By Nate Davis, USA TODAY
Updated 57m ago
Jim Brown labeled RB Trent Richardson "ordinary" even as the Cleveland Browns dealt four picks to the Minnesota Vikings to secure Richardson's rights with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 draft.
By Jim McIsaac, Getty Images
Brown, a Hall of Famer who retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher and is almost universally regarded as the Browns' best-ever player (and many still think he's the best all time in NFL history), still isn't backing down from his assessment of Richardson, though he did clarify his remarks Friday night on NFL Network's NFL Total Access.
"People took that as a negative, but that isn't a negative. You have Heisman Trophy winners that leave the college ranks coming to the pro arena that are total busts," said Brown. "When I think of greatness, I think of guys like Earl Campbell and Gale Sayers and Walter Payton and these individuals who it's unanimous that they're gonna make a difference. And when they were coming out of college, it was no doubt.
"So at least we have to discuss Richardson from the standpoint of giving him an 'ordinary' kind of label and then letting him prove to us that he's not. If he does that, then I will apologize. But I'm gonna look at things, and I'm gonna stand by the things that I see. And I think he is an ordinary individual that has great work ethics, he has an all-around ability. But that special ability that I look for when I say Gale Sayers? I don't see that."
The Browns are certainly betting Brown will be proven wrong given Richardson and fellow rookie Brandon Weeden are likely to be the offense's key cogs in 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment