ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Jalen Richard stared at the clock all morning and early afternoon this past Saturday. Cuts had to be turned into NFL offices in New York and Richard, an undrafted rookie running back from Southern Mississippi, had yet to hear from anyone in the Oakland Raiders' organization.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
“Man, it ain’t 1 o’clock yet,” Richard found himself saying, to no one in particular.
Neither general manager Reggie McKenzie nor coach Jack Del Rio had checked in with the 5-foot-8, 207-pound Richard, who impressed early in training camp and in two preseason games with his shiftiness and quickness.
But more than three hours after the deadline passed, the team announced its initial 53-man roster and Richard saw his name as one of four undrafted rookies to make the team, along with receiver Johnny Holton, defensive lineman Darius Latham, and cornerback Antonio Hamilton (UDFA linebacker James Cowser, who suffered a concussion in the exhibition finale two nights earlier, was waived/injured before being placed on injured reserve).
“So it was nervous [time], but I had the congrats from a lot of people and a lot of encouragement,” Richard said. “So it was a very happy experience.
“I called Mom and teared up. Mom and Dad.”
Richard, who participated in the Raiders’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis in May, injured a knee in camp before playing in the final two preseason games. He had 10 rushes for 45 yards, caught three passes for 14 yards, returned a punt for 25 yards and three kickoffs for 72 yards.
Perhaps more importantly, he and fifth-rounder and fellow Mighty Mite running back DeAndre Washington brought a spark every time they touched the ball.
Whether or not he dresses as one of 46 active players in Oakland’s season opener at the New Orleans Saints this Sunday, Richard will be attending his first-ever NFL regular-season game.
Indeed, this past exhibition season marked the first time he attended an NFL game of any kind. And despite growing up in Alexandria, Louisiana, some three hours from the Big Easy, he was not a Saints fan; his father made sure the household rooted for the Dallas Cowboys.
“If we were Saints fans,” Richard said with a laugh, “he would have [kicked] us out.”
Richard also has never stepped foot inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Yes, there are many firsts when it comes to Richard. And perhaps making his NFL debut in a stadium that played a central role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 also has added meaning to him, especially since Hurricane Gustav in 2008 flooded his house.
“I had water up to my chest,” he said.
“Everybody has a story and I come from a small town; not too many people make it out of the city. … This story can’t get any better -- tryout guy, you make the [53-man roster], and then your first NFL game is back in your home state? I can’t tell you how I’ll feel until I step out there, but I know it’s going to be an amazing feeling.”