Silver and Black Report

Slowly but surely, a handful of Oakland Raiders are trickling into Alameda, as the full team mini-camp is set to begin on Friday.

Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler are some veterans already on the premises.

Per an interview this week with defensive end Jay Richardson, “We got mini-camp this weekend, we finally get to have the whole team together. This whole new team we have here. Have good practices: we have two on Friday, two on Saturday, one on Sunday and kind of see where we are at. Get everyone up to speed and then the next few weeks, we’ll be polishing that up, working out and building some sort of chemistry and get guys going. It should be fun.”

Here are some things to look out for as the team comes together in their first action after the draft:

Rookies, rookies and more rookies…

How will Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston and the rest of the new grouping of Raiders react to life in the NFL? This is their first taste of lining up against professionals. More importantly, its their teammates first glance at players that are needed to make an impact immediately and help them turn around a seven year losing stretch. The defensive heavy draft features players in vital spots.

Signal caller action…

Obviously, the news will surround JaMarcus Russell and what will happen in his future. But Oakland has a crew of passers, including newly acquired Jason Campbell. Bruce Gradkowski’s injury will keep him out of action for a few more weeks, so Charlie Frye and Kyle Boller will be at the helm during certain drills.

How far along are the wide receivers…?

Louis Murphy had a respectable rookie campaign; Darrius Heyward-Bey did not. Both need to show major growth in 2010, as well as Chaz Schilens, who needs to demonstrate an ability to stay healthy and produce over the course of 16-games.

Who’s lining up where along the offensive line?

All eyes will be on Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell, but where will the veterans line up and who will be in the mix for what spots at the end of the weekend? Especially at right guard, center and right tackle.

Will the defensive ends please step up…

Oakland will have to start finding out what players fit best along the trenches and which ones are deserving of major reps. That won’t be decided after one weekend in May, but first impressions can go a long way.

SBREPORT.NET will be in attendance covering the three-day minicamp. Stay tuned for updates and observations from Alameda.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

In this second installment of SBReport’s exclusive interview with Oakland Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson, the 26-year old talks about his head coach coming back for one more campaign, the off-season and the Silver & Black’s fan-base among many other topics.

SBREPORT: You’ve been around a lot of solid veteran defensive linemen since you arrived: Warren Sapp, Derrick Burges, Greg Spires, Kalimba Edwards, Greg Ellis…what have you learned from those guys?

JAY RICHARDSON: “That’s a good point you make, I’ve had the privilege to be around a lot of good defensive ends, just good leaders, good players and all very different. All guys you can learn from.  When it comes to leadership, Greg Ellis was just one of those guys that is going to take charge, he’s just a perfect model for what a pro is supposed to be. But when I first go there, Derrick Burgess was here, and he was kind of like the man at the time, and who you wanted to look at, to see how to do things and the way he rushed the quarterback…he was just a real special athlete. I had the privilege of watching him rush every day, just trying to take what I could, such a tough player, just started to rub off on me. Obviously, we have [Richard] Seymour now, and he’s like a champion. A guy who has three rings, he’s been to the big show and I think it just helps a lot. It valuable to have someone like that on your team.”

SBREPORT: Not to many people know about your defensive coordinator. What’s John Marshall like during game days, the week leading to the game and now, in the off-season during camp and OTAs?

RICHARDSON: “It’s fun. He plays an attacking style defense. John Marshall is a fundamentally sound coordinator. He wants everything done right all the time and he has a lot of personality. He does the best he can to try to get us going throughout the week, even though it gets tough sometimes, he sticks with it and he’s just one of those guys that is relentless. He has fun with it. We have a good time with coach Marshall.”

After a six-year stint with the New York Giants, Oakland brought back defensive line coach Mike Waufle this off-season. He was on staff when the Raiders and Giants were in the Super Bowl and has been credited for helping the careers of many successful defensive linemen. Tom Cable also has a connection with the tough coach, spending six years with Waufle at the University of California. Richardson talked about Waufle and answered a question regarding Cable’s return after speculation of his demise after the 2009 season.

SBREPORT: Mike Waufle is your new position coach. He was with the New York Giants when they won the Super Bowl recently and worked with many good linemen. Have you talked to him during the off-season and what do you expect out of Waufle?

