Former Colts running back Trent Richardson has lost weight, gained quickness for Raiders

If you're tired of reading articles about Trent Richardson, then read no further.  Seriously, just hit the back button on your browser and go about your night.

Now that you've had your warning and have decided to read on further, let's talk about Trent Richardson.  Specifically, let's talk about how the former Colts running back is doing so far with the Oakland Raiders.

We all know that the Trent Richardson era in Indianapolis was pretty much a disaster.  In 29 games after the team traded a first rounder to the Browns for the former third overall pick, Richardson rushed for just 977 yards and six touchdowns, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.  His first season with the team (2013) was rough, but his second season with the team (2014) was a disaster.  The Colts grew frustrated with him as the season went along, and he didn't produce on the field either.  He was benched and saw his playing time decrease late in the season, and then he was suspended for the AFC Championship game due to his not letting the team know why he was absent from their Saturday walkthrough.

One of the biggest reasons for the team's frustrations came with Richardson's weight.  According to a report from ESPN's Mike Wells earlier this year, Richardson's weight issues started after a week seven hamstring issue, and from then his weight got up to 240 from his listed playing weight of 225.  A later report from Wells noted that the Colts fined Richardson 14 times during the 2014 season for being overweight.  Richardson himself commented to Wells on the weight issues, saying that, "We had made an agreement where I'd weigh 230 pounds, but it turns out that I was supposed to be 227 pounds and they didn't tell me that.  We've got a list of things we can use against the Colts where I can get my money back.  They were fining me for failing to meet conduct code.  Not making weight is not conduct code."

Richardson has filed a greivance against the Colts, and we're still waiting to hear about the resolution of that.  Nonetheless, however, it was very common to hear Colts fans saying last year that Richardson looked like he needed to lose weight as his struggles on the field continued.  It sounds as if the Colts thought the same thing, and perhaps the Oakland Raiders - who signed Richardson this offseason after he was cut by the Colts - think the same thing as well.

Raiders offensive line coach Mike Tice recently appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio and talked about the team's running backs, including Richardson.  "Each one has their own style," Tice said of the running backs, per Raiders.com.  "I like the [Latavius] Murray kid. He really came on in that veteran mini-camp. He got his legs under him and showed some quickness, some good finish. I thought the young man out of Alabama [Trent Richardson] came on.  He lost some weight, his quickness came around."

Richardson is listed on the Raiders' roster at 225 pounds (the same the Colts listed him as last year), but if he really has lost some weight, it wouldn't be a surprise if his quickness had improved.  And it would give more credence to what the Colts and their fans seemed to think last year.  Of course, we'll have to see it on the field to actually believe it, but perhaps Richardson realizes the situation he is in.  The former third overall pick is on his third team in as many years, and his struggles have made this stint with the Raiders feel like something of a last chance.  Whether or not that is actually the case, I'm sure Richardson realizes that he needs to get it together.  If that means being dedicated and losing some weight in an attempt to get some quickness back, then hopefully it will pay off for him on the field in 2015.