Trent Richardson had a forgettable season for the Browns and Colts, but the final numbers say he was actually a better short-yardage runner than you probably thought. But was he the best short-yardage Richardson?
The Rams opened the year with second-year running back Daryl Richardson in the starting lineup. He flopped in that role, with a turf-toe injury possibly playing a factor. He may have been overshadowed by Trent, probably because he was only a seventh-round pick, but don't underestimate how disappointing he was, failing to score a touchdown all season.
Late in the year, the Jets used rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson near the goal line. He ended up scoring a pair of short touchdowns, while also definitely being the season's most successful Richardson. He'll likely earn some consideration when the NFL hands out its Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
But in terms of short yardage rushing, give a slight edge to Trent. In situations where 1 or 2 yards was needed to either pick up a first down or score a touchdown, the Cleveland/Indianapolis runner converted 13 of 19 chances (68 percent). Sheldon Richardson received 3 chances, converting 2 of them (67 percent). Daryl, meanwhile, converted only 2 of his 5 opportunities in those situations (40 percent).
The season-long numbers for the three backs in those situations are presented below.
| TRENT RICHARDSON | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down | Dist | Yardline | Yards | |
| 1 | 2 | HST 2 | -2 | |
| 3 | 1 | IND 35 | -2 | |
| 3 | 1 | IND 22 | 0 | |
| 4 | 1 | IND 41 | 0 | |
| 3 | 2 | HST 41 | 0 | |
| 3 | 1 | IND 46 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | JAX 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 1 | SF 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | 1 | HST 15 | 1 | |
| 3 | 1 | HST 25 | 1 | |
| 4 | 1 | TEN 36 | 1 | |
| 4 | 2 | JAX 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | IND 25 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | IND 31 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | SD 50 | 3 | |
| 3 | 2 | IND 37 | 6 | |
| 4 | 1 | KC 40 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | IND 28 | 9 | |
| 3 | 1 | IND 29 | 12 | |
Combined success rate: 68%
| SHELDON RICHARDSON | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down | Dist | Yardline | Yards | |
| 1 | 1 | MIA 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 1 | CAR 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 2 | CAR 2 | 1 | |
Combined success rate: 67%
| DARYL RICHARDSON | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down | Dist | Yardline | Yards | |
| 3 | 1 | ARZ 28 | -2 | |
| 4 | 1 | ATL 34 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | SL 24 | 0 | |
| 3 | 1 | JAX 33 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | SEA 1 | 0 | |
Combined success rate: 40%
--Andy Richardson