RICHARDSON: “’Waf’ is real military man. He’s a serious guy, but he knows his stuff. He’s one of those guys that knows how to play defense. He’s been doing it for so long, he’s so technical about it and he has the formula down for everything. He knows exactly how he wants things done. It’s good to play for a coach like that because; you know when you are making a mistake, you know there is no gray area. As long as you do things the right way, you’ll be fine. He’s a very smart coach.”

SBREPORT: How does it feel knowing that Tom Cable will be back another season?

RICHARDSON: “Its good for us. You want some consistency. There can’t be a new coach every year; it makes it hard on a team trying to hold on to its identity. Under Cable, we’ve kind of grown as a team and we are still trying to polish it up. But he’s helped a lot in trying to get this team to, rallying the troops if you will and getting us all on the same page. Getting us all to understand what it’s going to take for us to win in this league and be successful as a team and not a group of individuals. So I think he’s very important to our team success.”

SBREPORT: When Jay Richardson is not playing football or training, what’s your day like during the off-season?

RICHARDSON: “Not nearly as exciting as you think. I do some grocery shopping, I play some video games. I relax, I try to do as little as possible. I’m out there paying bills, making sure my family is ok and just do the day-to-day normal stuff.”

SBREPORT: How do you approach the off-season; in terms of balancing your time off and recovering from the season, and working-out and trying to get better as a player?

RICHARDSON: “It’s been fun. I took it a little different this particular year. I took it a little bit more serious. Obviously a contract year and all of that. I just, I felt like this year, I had to be in the best shape of my life and you know, I didn’t do as much hanging out as I probably have done in the past years because this is a big year, not just for myself, but for this team, this organization and I think this is going to be a pivotal year in Oakland Raiders history. This is going to be a big one for us. So I just wanted to be ready for it. As far as my preparation goes, its at an all-time high when it comes to focus and trying to make it happen this year.”

During the draft weekend, Oakland parted ways with veteran linebacker Kirk Morrison. A teammate of Richardson since 2007, the defensive end gave his thoughts on his former teammate and what he meant to the squad.

“Captain Kirk man, I know…that’s the man. We are all going to miss Kirk. Kirk is just a good stand up guy. A good linebacker. A good player. A good smart guy. Any team that gets him, obviously, it was Jacksonville. They are fortunate to have him. He’s a real good guy in the locker room. Kirk is going to do his job and he’s a real classy guy. So, he’ll definitely be missed out here in the Bay Area.”

SBREPORT: The team is taking on a new look: Jason Campbell was acquired, the new draft picks, and JaMarcus Russell looks to be on the way out. What are your thoughts on that?

RICHARDSON: “Yeah, its crazy man. You just don’t know and as they say: you don’t know what you don’t know. All you can do is just worry about yourself. But at the same time, Jason Campbell, from what I have seen of him the last few years, it’s a pretty solid guy, a solid quarterback who knows what he’s doing. He needed a fresh start it seems, this was the best place for it to try to re-establish his identity at quarterback in this league and jump-start his career. I think there is a lot of potential in him, he’s a smart guy. You know, we have a good stable of quarterbacks. Charlie Frye can play. Bruce Gradkowski, we all saw last year, can go out there and hold his own and win games for us. It’s just going to be an interesting dynamic for us this year, going into camp with a lot of talent out here.”

SBREPORT: You’ve gone through tough seasons, but in all, what are your impressions of the fan-base and your start of your career?

RICHARDSON: “They are unbelievable. I remember when I got drafted, I never knew how many Raiders’ fans are nationwide, globally, they are really. I never watched a tons of Raider football in the Midwest, you just didn’t see too much of those games.”

“For a team that has had the lack of success, I guess I have to say, over the last half decade, no fans cheer harder, no fans travel better than our people out here and that’s a testament to the fans, that they believe in us no matter what’s going on, no matter what the situation is. I think that is just awesome. That kind of stuff gives us the energy, especially on game day, like those tough games, the Philly game. We went out, at home, against a playoff team that we beat, most of that you tribute to the fans just being there for us and giving us energy.”

