Trent Richardson gives Browns fans a name to rally around

BEREA, Ohio - The Browns and Browns fans finally have a jersey they may not have to cross the name off of the back year in and year out. There is a new sheriff in town, his name is Trent Richardson.

While optimism should ooze on draft night this time it feels different. The past two out of three years the Browns have traded down in the draft. This year, the Browns’ aggressiveness show they got the man the wanted; willing to spend the picks to get the player they want.

Richardson brings a resume with a national championship under his address. A hundred-yard games in college might have come easy for the Browns first back taken in the first round since William Green in 2002.

Smiles are all around northeast Ohio, the biggest might have come from Browns head coach Pat Shurmur in his press conference after the selection. 

“He’s a terrific player and he’s going to be a really fine addition,” Shurmur said. “He’s going to be one of those players who are fans will be able to watch run the ball for a lot of years.”

“Dependability in a player is very important,” Shurmur said. “The other guys on the team, the coaches, our fans, they need to know that our players are going to show up. I’ve seen this in this player.”

Richardson is also the highest back selected by the Browns in franchise history. It is ironic that the perhaps the best running in NFL history and Browns all-time great Jim Brown called Richardson “ordinary.” Brown was taken sixth in 1957.

Richardson wasn’t bothered one bit by Brown’s comments.

“I have a lot to play for,” Richardson said. “I’ve got a lot to prove. I’m an ordinary human, but as a back, I’ll be a special guy.

“I’m going to make sure that they always hear my name and they’ll have to compare people to me.”

Richardson comes to town as a man who took a girl with cancer to prom this year. He is her hero, and maybe in Cleveland too. At least until the second game of the season.