Though he's officially listed as questionable, all indications are that Cleveland Browns rookie running back Trent Richardson will play tomorrow. Richardson (chest) will wear a flak jacket Sunday to better protect his mid-section, but Browns coach Pat Shurmur expects no ill-effects and for Richardson to play.
“I think when he gets in there and gets rolling, a lot of things that tend to hurt until the adrenaline flows kind of go away," Shurmur said Friday. "He’s cleared to play and my assumption is that he’ll be there Sunday.”
This does not bode well for Indianapolis . Though Richardson and the Browns have not been effective running the ball to this point, Richardson is just the type of big, bruising, power back that the Indianapolis defense has had trouble containing. Backs in Richardson's mold -- the Jets' Shonn Greene and the Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew -- have found a lot of success against the Colts front seven.
Interim coach Bruce Arians had a simple message for his defense, which may be comprised of several practice-squad players and backups due to a rash of injuries.
“Yeah, go get after Trent Richardson," Arians said. "You’ve got a great chance there against a heck of an offensive line. So it’s going to be a great challenge for them but it’s a team game. So whatever the defense needs, the offense needs to pick up or special teams has to pick up."
That doesn't sound like much of a ringing endorsement, but in fairness, the Colts defense will be massively short-handed. Linebacker Robert Mathis (knee), defensive end Cory Redding (knee), and nose tackles Martin Tevaseu (ankle) and Fili Moala (knee) have all been ruled out for Sunday's game, Arians announced Friday.
There is some good news for the Colts defense, as linebacker Pat Angerer is expected to make his season debut, though he will not start. Indianapolis leading tackler Jerrell Freeman will again start at inside linebacker.
Wayne vs. Haden?: Fans and fantasy football prognisticators alike have been anticipating a matchup between Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne and Browns cornerback Joe Haden . That may not be the case, however, at least not for the entire game. The Browns coaching staff has been mum on whether or not Haden will follow Wayne no matter where he lines up, but chances are Haden won't be on the veteran when he lines up in the slot.
Shurmur didn't tip his hand Friday when asked if the Colts would try to keep Wayne in the slot so to avoid Haden.
“I think they’ll put Reggie everywhere," Shurmur said. "I think you’re seeing him play, especially this season, more than the traditional spots he played all those years with Peyton [Manning]. You’ll find him inside. You’ll find him outside. They move him around because they’re trying to get him the football. I don’t know if it will be to avoid the Joe Haden matchup, but I think we’ll see a lot of the same things we’ve seen for the first few weeks.”
Weeden vs. Luck?: Of course Sunday will also be a battle of two rookie quarterbacks, Brandon Weeden and Andrew Luck . Of course, the two of them will not be on the field at the same time, as Shurmur astutely pointed out Friday.
"Unless there is something goofy that happens, I don’t foresee a situation where they’re going to be on the field together," Shurmur said. "I think it’s just natural to compare performance by the sheer numbers. I think what’s important is we do what we have to do to put a bunch of good plays together, and go in there and try to get a victory."
Arians had a slightly different -- and perhaps more realistic -- response when asked about rookie quarterbacks.
"It could be like ‘Oh my god he’s going to throw eight picks’ and then he’ll go out and play one heck of a game," Arians said. "That’s the funny thing about the business. You could have a great week of practice like we did last week and I was never more shocked at the way we played because of the way we practiced. You never, if I could tell that, we’d bottle that up and make a bunch of money.”
For up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Colts blogger Evan Hilbert, follow @CBSColts
