PatsFans.com Menu
PatsFans.com - The Hub For New England Patriots Fans
PatsFans.com - The Hub For New England Patriots Fans

Cleveland Browns show no negotiating skills in trade of Trent Richardson

PatsFans.com Article

Pro Bowl Player
Joined
Sep 10, 2007
Messages
10,494
Reaction score
7,900
Cleveland Browns show no negotiating skills in trade of Trent Richardson
By: John Morgan

Ask anybody that has ever worked in corporate sales, and they will tell you that big deals almost never happen until the last day of the month. Irsay and the Colts were bluffing, and Banner and the Browns fell for it....

 
Why is it bad negotiating skills when a team that realizes it's going nowhere this year and probably has to draft yet another QB in the first round next spring, picks up a 2nd 1st rounder to rebuild its team? I don't think this was such a bad deal. They figure they're going to need a QB in the first round, and now they can pick up another good player to boot. Trent Richardson isn't such a spectacular back that he was able to carry their team.
 
The author can claim the Browns should have been able to get ____ but that doesn’t make it so, if the Browns thought it was a good transaction there’s nothing wrong with jumping on it. It’s possible the Colts panicked and wanted to go with a big name instead of trading a lesser pick for a serviceable but ok talent, but they might have gone that route if allowed more time to let their heads cool.
 
Why is it bad negotiating skills when a team that realizes it's going nowhere this year and probably has to draft yet another QB in the first round next spring, picks up a 2nd 1st rounder to rebuild its team? I don't think this was such a bad deal. They figure they're going to need a QB in the first round, and now they can pick up another good player to boot. Trent Richardson isn't such a spectacular back that he was able to carry their team.

What PatsDeb said.

The new management weren't in love with Richardson. they moved on and got another first rounder. No way they were getting more for him than that.
 
Getting a 1st round pick in a trade in the NFL for anybody is hard to do and should be considered a solid move, especially for a young unproven back.

I don't get the premise of this, the Browns essentially got their 1st round pick back from last season, albeit most likely not as high, that will allow them to get a player of need at a position much harder to find top end talent at. Successful RB's can be had in the draft from the 2nd round on down. Hell, Banner drafted both Westbrook and McCoy in the 2nd round if I'm not mistaken.
 
The Browns fleeced the Colts. So I cannot see how this is poor negotiating.

They got a first for an average injury prone running back. Most teams wouldn't even give up a fifth for that.
 
The Browns fleeced the Colts. So I cannot see how this is poor negotiating.

They got a first for an average injury prone running back. Most teams wouldn't even give up a fifth for that.

I agree... Trent Richardson is averaging 3.6 yards per carry. 3.6 yards per carry. 3.6 yards per carry. Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but he is averaging 3.6 yards per carry. And we're talking about practice?

Chalk it up to injuries, lack of a passing game, or whatever you want. but I recall Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, MJD, Stephen Jackson and a slew of others doing just fine against a stacked box.

A running back should almost NEVER be justified going in the top-3 in any draft at any time. Elite RBs do not lead to wins. The Browns were stupid, but fortunately, the new front office just recouped some of their loss.

The Colts aren't stupid. I wouldn't say they got ripped off... but they are definitely the overall losers here. I'd say a second round pick or third round pick would have been appropriate.
 
The Browns fleeced the Colts. So I cannot see how this is poor negotiating.

They got a first for an average injury prone running back. Most teams wouldn't even give up a fifth for that.

This is the credited response.
 
I agree... Trent Richardson is averaging 3.6 yards per carry. 3.6 yards per carry. 3.6 yards per carry. Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but he is averaging 3.6 yards per carry. And we're talking about practice?

Chalk it up to injuries, lack of a passing game, or whatever you want. but I recall Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, MJD, Stephen Jackson and a slew of others doing just fine against a stacked box.

A running back should almost NEVER be justified going in the top-3 in any draft at any time. Elite RBs do not lead to wins. The Browns were stupid, but fortunately, the new front office just recouped some of their loss.

The Colts aren't stupid. I wouldn't say they got ripped off... but they are definitely the overall losers here. I'd say a second round pick or third round pick would have been appropriate.

If I were the Colts I'd save that pick for a stud O-lineman who can protect Luck for the next decade, RBs are a dime/dozen.
 
They got a first-rounder (probably ~15th overall) in exchange for a RB who was getting 3.5 YPC, who they clearly think is not a first-round talent.

Getting a first-rounder for a non-elite RB is a pretty good haul, if you ask me. Drafting him #3 overall was a mistake, in hindsight, but that's not the current Browns FO's problem. It's a sunk cost.

They'll probably just use this pick and their own (which will be worse now than it would have been with Richardson) to trade up into Bridgewater territory anyway. If they get him, will anyone really care that they gave up a non-elite running back?
 
The Browns likely believe they aren't making the playoffs this year.

Richardson has not been impressive. After this year, which they weren't going to do anything in, they have Richardson under contract for 2 more years.

The Browns likely believe they can get and equal or superior talent with the first round pick next year, and have them under contract for 4 years.

The Colts, picked up a player they hope can take them to the playoffs and beyond.

Seems like classic win-win.
 
It all depends on how you evaluate Richardson. If you believe he's a franchise RB, then a mid 1st round pick is cheap. If you think he's just average-above average, then it's an overpay. I dunno, the Browns had no real weapons outside of Richardson and I doubt their OL is all that great either. He produced pretty well considering what he had to work with.

