Silver and Black Report

On the Oakland Raiders transaction page, they’ve listed waived/injury settlements with defensive ends Alex Daniels and Jay Richardson.

The Silver & Black parted ways with Richardson after he started in 22 contests in 2007 and 2008. He had knee surgery during the summer and never round out to form to make the final 53-man roster.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

FB Marcel Reece in action versus the 49ers

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Chaz Schilens continues to show fragility and is expected to be out for three-to-six weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery. Head coach Tom Cable had a media session yesterday and stated it’s a “three to six week issue.”

Schilens would have been a starter, even though he has not been able to prove himself as a starter since entering the league and has spent more time on the sidelines injured than on the field. This guarantees more playing time for Louis Murphy, who is Oakland’s best wide receiver. Darrius Heyward-Bey would have seen time out there regardless being a first round pick last year and the owner wanting to see his speedy receiver in action. Oakland was very thin and had many questions along this unit to begin with, now, without a player they depended on, Hue Jackson will face some major hurdles in the passing game unless the youngsters develop quickly.

Running back Michael Bush will undergo a procedure on his fractured left thumb, but will not likely miss the opener. Bush will get the bulk of the load of the ground if healthy.

Jared Veldheer will dabble at center and tackle this week. He’s too raw and very inexperienced at both spots. More maturations will be needed, but expect the rookie to be in the line-up sometime this year, especially if Samson Satele or Langston Walker cannot entrench themselves at their respective positions. Tom Cable said of Satele, “ want to look at it. There were some things from last night’s game that I was not pleased with but there were also a lot of good things at the center position. I think the fact that Samson is ready to go is the most important thing right now.”

DE Jay Richardson and DL Alex Daniels will miss the final game of the pre-season.

Cable gave very little when talking about his special teams: “I felt like we were getting closer to that. I don’t know after last night that it’s any clearer than it was before but I’ve got an idea.” There is little indication on who will grab the return duties, but at this point, the veteran Yamon Figurs provides more consistency and a better option at wide receiver. Johnnie Lee Higgins has not been the same since getting rocked in the home opener in 2009.

Cable on Marcel Reece:  ”Well, I’ll say this: He just continues to get better. That’s the thing that he’s shown us is that, from one week to the next he’s going out and improving on whatever his negatives were from the week before. It’s starting to show up more and more that this guy, you can coach him, he’ll take it and he’ll go get it again. I certainly think that he’s really showing himself the right way.”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Chaz Schilens went through arthroscopic knee surgery. He will be out indefinitely, as head coach Tom Cable did not reveal the length of his recovery.

For a second straight campaign, Schilens is likely to miss the opener due to an impairment. He broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot on August 18, 2009 and did not see action until the latter part of the campaign.

The 24-year old is looked at as the Raiders number one target, but why has he warranted such regard?

Schilens has only 44 career receptions for 591 yards and 4 scores and has only been elevated up the depth chart based on the weakness of the Raiders wide receiver corps.

By default, you can put the spotlight on Schilens. Darrius Heyward-Bey is still a project, Louis Murphy is in development as much as any other young target on the roster and every other wide receiver is either a special teamer at best or wouldn’t round out any other club’s receiving unit.

Schilens still has to prove he can play 16-games. Not just a full complement of games, but play at a high level against opposing starters that know that he’ll be getting the ball and that has the burden of being a ‘go to guy.’ Something he has never been and has not been able to prove at the pro level.

This just proves the fragility of the Raiders receiving department.

And if any one of these players miss extended time, regardless of who’s running the offense now, the aerial game will remain anemic.

• Alex Daniels switched his jersey number from 39 to 71. The move from lineman to fullback was not as expected. “I just didn’t feel like we made the improvement as quickly as I’d hoped,” Cable said. “He was brought in here, started out on defense to be a pass rusher, and obviously, it’s good to get a set of legs back over there. It just didn’t feel like to me it was working.”
• Langston Walker (back) Richard Seymour (triceps) and Samson Satele (ankle) did not practice yesterday.
• Jay Richardson expects to be ready for the opener after undergoing surgery on his meniscus tear.
• Bruce Gradkowski is expected to play in the final two pre-season contests.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Oakland Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson underwent successful surgery on his knee. On his twitter account, the former 5^th round draft choice out of Ohio St. posted:

I jus wanna thank the Lord, my family, and all my tweet peep and raider soldiers out there for all the prayer n support. Surgery went great!

With the depth along the defensive line and his inability to stand out due to injury this summer, it will be hard to see him making the final 53-man roster. Richardson is on his final year of his rookie contract, so a career campaign was anticipated by the end. If he makes the roster, it will be hard for him to crack the rotation especially if rookie Lamarr Houston and second year pro continue to shine, as they did in their first pre-season game against the Dallas Cowboys.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

FootballNewsNow.com talked with Oakland Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson, who touched on many topics including JaMarcus Russell, Jason Campbell and the amount of wins his club is capable of tallying in 2010.

On the upcoming season:

“I think we’re gonna have our first double-digit win season in … I couldn’t even tell you how many years,” he said. “It’s been a while. I’m hoping and pulling for 10 plus wins. I think we can do it. I think we’re going to be a playoff team this year.”

On Jason Campbell:

“So far, what I’ve seen of Jason, he’s going to be a difference maker. 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.”

“With Jason, I think we’re going to be able to do everything the coordinators want to do and more. He’s also a good guy. Obviously a competent guy, a smart guy. He obviously cares about performance and hopefully it shows.”

