Is he ready to be 'The Man'?
Some fans and pundits question how well Richardson is capable of playing minus Ingram in the backfield. After all, it was Ingram who spear-headed the Tide's 2009 SEC Championship against the Florida Gators—which led to them securing their first National Championship in more than a decade—so it was clear that Richardson will still running without the expectations of being both a No. 1 back or a former Heisman Trophy winner.
That said, Richardson did a fine job holding down the fort while Ingram sat with a knee injury and, at times, it was apparent that if he'd had more consistent touches per game, he might have been able to do a lot more damage on the ground (2010: 112 carries, 700 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 6.25 ypc average) than he actually did.
Bearing all that in mind, does that mean he's poised to breakout in 2011 and be the best running back in the SEC?
Perhaps, but the Alabama quarterback situation will bear watching in the early going as some are not factoring the loss of Greg McElroy into the equation—his experience and leadership will definitely change things offensively—and there will be a period of adjustment in the way the Tide's offense is executed as they get accustomed to a less experienced quarterback leading the way.
While A.J. McCarron appeared to play well in spot duty last season, his spring performance wasn't enough to make coach Saban name him the outright starter for 2011—Saban has even intimated at playing two quarterbacks this season—so it's unclear what or how many quarterbacks will start under-center for the Tide this year.
Even more, the Tide will have to find a new set of hands in the passing game and while the offense was fairly balanced last season—passing only slightly more than they ran—a majority of those receptions went the way of Julio Jones, who is now gone, leaving Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks with big shoes to fill at the wide receiver position.
That level of uncertainty in the passing game means more pressure on Trent Richardson to make it happen early and often, at least at the start, as the Tide may need to lean on the run a lot more this year than last. And, given Richardson's propensity to play all-out on every down (recklessly at times) you feel a need to pray that Eddie Lacy is ready to get back to being a reliable No. 2 option.
Lacy had issues with ball security last season, but appears to be much improved—if his spring performance is any indication—and he could be poised for a statistically better 2011.
Richardson will need all of these things working in his favor if he is going to become the guy whom many feel has Heisman potential. There's no doubt he has the talent, the only question is if 2011 will finally be his time?
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