Oakland Raiders: 5 Keys To Success In 2015

May 26, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Trent Richardson (33) catches a pass at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. Trent Richardson Must Resurrect His Career

Running back Latavius Murray is primed to be the starter heading into the 2015 season, but I believe that the key to the Oakland running game is through Trent Richardson. This may seem foolish as Richardson’s 3.3 career yards per carry are nothing to be proud of, but I still believe that in order for the Raiders to have success on the ground the former Alabama star must find success of his own.

Coming into the league in 2012, Trent Richardson had high expectations. He was the 3rd overall pick in the draft, and quickly became the starting running back in Cleveland, managing 950 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground his rookie season along with 367 yards and 1 score through the air. It seemed as though he was poised to have a successful career with the Browns.

However, after two games and only 105 yards in Cleveland in 2013, Richardson was traded to the Colts for a first-round draft pick. In Indianapolis it became clear that he was not going to be the answer for the running game. In 2013, Richardson averaged less than 3 yards per carry with the Colts, and failed to improve much on that in 2014 with only 519 yards and 3 touchdowns on 3.3 yards per carry.

Now he finds himself on a depth chart in Oakland behind emerging star Latavius Murray, and needing to do a lot to prove himself. Murray’s 2014 saw him average 5.1 yards per carry and accumulate 424 yards despite only getting three starts. He’s expecting to be the starter, but knows he’s still got a lot of work to do:

"“For me, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I would think any person does,” said Murray (per Rebecca Corman of Raiders.com). “I just know how important it is. This is a big year for me and I know what I need to do to go out there and prove myself. I hold myself to a high standard.”"

Richardson, on the other hand, is having to accept his role behind Murray. He came into the league as a starter, but he’s lost that privilege and now must try to find a different role on his team. What’s crucial for him to remember, however, is how important he really is to his team’s success.

Latavius Murray has had his fair share of injury issues. This includes an ACL injury in 2009, an ankle injury in 2013, and some concussion setbacks in 2014. Each one of these has caused him to miss some time, and with this many problems already in his young career, it could be said that he is a bit of an injury risk. He may get through an entire season unscathed, but with the physical pounding running backs today take, it’s just as likely that he misses some time, or at least requires some relief now and then.

This is where Trent Richardson is key.

There are few running backs in today’s league that are true every-down backs, playing every snap of every game. Certainly in Oakland, where the offensive line isn’t exactly the most dominant in the game, it seems likely that running backs will take a pounding. Richardson is going to be needed every week as a change-of-pace back or in relief situations, and he has got to be ready.

Former NFL All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson thinks Richardson needs to be focused on his secondary role in the backfield:

"That’s what he should be thinking about, because it’s going to be Latavius Murray’s show,” said Tomlinson (via Mark Inabinett of AL.com) “I’m just saying. The kid can play. But you do need another running back to spell him at times and really to help keep the chains moving. If Trent Richardson gets his mind right that that can be him, then I believe he can have a nice role with that offense.”"

I too, believe that Richardson can have a nice role in the offense, but think it possible that by the season’s end, this role will be much bigger than is being assumed now. He set Alabama school records in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2011 in a very tough SEC, as he helped lead his team to a BCS National Championship, and I think those skills are still there. Sure the NFL is very different than the college game, but you don’t achieve those statistics without being an extremely talented athlete.

Richardson needs to embrace his role as a backup, and use that slot to fight his way up to a big contributor on his team’s offense. He has the ability to be a star, he just needs to find the drive to do so. I don’t have as much faith in Latavius Murray as many do, and I think his few stellar games in 2014 are not near enough to prove him as one of the league’s top backs.

Richardson, on the other hand, showed us in his rookie year that he has the ability to be a productive starting running in the league. I think that Richardson returning to his college and rookie performance, and then improving from there, will be key to Oakland’s future success. He needs to resurrect his career, and this will require a lot of hard work. If he can get his mind right, the rest will follow, and he’ll be able to work his way up from a backup spot on his team’s roster into a week-in week-out performer on what should be a competitive team in 2015.

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