 days for the team’s defiance to become resignation. Richardson, whose per-carry average has dipped to 2.9 yards for the season after gaining 22 yards against the Titans and 15 against the Cardinals, will ride the pine in favor of 2009 first-round pick Donald Brown.
Mike Silver reported the benching. Ian Rapoport, who reported previously that the Colts would still make the trade for Trent, explained that a Colts source called it a “bottom-line business,” and that a change needed to be made.
That statement would have been true 17 days ago, when the Colts stubbornly insisted they’d still make the deal. Since then, the Colts barely beat Tennessee, got blown out by the Cardinals, and absorbed a Twitter-style tongue-lashing from owner Jim Irsay.
It’s hard not to wonder whether the Richardson benching and other current and possible changes come from Irsay, whose patience seems to be wearing thin.