He continued to talk about the direction of the club, stating, “Things are about to turn around. This team is so close to turning the corner and becoming a potential playoff contender year in and year out. We are a few pieces away, I think we have to gain our identity as a team this year and do it early on in the year and establish ourselves our first eight games and I know for a fact that we can do that. I believe it is going to happen this year. I think it’s going to be a huge year for us.”

SBREPORT: What are the next few weeks looking like in terms of mini camps etc.?

RICHARDSON: “We got mini-camp this weekend, we finally get to have the whole team together. This whole new team we have here. Have good practices: we have two on Friday, two on Saturday, one on Sunday and kind of see where we are at. Get everyone up to speed and then the next few weeks, we’ll be polishing that up, working out and building some sort of chemistry and get guys going. It should be fun.”

SBREPORT: You are also a spokesperson for “The Right to Read Foundation,” can you talk about your contributions there and your countless hours of work with The United Way and the local Boy Scouts.

RICHARDSON: “For me its fun. This was all stuff I was involved in, in my life growing up, so it only made sense that once I had a chance to help give back, to help kids that may have been in similar situations that I was in growing up –  it just made sense. As soon as I got out west, out here, my rookie year, there was an opportunity to, on Saturday mornings, to go to children’s hospitals. It was always voluntary. But I signed up. At least every other week, just because I can relate to a lot of the stuff kids are going through. Plus, it’s always just nice to go in there and cheer the kids up, especially in the hospitals. There are a lot of kids in a lot tougher situations than we are. And I think sometimes, our lives get stressful and we focus so much on ourselves and wondering how we are getting out of the situations we put ourselves into and we never stop to look back at the situations other people are in. Especially kids. Doing stuff like that keeps things in perspective.”

RICHARDSON NOTES:

• Participated in 48-league games; tallying 109 combined tackles and 7.0 sacks.
• While at Ohio State, the collegiate majored in African-American studies.
• Selected in the 5^th round (138^th overall) in the 2007 draft.
• His mother, Deborah Johnson, attended Ohio State, where she played rugby and graduated in 1979.

Here is a link to Jay’s Official Web Site & info about his foundation:

JayRichardson98.com

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Sources close to SBReport.net state that the Oakland Raiders do not want JaMarcus Russell in attendance for their mini-camp this weekend.

Russell, who is scheduled to cost the Silver & Black  $9.45 million in 2010, with $3 million in guaranteed money, is expected to be released very soon. The acquisition of Jason Campbell, presence of Bruce Gradkowski (who is recovering from a chest injury) and the ineptitude showed by Russell since his arrival have led Oakland to the decision of moving forward without their former number one overall choice.

With this weekend’s camp opening Friday, Oakland does not want to be on the hook for $9.45 million in salary if he sustains an injury. If Russell reports, the Raiders can elect to keep him off the field and let others such as Kyle Boller take snaps to avoid any complications in their efforts to purge the former LSU star.

Sources have stated that Russell will get his $3 million, which  will bring the sum up to $39 million that the passer has banked since entering the league.

Oakland Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson has been a solid contributor to the squad since his arrival in 2007. The former Ohio State Buckeye is not only a hard worker on the field, but a charismatic provider off the field with his charitable ways and work with various foundations. SBReport.net was able to talk to the classy athlete and get recollections of his childhood, insight on his time as a Raider, on goings in the Bay Area and other topics in this exclusive two-part interview.

Richardson’s mother, Deborah Johnson, was born in Cleveland and was a Buckeye fan growing up. She attended Ohio State and eventually became a presidential intern in Washington, which gave Jay a diverse upbringing.

SBREPORT: You lived in many places as a youth. How did that influence your childhood years?

JAY RICHARDSON: “You know what, at the time, it didn’t seem as stressful as I guess it could looking back at it now. It was actually all I knew at that time. It was really a good time because I got to see a lot. Live in different parts of the world: Korea, Japan and Tokyo, lived in Guam for a few years and we were on base in Virginia. Bouncing around a lot, I guess it was hard because you never had a consistent group of friends and I was always going from place-to-place. But at the time, I didn’t look at it like that. I was just having fun, so it was good.”

SBREPORT: What about going to Ohio State; where your mother went and becoming a Buckeye?

RICHARDSON: “I really didn’t have much of a choice. When I came out of high school, that’s where I was going to go. In the back of my head, I pretty much knew I was going to go to Ohio State.”

