Obviously the Indianapolis Colts did not give up their 2014 first-round pick yesterday to bring in Trent Richardson to stand on the sidelines and they plan to waste no time incorporating the talented running back into their game plan. Head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters Thursday that Richardson will be given "as much as he can handle" against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday according to Marc Sessler of
NFL.com.
“We did not bring him in here to be the water boy on Sunday,” he said. “He’ll be ready to roll.” The 49ers should expect to see a heavy dose of the talented second-year running back in Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton's run-heavy attack. Pagano said he saw a lot of Richardson’s college career at Alabama and was always very impressed with what Richardson could do. “We know what he brings to the table as a runner, as a pass catcher as a protector so we feel, obviously, very excited,” Pagano said.
The playbook at the running back position is traditionally the among the easiest to pick up so Richardson is not expected to have a rough transition going from Cleveland to Indy in a week-especially with Andrew Luck under center as opposed to Brandon Weeden. The only thing that may hold Richardson back this Sunday is the vicious run defense of the 49ers.