It's Time for Colts to Cut Losses, Give Up on Trent Richardson Experiment

The experiment is over. The Trent Richardson and Indianapolis Colts shotgun wedding that started during the 2013 season has reached its boiling point.

In a 31-24 loss at the hands of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, the Colts offense was once again all about Andrew Luck. In six attempts rushing the football, Richardson picked up just 20 yards. His bleak 3.3 yards-per-carry average was actually a mirror image of his career average.

Richardson's problems are extensive. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller took a detailed look at why Richardson was struggling so much when he first ended up with the Colts. Meticulously picking apart each aspect of his game, Miller reached an insightful conclusion:

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The biggest difference in Richardson's game is that lack of anger that he ran with at Alabama. It's possible that he's overthinking and trying to analyze the field instead of reacting to it. It's also possible that subpar run-blocking has been at least partly responsible for his dip in production, and the film certainly backs up this theory.

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With a full offseason under his belt, you could put together an argument that the former Alabama back's 2013 campaign was an aberration. He was thrust into a new system and could never find his footing.

But watching Richardson struggle with his vision against the Broncos made it obvious that this is a problem that refuses to go away. As all of the top-flight halfbacks can attest to, vision is what makes a runner successful in a league that's filled with such a staggering level of speed and talent.

Richardson the football player is unbelievably frustrating. In college he was such a brutal runner who thrived off creating chaos between the tackles.

With the Colts, there's just nothing to cheer for. He doesn't hit the holes with any sort of energy, and his lethargic way of dancing around trying to find space is maddening to watch on film. Considering the Colts' front office gave up a first-round pick to nab him, there's no point in releasing him.

He's still only 23 years old, and his tape under Nick Saban's watch in Tuscaloosa is far too appealing to just cast him off to the land of waivers and heartache. The answer to fixing the Colts' rushing attack isn't simple, but it starts with reducing his workload.

The team's game against the Broncos was slightly off-kilter and probably won't resemble how many rushing attempts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton dials up on a weekly basis. Going down 24-0 to the Broncos early on forces you to take to the air.

Despite that, even in a limited fashion, backup running back Ahmad Bradshaw looked like the more decisive and efficient runner. His stats on the ground were finite. Registering just three attempts on the day, the former New York Giant finished with 19 yards.

Catching passes and making things happen in the open field is where Bradshaw stepped up. Coming down with five receptions for 70 yards showcased the level of comfort Luck has with him. He even looked faster than the younger Richardson on just about every snap he took.

Bradshaw's history battling injuries puts a big question mark over the whole "can he be a bell-cow running back?" discussion. He managed to play in only three games last year for the Colts before injuring his neck.

On the other hand, health is such an up-in-the-air thing in this league. The number of injuries that pile up with each passing week of the NFL season is staggering. Take a look at the league's official injury report at any given time and you'll instantly feel bad for what these guys put their bodies through.

As long as Bradshaw is functioning and playing at a high level right now—and it looks like he is—Colts head coach Chuck Pagano has to realize this guy needs to be the No. 1 option in their backfield.

Last season, Hamilton was all about running the football.

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

The Colts lack of ability in that department has slightly changed his tune on that front. Hamilton told Mike Wells of ESPN.com reportedly that the Colts were "going to be a score-first team." ... "Our mentality has not changed; we have to be physical at the point of attack. We have to try and knock people off the ball and wear them down physically," he said to Wells.

Hamilton's vision for the Colts offense isn't the problem. The more you read about it, the more you understand that he's preaching a formula that works. The problem is Richardson isn't the guy for the job. His lack of physicality makes the Colts' rushing attack softer like a bag of feathers covered in Marshmallow Fluff.

Bradshaw can be a gratifying force behind Luck and the rest of his peers.

Anointing Bradshaw to be the main guy is a Band-Aid solution. The real answer will come during next year's draft or in free agency. Looking at the list of names Spotrac put together, there are some solid candidates to be had—DeMarco Murray, Mark Ingram and Ryan Mathews are three players in particular who could be had for a decent price tag.

Drafting a back is always good business. This devaluation of selecting these guys early in the draft has opened the door for teams to load up on blue-chip talent later on in the process. Last May, the San Francisco 49ers managed to draft Carlos Hyde in the second round, and the Cleveland Browns wound up with Terrance West in Round 3.

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has to make sure finding a halfback is on his list of things to do heading into the offseason. Because as fun as it would be to trade for a back right now, the last time he tried to do that, we got Trent Richardson.

The experiment is over. It's time for the brass who wear blue and white to come together and decide that Richardson's role needs to be reduced. Anything less than that is a disservice to the Colts and everything they've built during the Andrew Luck era.

Unless otherwise noted, all college football stats and information courtesy of Sports-Reference.com. Game scores and information courtesy of ESPN.com.