Oakland used their 5^th round pick (138^th overall) in 2007 to bring in the Dublin, Ohio native. When asked about his recollections of that day, Richardson responded: “You know, the draft for me was like up in the air. I was one of those players; you know it was hard to predict where I would fall. Some people had me going as early, late in the 2^nd round. Some people had me going un-drafted. So it was like, no one really knew and I had talked to some teams as the draft began; Jacksonville called me at the end of the first round saying they were going to get me, trying to get me early in the third, and I had spoken with Miami. It was funny because, I hadn’t even really watched the draft on T.V. I went to church Sunday morning, went to eat with the family, went home was changing clothes then I got a phone call. I got the phone call from the front office in Oakland and I remember thinking to myself, when I got the call, ‘the Oakland Raiders, who is this….’ And it was the young lady on the front desk said, ‘I have the head coach on the phone, he has something he wants to say to you…,,’ and I was like, ‘Ok….’ And he was like, yeah, we just drafted you.”

He continued: “First it was, ‘Congratulations,’ and I was like, ‘Thanks. For what?’

“’We just drafted you, your not watching the draft?’ And I ran upstairs to turn the T.V on and I was like, O.K cool…thanks.”

SBREPORT: You’ve had opportunities to start, be a part of a rotation along the defensive line: how’s that been, being in and out of the line-up and trying to get as many reps as possible?

RICHARDSON: “Without a doubt, that is actually one of the things; if you’re a back up, you are a back up. If you are a starter, you are a starter. And if you either one consistently then you are fine, because you know what to expect every game and you know how to prepare. For me its been different. Some weeks I was a starter; some weeks I was a back up. Some weeks I played 80% of the snaps, some other weeks I only played 20%. So you never know what you are going to get from week to week. So you just have to stay ready at all times and just be ready to go in there and be productive.”

SBREPORT: Your first career sack came against the Broncos in 2007 – rookie season – do you remember that and what’s it like when you finally get to the quarterback?

RICHARDSON: “I’ll never forget. That was my first sack in the NFL against Jay Cutler. It was on 3^rd down, I remember because right before that play, they didn’t let me get on the field on 3^rd downs. We had our own 3^rd down package and I was not a part of it and I remember the d-line coach [Keith Millard], ‘Coach, just let me get one third down, I promise you I wont disappoint you. Give me one third down. And then, you know, first down, second down went by, third down came and I looked over at the sidelines and he kind of gave me the hand, to stay out there. I’ll give you this one shot, and I just then took off, tried to run over the tackle and wound up getting the sack. That was a big moment for me; I kind of had to get that monkey off my back.”

SBREPORT: You have new teammates now; Rolando McClain, the 1^st round selection, Lamarr Houston, a defensive end was added in the 2^nd round. What do you expect from those new guys?

RICHARDSON: “I don’t know to much about Houston, but I know he’s a pretty big guy, he’s going to be playing anywhere along the defensive line, so we’ll be happy to help plug him and get him going and get him up to speed on what we are doing. I know he’s a talented guy. McClain, I know he’s a big physical middle linebacker from down there in Alabama, I know that particular conference, they breed tough players and that’s what we are going to need at the middle linebacker spot. I just hope he comes in and learns everything as fast as he can and get going.”

SBREPORT: Do you take it personally that the Raiders are bringing in guys to compete along the defensive line?

RICHARDSON: “My mentality has not changed in the last three years. All it is, is competition. When I got drafted, there was a third round defensive end ahead of me that I had to beat out. Every year there is going to be new competition. And every year there is going to be a new guy. That’s the nature of the beast. This is a business. I never take that personally, that is what they are supposed to do. As an organization, they are supposed to get the best number of guys they can and the best players they can, which will breed competition, which at the end of the day, the best players are going to come to the top as always. And every year, I’ve always been right there playing and you know, productive. That’s the beauty of playing in the NFL, you always get to go against the best players in the world, so that is what is fun about it.”

SBREPORT: Would you give us some insight about ‘The Jay Richardson Foundation?”

