Jay Richardson is predicting at least 10 wins and a playoff run for the Raiders.
Oakland Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson is predicting big things for the team in 2010.
Perhaps it’s the addition of Jason Campbell at quarterback that has the fourth-year player enthused about the season.
“I think we’re gonna have our first double-digit win season in… I couldn’t even tell you how many years,” Richardson told me in an interview this week. “It’s been a while.”
Indeed it has been a while.
The Raiders are coming off consecutive 5-11 campaigns, which ties for their best season since 2002 when they reached the Super Bowl.
“I’m hoping and pulling for 10 plus (wins),” he said. “I think we can do it. I think we’re going to be a playoff team this year.”
In hopes of righting the ship the team made a slew of offseason moves both on and off the field, none of which were bigger than the addition of Jason Campbell and the release of JaMarcus Russell.
Richardson believes that the former leader of the Washington Redskins is just what the doctor ordered.
“So far, what I’ve seen of (Jason), he’s going to be a difference maker,” he said. “He allows us to open up our offense a little bit and do some things that we probably couldn’t do with a younger quarterback like JaMarcus.”
Richardson admitted that he didn’t mean to knock Russell with that statement, but thinks that Campbell’s experience could prove to be the difference.
“With [Jason], I think we’re going to be able to do everything the coordinators want to do and more,” Richardson added. “He’s also a good guy. Obviously a competent guy, a smart guy. He obviously cares about performance and hopefully it shows.”
It’s going to take more than just a change at quarterback for the Raiders to turn the fortunes around. It’s going to take a change in attitude.
The Ohio State product thinks that the winds of change have swept over the entire organization for the better.
“There’s a new feel around the office,” he said. “Right now I’m feeling pretty good about what we’ve got going on.”
We’ll conclude our three-part interview with Richardson tomorrow when he discusses his personal goals heading into the final year of his contract.
And, in case you missed it (we’re all about plugging our own stuff), he talked about the JaMarcus Russell arrest in part one of our interview and shared his thoughts on where the former No. 1 overall pick will wind up in the future.
Hint: It might not be the NFL.
Part 1: Richardson on the addition of Jason Campbell to the roster and moving back into the starting lineup.
Part 2: Talking JaMarcus Russell, predictions for the 2010 season and the Jay Richardson Foundation.
