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Indianapolis must have really liked the 2012 NFL Draft.
They dealt their 2014 first round pick to Cleveland for running back Trent Richardson, the third overall pick last year. They selected Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in that same draft.
Richardson rushed for a Browns rookie record 11 touchdowns this season, and all indications were they were pleased with him as a player to this point.
Jon Stinchcomb of Dawgs By Nature has a slightly pessimistic view of the trade:
The Cleveland Browns brass are waving the white flag on this season, despite what you might have heard from head coach Rob Chudzinski during his press conference earlier this morning.
Stampede Blue editor (The Unsinkable) Brad Wells has pretty much the opposite feeling:
By surrendering a first round pick for Richardson, the Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Ryan Grigson are communicating to the coaching staff and to the players that the expectations for 2013 are, indeed, quite high.
Wells also mentioned trades like this simply do not occur two weeks into the season. It very well could just be a big trade that happened, but the timing is so odd - even considering the Colts lost running back Vick Ballard for the season - it feels like something else is going on.
Then again, if you listen to Stinchcomb, it could simply be the Browns not really wanting to compete this year.
That only begs the question, "Is Joe Haden available?"