RICHARDSON: “It’s a foundation geared towards helping, obviously kids, but in particularly young men, young inner city kids who need assistance with life skills. I’m not just talking about football, a lot of other guys put on football camps, and I think that’s awesome. But I think more realistically, not every kid is going to grow up and play in the NFL. My camp is more geared towards helping kids with every day life skills. You know, there so many kids that come from broken homes that don’t get a chance to learn just your basic skills; how to tie a tie, how to iron a shirt, how to wash clothes, how to just do every day stuff. My mother mostly raised me as a single mother, there were certain things you just don’t learn until there is a male figure in your life, to heal, teach you and to help guide you. That’s what my camp is more geared towards. Guys being role models for these kids more off the field than on the field.”

• Come back to SBReport.net to read part two of the exclusive interview with Jay Richardson. In the next installment, the defensive end talks about: the veterans that influenced him during his career, defensive coordinator John Marshall and new position coach Mike Waufle, Tom Cable coming back for another season, the departure of Kirk Morrison, the Raiders acquisition of Jason Campbell and what does it mean for the team, his off-season, Raider fans and what the team’s schedule looks like in the coming weeks.

Here is a link to Jay’s Official Web Site:

JayRichardson98.com

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

It appears that the Oakland Raiders have plucked away another member of the Washington Redskins. According to Chick Hernandez of CSN Washington, Rock Cartwright will join the Silver & Black.

News of this report also was posted on Pro Football Talk’s web site.

Cartwright played eight seasons in Washington after being drafted in the 7^th round of the 2002 draft. He was released in early March.

The rusher has carried the ball 215 times for 889 yards with 6 touchdowns in his career. He’s an asset as a target out of the backfield with his 59-career catches for 55 yards and 2 scores. Cartwright’s versatility can help the Raiders, as he holds the Redskins’ single season kickoff return yards mark, with 64 attempts and 1,541 yards.

Oakland in 2009 struggled mightily finding a productive kickoff returner and have targeted the fullback spot as an area of need – a position that the 30-year old may be able to compete at.

SBReport.net sources have stated that the contract may be for one-season.

(Photo used courtesy of the NFL.com)

The Oakland Raiders did very little at the start of the free agency period and for months leading up the NFL draft. This past weekend, with the selections they made, constant moving up and down the draft board and acquisition of Jason Campbell, Oakland has dramatically changed the outlook of the team for 2010.

But one more move would really get their fan-base buzzing and make them a legitimate breakout club for next season.

Finish the makeover and add a player that you’ve needed for years now – a Pro Bowl type defensive tackle. Sign John Henderson!

Reports this morning indicate that the Jacksonville Jaguars are ready to part ways with the 31-year old defender.

Jacksonville chose Tyson Alualu in the first round on Thursday, making Henderson and his $11 million, 2-year contract expendable. The cost cutting Jaguars were more inclined to go young in their rebuilding process. Oakland now should turn around and pick up the veteran in hopes of adding to their reloading program.

On March of 2006, Henderson had signed an extension worth $34 million and $13.4 in guarantees.

The 9^th overall selection in the 2002 draft, Henderson has been one of the more durable interior linemen in the NFL (missing only four games in eight seasons), equally adept at gobbling up space in the trenches and pushing the pocket, with his 29.0 career sacks. Not the bull rushing menace he was upon entering the league, Henderson is the type of tackle the Raiders need to help protect first round draft choice Rolando McClain and add bulk to a defensive line that has been horrid at stuffing the run since 2003.

Adding Henderson to this roster would help free up Richard Seymour, place him on the edge with rookie Lamarr Houston and second year talent Matt Shaughnessy. It will also give the Raiders a solid rotation along with Tommy Kelly and the Harvard product, Desmond Bryant. Any line that has the versatile Seymour and the hefty Henderson could potentially become one of the better ones in the AFC.

The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants had reportedly expressed interest prior to his release, and could be the frontrunners for his services.

Oakland should not hesitate and gauge his interest. A signing like this would be the cherry on top of the sundae.

Maybe Quentin Groves, a teammate in Jacksonville who was just traded to Oakland, could convince Henderson to join him. Oh, then they’ll have to find someone to continue his slap facing pre-game ritual.

(Photo courtesy of: www.jaguars.com)

Here’s a transcript of a question and answer session with Oakland Raiders tackle Bruce Campbell. The 106^th overall selection (4^th round) was added this weekend during the NFL draft.

