The Oakland Raiders have endured seven straight seasons of 10 or more losses. Owner Al Davis, however, said Tuesday in a rare radio interview that he believes the 2010 team will end that slump.
"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.
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| Jason Campbell |
He said he sees some Plunkett in Jason Campbell, his new starting quarterback.
"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."
Plunkett led the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories and was named the Super Bowl MVP in 1980.
Campbell, acquired in a trade with the Washington Redskins in the offseason, started 52 games for Washington since being a first-round pick in 2005. He has thrown for 55 touchdowns, 38 interceptions and has a passer rating of 82.3 in his career.
He is coming off his best season, completing 64.5 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a passer rating of 86.4. But the Redskins went 4-12 last season.
Davis specifically mentioned new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson as another reason he believes the Raiders will turn things around this season.
Jackson helped Joe Flacco make it to the playoffs in his first two seasons in the NFL with the Ravens and also worked with Carson Palmer as the offensive coordinator at USC.
"We have a bright new young offensive coordinator in Hue Jackson, and I just have great hopes for this young team," Davis said. "It's a very young team, but I do have hopes for it."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
