Sheldon, but at a discount

Richardson’s confidence hasn’t been shaken despite his poor statistical season (1 1/2 sacks, 62 tackles). For a variety of reasons, he knows he’s still a difference maker of the highest order no matter what the 2016 numbers said.

“Ask other offensive linemen,” Richardson said with a smile. “You know my opinion. In my opinion, I’m the best defensive lineman in the league. That’s my opinion. You can’t go draft a d-lineman and then ask him to play outside linebacker, middle linebacker all in the same season. It just don’t work like that.”

People at all levels of the organization will tell you that Richardson is one of the hardest workers on the field. Nobody in the building loves the game more than he does. He doesn’t need or want to prove anything. He didn’t want to prove anything coming out of Missouri four years ago, either.

“I ain’t got to prove s--t,” Richardson said. “I didn’t have to prove a damn thing. I knew I was cold . ... I didn’t have to prove nothing.” Cold? “Cold. Tight. Raw. Great. Dominant. Elite,” he continued. “What do you want me to say? I don’t want to toot my own horn. But I knew I was good coming out of college. I knew I was going to be a force to reckon with. Football ain’t changed for me. I learned a little bit more as far as the technique part and how offensive coordinators attack certain defenses. Looking at plays before they develop. I’ve been doing that since high school. Ain’t nothing changed for me. See ball. Hit ball.”

Anyone who believes that Richardson’s statistics told his story last season didn’t pay close enough attention. Richardson’s athleticism coupled with a stacked defensive line prompted Bowles to move him around in his defense. The versatile lineman played a little outside linebacker and even inside linebacker.

Defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers said the plan is to keep Richardson at his natural threetechnique position (lining up on the outside shoulder of the guard) in 2017, which should cause a statistical spike. Rather than playing outside-in and funneling traffic back inside for his defensive line mates and linebackers to make tackles, Richardson will be playing inside-out again, shooting the gap and causing havoc.

“We’ll see, because it ain’t set in stone,” Richardson said of exclusively playing threetechnique. “They want me to stay at three-technique, but it ain’t set in stone. That’s what they want to do. But what we got to do to win ... You never know.” o matter what happens, Richardson, who dropped 15 pounds this offseason, remains undaunted by the chatter that he might not finish the season here. He wants to be a part of the solution for this star-crossed franchise. He’ll do his part for as long as he can.

It would be an epic blunder to let him go.

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