Q: How tough were the last couple of days waiting for that call?


A: It was pretty tough, but it kept me anxious, real anxious to see where I was going to go.

Q: Talk had you going to the Raiders in the 1st round, obviously that didn’t happen, and yet you still end up there. Was that a strange feeling for you?


A: It was strange, but at the same time I still got a chance to play football. I’m still in Oakland, so it really doesn’t even matter to me at all. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to play football.

Q: When did you know that the Raiders were interested in you? Combine? Workout? Anything like that before hand?


A: Actually, at the combine. That’s when I found out that they could have some interest in me.

Q: Do you feel that you have something to prove since you were drafted lower than what was projected?


A: I always feel like I have something to prove ever since the talk…ever since the combine where people said I was just a workout warrior. I always felt like all that stuff is good, but I am actually a good football player. So now I can prove to everybody that I am a good football player thanks to the Raiders.

Q: You played on the left side of the offensive line. Are you capable of playing the right side if you were asked to?


A: Yes I am.

Q: Have you had a chance to talk to coach Cable today? Are you excited to play for a head coach who’s got offensive line experience?


A: Yes I really am but I hadn’t got much of a chance to talk to him today. We had a quick quick interaction but there was nothing serious.

Q: Have you spoken to Darrius Heyward-Bey about coming out [Oakland]?


A: No, I haven’t talked to Darrius yet either, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll talk to him some time today.

Q: Did you keep in touch with him at all during last season about what was going on [Oakland]

?
A: Yes, I actually have.

Q: What kind of things has he told you about this place? Is that going to help you in the adjustment?


A: Really, he says it’s a good place to be. He said everything’s about football there. He says it’s the real world. He says that you get exposed to the real world and you’re going to know that you’re going to have to work and I was like…Darrius, you know I have no problem with work!

Q: Leading up to today, had any other teams contacted you or promised that they might pick you?


A: No.

Q: Regarding to pre-draft scouting reports, people loved your physical attributes, but has some questions about consistency; sometimes they would see you would knock guys off their feet, but they didn’t see it all the time. Was it learning the position or growing into it?


A: I would say that it was growing into it. I feel that I have learned a lot and that I have grown a lot since my last football game to now. So, I feel like it was more of a mental thing of knowing stuff too.

Q: What’s your workout regimen like? To have the physical gifts that you have, we have to assume that you don’t just wake up and have them; you’d have to work for them.


A: I work out, I’d say…4 times a week. Yeah, I’d say 4 times a week.

Q: Were you at all surprised that the Raiders had picked another OT ahead of you?


A: Yes, I kind of was, but in the end I was still like…hey, that’s the way the card fell. I had no choice. I know what I’m (going to) bring to the table when I get there and I know I have a chip on my shoulder. So, I’m just looking forward to being in Oakland.

Q: Did you do a lot of zone blocking at Maryland?

A: Yes, we did.

Q: Does that play to your strengths?


A: Yes it does.

Q: Did you play special teams at Maryland and would you be willing to play special teams here in Oakland as you continue to learn offensive tackle?

A: No, I didn’t play special teams at all at Maryland…and it’s something I would LOVE to do. I’d LOVE to play special teams. I don’t mind doing it.

(Photo used courtesy of NFL.com)

Memo to the Oakland Raiders: Hand over the starting quarterback job to Jason Campbell.

Oakland made the right move this weekend acquiring a passer that: a) has starting experience in this league and b) has solid skills and a good enough resume to help this team back to respectability.

“I look at this as getting to start over,” said Campbell. “I talked to Mr. [Al] Davis, and he wanted me for two years. He wants me to help their team to a new level.”

And that he can do, more than any other signal caller on the current Raiders roster.

All indications are that JaMarcus Russell is a goner. SBReport.net sources have said that the former number one overall choice out of LSU can be cut as early as this week. So what remains?

Bruce Gradkowski, an underdog fiery passer who says all the right things, works hard and has the backing of his teammates. But he hasn’t even established himself in this league, has all the credentials of a back-up and if Oakland does elect to go with Gradkowski, there are too many unknowns, ranging from whether or not he can stay healthy a whole season to his production over a course of a campaign.

Campbell at 28 has far more experience with his four years of service with the Washington Redskins.

Four campaigns where he dealt with a new offensive hierarchy practically every season and an unstable offensive line in 2009 that allowed 46 sacks (28^th in the league).

Yet he managed to start every game the last two years and improve on his statistics every campaign since entering the pros.

In 2009, he topped all his career marks with 327 completions, 507 attempts, 3.618 passing yards, 20 touchdowns a completion percentage of 64.5% and a rating of 86.4.

And that was on a team that ranked 27^th in the NFL rushing the football (94.3 yards a game) and was treacherous along the trenches. During his 52-contest career as a Redskin, Campbell chucked the football for 10,860 yards and 55 touchdowns. No Raiders’ passer: Russell, Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, nor Kyle Boller can match any of those accomplishments.

Campbell lost his job because Mike Shanahan went with a scorned veteran named Donovan McNabb. A player the Raiders also reportedly pursued.

But that was not an indictment on him, as his time in Washington had run its course; with a revolving door of coaches and systems that bogged down the developing quarterback.

Insecurity also ran rampant, as Campbell dealt with the possible arrivals of other passers, like when owner Daniel Snyder flirted with the notion of bringing in Jay Cutler and his interest in Mark Sanchez prior to last year’s draft.

Sherman Lewis was plucked out of retirement and handed play calling duties in October of 2009 – a Raider-like move that showed dysfunction within Washington’s organization.

“I try to always be positive and find the positives in every situation, but I’m not going to lie and say last year was a normal situation because it wasn’t,” Campbell said of the madness. “Everything that we went through, I had never seen anything like it.

“I could have said stuff about it [publicly], but what was that going to help? My teammates counted on me to go out there every day, prepare as hard as I could and play as hard as I could. I know some guys get caught up in talking all the time and not focusing on the right things, but I just wanted to try to set a good example as the quarterback of the team and try to win. But it was hard. You looked around some days and just couldn’t believe some of the stuff that was happening, but I had to just push through and do the best job I could. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I got caught up in all that stuff.”

Even teammates realized the tribulations Campbell endured. “Every year they were trying to find somebody to replace him,” outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander commented. “It’s kind of hard to perform and have the confidence in yourself when you’re not always backed completely. I mean, he had his opportunities, but I don’t ever think he had the complete chance of just going out there and competing, not worrying about his job.”

Oakland should now give Campbell a new lease on life and empower him. Let him know it is his team. His huddle. And that new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will work with him solely to reach one goal. To make him the best possible passer he can be – something that the Redskins never attempted to do.

“I’m just waiting to see what happens and find out where I’ll be at,” Campbell said Thursday in a phone interview. “Whether it’s here or somewhere else, it would be nice to know something soon so I know what I need to do.”

The Raiders should tell him one thing…

Get ready to lead your new club. That Russell will not be an obstacle and that his issues in the past will just serve to make him a better player in Silver & Black.

“It would just be good to know, as soon as I can, where I’m going to be at. Once I know that, I’ll know how to approach the situation as far as moving forward,” Campbell was quoted.

Oakland should now move forward with one passer firmly entrenched as the starter…

Jason Campbell.

Here’s an early list of all of the un-drafted free agents that have signed with the Oakland Raiders.

Fullback Manase Tonga (BYU), linebacker Brashton Satele (Hawaii), offensive lineman Alex Parsons (USC) and fullback Chane Moline (UCLA) will all don Silver & Black uniforms to start their careers.

Moline and Tonga will compete for a roster spot, as the Raiders were in need of a fullback this off-season with the questionable status of Oren O’Neal, and whether he’ll ever round out to be the player he was early in his career when he showed promise of being a punishing blocker and the suspension Luke Lawton.

Lawton is not adept at blocking at the point of attack, but supplanted O’Neal last season due to his quicker feet and versatility. Moline was a solid pass catcher at UCLA, hauling in 6 score in his final campaign as a collegiate.

Tonga, at 5’11 and 245 pounds, offers a bulkier option and a lead blocker that could potentially slam into the line of scrimmage and open up holes for Hue Jackson’s ball carriers.

Satele, a swift defender, will join his cousin Samson, who was the starting center for Oakland last season.