I think both teams benefit. Colts got a RB they badly needed and Browns got to restock for a draft that promises to be better than the 2013 crop.
 
Trent Richardson had 3.6 YPC last year and a 3.2 YPC this year.
 
It all depends on how you evaluate Richardson. If you believe he's a franchise RB, then a mid 1st round pick is cheap. If you think he's just average-above average, then it's an overpay. I dunno, the Browns had no real weapons outside of Richardson and I doubt their OL is all that great either. He produced pretty well considering what he had to work with.

I think both teams benefit. Colts got a RB they badly needed and Browns got to restock for a draft that promises to be better than the 2013 crop.

If he's Adrian Peterson, then a mid 1st round pick is cheap. If he's pretty much anything less than that, then it's a pretty steep price to pay. If he's on par with Marshawn Lynch or Arian Foster, or someone like that, he just may end up being worth it. But he really does have to become a top-5 RB for it to be a debatably worthwhile trade, considering that he's going to be be two years through his rookie contract before he gets an offseason as a Colt to get really comfortable with the playbook and pass-blocking.
 
My wife worked for Joe Banner back in the late 1980's/early 1990's when he was running his daddy's business, Designer's Clothing Ltd., into the ground in typical "son-of-a-business" style. He's a world-class dbag for sure ... but I have to give him, and the Browns, the benefit of the doubt here. Echoing what the other posters have said, Richardson may have been excellent in the SEC and a high #1 pick, but he hasn't shown it yet in the NFL. Contrast that with the Alfred Morris' and Doug Martin's of the league. Do the Redskins and Bucs have so far superior a QB + OL? More importantly, the Browns are starting a new regime, with a new coach, and I think Joe is doing the right thing if his coach (and presumably his GM) is telling him that it ain't happening for Richardson with the Browns and they can get a pick in the first round.
 
Anyone else thinking.. now that the Brown are trade-pick rich, do they maybe seriously rethink our asking price for Mallet?

(Which Im assuming is a 2nd or at least the 3rd + others)
 
It all depends on how you evaluate Richardson. If you believe he's a franchise RB, then a mid 1st round pick is cheap. If you think he's just average-above average, then it's an overpay. I dunno, the Browns had no real weapons outside of Richardson and I doubt their OL is all that great either. He produced pretty well considering what he had to work with.

I think both teams benefit. Colts got a RB they badly needed and Browns got to restock for a draft that promises to be better than the 2013 crop.
The Browns have weapons on offense and a pretty good OLine, they've just lacked a competent QB running the show so it's making them appear worse than they really are. Put Brady on the Browns and they're a 10-12 win team. Brandon Weeden is a scrub and his Sanchezian-like ineptitude has cost them a lot. He's the real waste here, but since they'd never get anything in return for him other than a ham sandwich, the front office did the next best thing and got the greatest possible value they could on an average player in Richardson.

As for the Colts, even if Trent helps the Colts a lot this season, they still got fleeced. Their biggest issue on offense isn't their running game or lack thereof, it's their offensive line. Luck has been getting pummelled since he's been there. Luckily, Andrew has the size to absorb all of that punishment, but you never want to expose your QB to the types of hits he's been taking.

The smart play for the Colts would've been to use that draft pick to get a good-to-elite OL prospect, not an average injury prone RB.
 
The Browns have weapons on offense and a pretty good OLine, they've just lacked a competent QB running the show so it's making them appear worse than they really are. Put Brady on the Browns and they're a 10-12 win team. Brandon Weeden is a scrub and his Sanchezian-like ineptitude has cost them a lot. He's the real waste here, but since they'd never get anything in return for him other than a ham sandwich, the front office did the next best thing and got the greatest possible value they could on an average player in Richardson.

As for the Colts, even if Trent helps the Colts a lot this season, they still got fleeced. Their biggest issue on offense isn't their running game or lack thereof, it's their offensive line. Luck has been getting pummelled since he's been there. Luckily, Andrew has the size to absorb all of that punishment, but you never want to expose your QB to the types of hits he's been taking.

The smart play for the Colts would've been to use that draft pick to get a good-to-elite OL prospect, not an average injury prone RB.

"Sanchezian", just classic!
 
I don't think the author of this piece has done much negotiating...
 
One thing that I haven't heard yet is that next years draft is suppose to be deep.....so a 15th pick ...would have high end talent...and as anyone knows...it all starts in the trenches....
 
TRANSCRIPT: Caleb Lomu’s Interview with New England media 4/23
MORSE: Patriots Make a Questionable Selection of Caleb Lomu in the First Round
Patriots Trade Up, Take Utah Tackle in Round 1 of the NFL Draft
TRANSCRIPT: Mike Vrabel Press Conference 4/23
TRANSCRIPT: Eliot Wolf’s Press Conference 4/23
Thursday Patriots Notebook 4/23: Vrabel Set to Miss Day 3 of Draft ‘Seeking Counseling’
MORSE: Final Patriots Mock Draft
Former Patriots Super Bowl MVP Set to Announce Pick During Draft
TRANSCRIPT: Mike Vrabel’s Media Statement on Tuesday 4/21
MORSE: What Will the Patriots Do in the Draft?
Back
Top