When picking the topics of Monday’s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN, we included a quick item on the perceived failure of Raiders running back Trent Richardson to hit a wide-open hole for what could have been an easy touchdown against the Rams in the preseason opener.
Rodney Harrison and I were ready to pounce on Richardson for not pouncing on the opportunity, until we looked at the video while preparing for the show. And while it’s a lot more fun when Rodney and I disagree with each other, we decided instead to disagree with the many who have slammed Richardson for not cutting back to his left and scoring.
I noticed that the hole arose in part from the left guard pulling to the right, a clear sign that Richardson was supposed to follow the guard in what should have been an eventual opening on the right side of the line. And Rodney noticed that a Rams linebacker on the left side of the line would have been in position to move directly toward Richardson and tackle him before he could gain significant yardage.
Though it’s impossible to ever know with certainty what a player’s assignment is based on game footage, it seems highly likely that Richardson was expected to follow the flow of the play to the right, looking for a hole that the linemen on that side along with the pulling guard from the left never managed to open. Which means Richardson likely didn’t have the option to cut back to the opening that would have resulted in an impromptu Oklahoma drill with the Rams linebacker.
While there are many reasons to criticize Richardson for his underwhelming NFL career to date, this play isn’t one of them.
