Al Davis: I See Jason Campbell Like I Saw Jim Plunkett
To say Al Davis has high hopes for his offense in the near future would be an epic understatement. If he truly believes the things he says — and we have no reason to believe Crazy Al doesn’t — then he must believe Jason Campbell and Darrius Heyward-Bey can become one of the greatest quarterback/wide receiver duos to ever play the game of football. Not long ago, Davis ordered a press release that compared Heyward-Bey to Hall of Fame receivers such as Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, and Randy Moss.
The Raiders owner also apparently thinks releasing JaMarcus Russell and acquiring Campbell could turn out to be one of the best moves in franchise history. In a recent interview with Sirius NFL Radio, Davis compared the current Raiders squad to the 1980 Super Bowl team, and made comparisons between his new quarterback and two-time Super Bowl (one MVP) winner Jim Plunkett. It would seem as though anything less than Tom Brady/Randy Moss circa 2007 would disappoint him at this point. Here’s what Davis told Sirius NFL via ESPN:
I really liken this team a great deal to the team of 1980, in which the great Jim Plunkett pulled us out of the doldrums, took us to the Super Bowl as a wild card, and we had so many great players who eventually made their way into the Hall of Fame,” Davis said in an interview with Sirius NFL Radio.
I see this young Jason Campbell as a football player like I saw Jim Plunkett. He has everything. He was 13-0 in college, at Auburn, he can throw up the field, he can run, he’s big, he’s smart,” Davis said. “I really predict great things for him. I hope he doesn’t let me down. I don’t think he will.”
I’m sure the players appreciate the confidence their owner is showing in their young team, but Al might be coming on a little strong here. I’m not sure comparing a team that has done nothing to one of the better teams in your franchise’s history is going to help, let alone saying you hope your new quarterback “doesn’t let [you] down.” Then again, it’s Al Davis. I’m sure even the new players know better than to put a ton of stock into anything he says.
Source:
Al Davis excited by 2010 Raiders [ESPN]