On JaMarcus Russell’s issues:

“He hasn’t done anything like that in front of me so I can’t sit here and say yay or nay as far as what goes on in his personal life. All I can really say is that it is a cultural thing in the south. Especially in the hip hop community that is something you see a lot of.

“And I think as an athlete you have to know when to distance yourself from that type of behavior. You have to be smart. That’s what it comes down to”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Oakland Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson will hold the first annual life skills camp on June 25-26 (Friday & Saturday) in Columbus, Ohio. The event, associated with the ‘Jay Richardson Foundation,’ will be for boys who will be 9^th-12^th graders during the 2010-2011 school year, and it will emphasize life skills that will prepare them for life before, during and after their sports career.

Here’s a look at the info disseminated by Richardson’s representatives:

The Jay Richardson Foundation was established in 2009 as a non-profit organization focusing on giving back to athletic youth. The Foundation will be holding its first annual Life Skills Camp on June 25-26 (Friday and Saturday) in Columbus, Ohio at AME Third District Headquarters, (288 South Hamilton Road Columbus, OH 43213) for boys who will be 9th – 12th graders during the 2010 – 2011 school year. The purpose of the camp is to teach high school – age male athletes life skills that will prepare them for life before, during and after their sports career. The key areas of focus for the foundation are improving youth sports activities, providing life skills training, decision making and money management. The cost for the Camp is $25.00 A $5.00 discount will be offered to boys attending AME churches. Registration will be available online at www.JayRichardson98.com and it includes a short summary explaining why attendance at this camp is important to the attendee.

In April, when I spoke to Richardson, he stated about his foundation, “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.”

For more information or registration, contact C. Kimberly Epps or visit Richardson’s site.

Camp Location :

AME 3rd District Headquarters 288 South Hamilton Road, Columbus, OH 43213 Phone: 614.575.2279

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

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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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

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

Nothing could have been more obvious. The balloon was deflated. The energy was sucked away. An offense that tallied nearly 200 yards in the first half was pitiful in the second half.

Why?

JaMarcus Russell entered the game for an injured Bruce Gradkowski and any chance of the Oakland Raiders notching back-to-back victories was flushed away.

Russell was sacked six times. Yes, the offensive line was dreadful, but the guy holding on to the ball had no pocket presence or awareness that defenders were flying at him. There was no way Russell could imitate Gradkowski under similar situations because the former number one overall pick just can’t play quarterback as well as the underdog.

Gradkowski could’ve extended plays and drifted away from some of those salivating Redskins’ defenders. He could’ve stepped up in the pocket a few times and tried to pick up yardage with his feet. Gradkowski could’ve kept the positive vibes the offense had going after their 4^th quarter barrage in Pittsburgh. Russell could not.

Russell’s presence anchored the team so much, that even his head coach was constrained. Hamstrung by Russell’s inability to absorb a complex NFL playbook, the Raiders regressed to their old ways and ran simple plays that made it easier for Washington to defend the football field.

Cable admittedly had to change the offenses’ approach because of the incapable passer. Gradkowski makes quicker decisions, scans the field better, elevates the performance of others and has jump-started an attack that was horrendous under Russell. Defenses had more to prepare for with Gradkowski at the helm because Oakland ran a non-threatening offense to cater to their soon to be bust.

“You could kind of see it emotionally a little bit, the wind left our sails, so to speak, just a little bit, when that happened,” defensive end Jay Richardson said when Gradkowski limped off the field.

That speaks volumes and gauges the exact feel of the team. Did they lose hope because their fighter at quarterback was not available? It certainly looked like it, and if a whole team is down so much on a guy like Russell – the player Oakland tabbed to be their savior when they took him in the draft and paid him a Brinks truckload – then this team must purge themselves of him at seasons end.

Gradkowski may not be able to play again this season.

“Right now, it’s to figure out where Bruce is at here in the next 24-48 hours and then make that decision.,” Cable stated today. But if ‘Bruce Almighty’ cannot use his legs effectively with a torn MCL and the other one partially torn, how good of an option can he be?

Well, you have Russell and Charlie Frye as your choices.

“I think certainly I’m going to look at what the options are and again as I told you before I’ll do what’s best for this team, what gives us the best chance to win,” stated Cable.

All of the sudden, it’s a matter of whether you play Russell or Frye with the coach trying to figure out what is the best solution for this team?

We are talking about Charlie Frye possibly starting over Russell!

At this point, its painfully obvious to even the most loyal Russell supporter that if the team is fighting over whether or not Frye plays over Russell, then you know the end is near for the former LSU product.

“It’s kind of different coming in, and not starting,” Russell stated to a reporter for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. “Best thing to do is just let the game come to you, don’t force anything. Couldn’t get too much going. That’s basically it. Nothing else to be said just couldn’t get nothing going.”

He continued to elaborate on the sack onslaught yesterday by saying, “I don’t know, but I say everything is my fault, so I’ll put it on me, maybe. I could’ve stepped up a different way to protect those guys, but that’s what happened.”

Yes JaMarcus, that is what happened. And what didn’t happen was what you predicted a few days earlier, stating “A totally different JaMarcus,” was going to be on display after your demotion.

We saw the same dreadful play that will lead this team nowhere and that just continues to reinforce the bust label that you are quickly earning.

Justin Fargas stated, “Well I think we were building something there but we can’t let the momentum or fire be killed by that we have to find a way to keep it going.”

It can Justin, but not with Russell as your quarterback.

Contact Author:  Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist