When do you pull JaMarcus Russell?

[People's Champ]

Here are some stats from the first 3 games this season. A 41% completion rating. A QB rating of 39.8. An average of 5 yards per completion. 1 TD and 4 INTs. Watching his passes, he looks like is regressing. He wildly over throws his recievers, even ones wide open. And he seems to have no idea just how bad he is or if he even cares.

Now I know the Raiders as an organization as just bad. Inept. Horrible. Any word you can use. The coach is waiting to see if charges will be filed for felony assault. The owner continually overpays players that are not that talented. (See Hayward-Bey who nobody had in the first round yet was picked 7th overall). Having said that, Russell is just terrible. This team has a decent D and some talented backs. A good QB would help. I believe they should have kept Garcia instead of Frye or Bradkowski. How long before Russell gets benched? When would you sit him?

 

[NDN Souljaa]

I would give him till the Chiefs game in week 10. Cuz i wont blame the guy for coming up short against the Giants, Eagles, Chargers, and Jets, which are all really good defensive teams. i think they were all in the top 10 in the fantasy.

in anycase, if he sucks it up against the Chiefs, (which is after the bye week which should give him even more time to practice or do whatever it is he/Raiders do), then i say pull the plug.

But im a little biased. I cant stand people that holdout. Especially for the entire season. he will always be a tool in my eyes.

 

[Christian Battlez]

I say they have two options at this point.

A.) Stick with him- I mean who do they have backing him up? Charlie Frye? Bruce Gradkowski? Getting rid of Jeff Garcia was a mistake for sure. But it was clearly because Davis didn't want Garcia earning away Russel's job. The man is bound determined for his #1 pick to succeed. With no better options why not stick with the guy making all the money? Do you really wanna pay him to hold a clipboard?

B.) Find another option outside of Oakland- Try to convince Garcia to come back if he isn't too offended. Russell isn't getting it done even if he is their best option right now. He is the best of three shit quarterbacks. Go get Garcia or someone else.

Option A is more likely but Option B sounds like more wins for the Raiders. Who knows if they lose enough games they may win the Tim Tebow sweepstakes. He's got a cannon arm which Davis loves although as a Gator fan I hope he stays far away from the Raiders.

 

[BooCocky]

Firstly, protect him, and find him some receivers outside of Zack Miller. As a Quarterback it is always hard to learn when you are under constant pressure and you have no one to catch the ball for you. Yes they are loaded at running back, but that can only get you so far. If you really see Russell as a Quarterback of the future, you have to stick with him, build around him, and hope everything falls into place in a couple years.

So I say stick with him because he is the only thing you have at this moment.

 

[People's Champ]

Firstly, protect him, and find him some receivers outside of Zack Miller. As a Quarterback it is always hard to learn when you are under constant pressure and you have no one to catch the ball for you. Yes they are loaded at running back, but that can only get you so far. If you really see Russell as a Quarterback of the future, you have to stick with him, build around him, and hope everything falls into place in a couple years.

So I say stick with him because he is the only thing you have at this moment.

Ok I would agree with you if Russell was in his 2nd maybe maybe 3rd year but this is his 4th year. And he is not showing progress. You can't use the reciever argument because Russell doesn't even give the chance to catch it. I could understand if they were perfect passes and they were dropping them. But the passes are just terrible. He's not getting close. He's too concerned with making sure everyone sees his diamond earings and jewlery. He has no sense how bad he is. That's why I think its time.

 

[Minor League Brian]

The kids got an arm, no one can deny that, but they need to work on his accuracy. He misses passes he should be making. Secondly, as Becker said, you NEED to get him some weapons besides Miller. Its not always the quarterbacks fault there's an incompletion, sometimes its just bad hands by the receivers. Thirdly; they need to find a way to protect him. I don't know how just yet, but their the coaches making the money; they should be able to find a way to get him a little more time to sit and think.

But to get to the point; I wouldn't pull him. I'd work out a more dedicated way to get the man's accuracy up. He's got the power, but he needs to work on the finess. Be it for every pick, he has to run laps or go through tedious passing drills; something. Do what you gotta do to get that mans accuracy up because once you do, you'll have a -very- dangerous Quarterback.

 

[RVDgurl]

JaMarcus Russell is not good- let's get that out there. However, he has no supporting staff and plays on a team that is just not good. Luckily for the Raiders, they also happen to play in a weak division. The season is still young so there is plenty of time to turn things around. I say keep Russell in the game. It can't be any worse, really. Who the hell is Oakland's back up anyway? Seriously. Russell is still young and he does have one of the stronger arms in the league. He needs some decent people to catch the ball, since accuracy isn't exactly his strong suit. Get Russell some help and I think you will see some marked improvement.

 

[NSL]

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have had a shot at starting this year. A normal owner would have seen Jeff Garcia on the roster, and said "Fuck! Give him the god damned ball!", and that would have been the end of the discussion. But, Al Davis loves JaMarcus so much, you have to wonder what kind of off the field relationship they have.

It's really not right. He has shown no signs of being NFL-ready, and he doesn't seem to be close. In the situation they have, I bench him now, while the division is still a possibility, and give the ball to Gradkowski. He's shown flashes when he's gotten the ball, and certainly gives the team a better chance to win than someone who complete less than 40% of his passes.

 

[Shocky]

Give it ten years time, and if (not trying to be mean) Al Davis is stilla live, then I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland, because in ten years time, the Raiders will be seen in the same light as the current Lions and Bengals. The Raiders are far along there way to be the worst team of next decade. Believe me, living in a town with inept ownership is beyond frustration, and to see the level of talent, and see the misuse of said talent, is down right infuriating.

I feel for Jamarcus Russel. I believe the guy to be damn talented, but he has absolutely nothing to work with. As a guy that lives 2000 miles away, I can't name one wide receiver, lineman, or running back on the team, hell, outside of Fatakowski, I couldn't name you one raider.

If you are not going to surround your quarterback with either an outstanding line or one helluva team of position players, then you're going to suck. Size wise and fundamental wise, Jamarcus looks to have the tools, but he plays for the Raiders, and that's really all you need to know about the situation.

 

[Gregor_Samsa]

I don't know how well accuracy can be taught. He could improve his anticipation but being able to put the ball where it needs to be...it seems like that is a skill obtained early on in a quarterback's life.
I've been watching a few classic NFL games recently and one glaring aspect of the game then that I don't see now is the accuracy of the quarterbacks. With the emphasis in college on the running quarterback and the guys who can fling the ball 70 yards, accuracy is a quality that has taken a backseat.
There are certainly some quarterbacks in the nfl right now that can still thread a needle, manning, brees, brady (when he's 100 percent,) and perhaps a handful of other players.

 

[People's Champ]

NSL is right. On a normal team he would be benched because he's not helping. He's not ready. But other points have been made about the supporting staff. While I agree that its important to have weapons around him he still can't have passer ratings in the 40's every game. There is too much money invested in this guy for him to not have any progress. This is his fourth year. He has to step it up and he's not.

 

[gd]

Give it ten years time, and if (not trying to be mean) Al Davis is stilla live, then I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland, because in ten years time, the Raiders will be seen in the same light as the current Lions and Bengals.

I'd say they're already there, they are probably the worst franchise in the NFL right now, maybe sports.

JaMarcus Russel is bad, there is no hiding it. He has all the physical tools and is a great athelete, but he just hasn't been able to put it together. I believe his completition percentage is under 40%, which is downright atrocious. He's so bad, that I usually just pick up the defense that is playing the Raiders for fantasy football, and they are one of the best defenses that week every time.

I don't think that you can bench him though, who else to you have to replace him? Is Andrew Walter the back up there? Maybe he'll pull it together near the end of the season once the receivers actually know whats going on. He definetly suck know, but there is no way he can be benched now.

 

[People's Champ]

Ok so there are some stories out there that should be discussed that has to do with Russell. Ill start with the first one.
On Fox Sports Radio Chris Myers show they had Jeff Garcia on. He told them that he had asked for his release because of the enviorment there. They were not committed to winning, only there to pick up paychecks. And that Russell was not ready to lead that team. That is a damming statement, not only for Russell but for that organization. How could a NFL franchise let itself go that bad? Obviously that is not a team that can help Russell develop if there is noone there who wants to win, but rather is there for the check. Just a sad situation. I feel for him. Until. This came out.
Boomer Esaison wrote a piece about how sad Russell is of a QB. He writes how the QB is suppose to be the leader of the team, or at least the offense. However Russel has been heavily fined because of being overweight, late to team meetings, and missing some all together. As someone who is paid 30 million guaranteed, you get your ass in shape, and you are there at the meetings. Hell as a leader you should be the first one there. But of course he's not ready for that role. Yes that has to do with the Raiders and not preparing him for success. However he shoulders most of the blame here. How do you not take this job seriously? Coming into the NFL you should have a feeling of needing to prove yourself that you deserve the money you got. At least have a sense of pride and wanting to be the best at what you do and work towards that goal. None of that seems to faze this guy. Now can he learn work ethic? Can he learn to show that he accepts some resposibilty and he has a lot of work to do? I highly doubt it. All of this shows he is not ready to be a QB in the NFL. 4 years and no work ethic, no sense of responsibility should lead to a benching.
Ok so that was my little rant haha. When I heard this it was frustrating because its hard to respect anyone who has such a gift to be able to play in the NFL and yet doesn't take it seriously. I understand it happens all the time and in the end who gives a shit but it does bug me haha.

 

[CMCoke42381]

When im happy Jason Campbell is our QB and not Russell, you know theirs some issues. I think he's terrible, he has a big body and that's it. The Raiders might be the biggest embarrassment in all of Sports and that's not cool to quote Carlito. Sad to say this but I dont think anything will change until Davis croaks.

 

[People's Champ]

When im happy Jason Campbell is our QB and not Russell, you know theirs some issues. I think he's terrible, he has a big body and that's it. The Raiders might be the biggest embarrassment in all of Sports and that's not cool to quote Carlito. Sad to say this but I dont think anything will change until Davis croaks.

Yea after hearing all that I thought the same thing. It could be worse. Campbell I know is trying to go out there and do his best. Its sad that a franchise with so much history as the Raiders has become a laughing stock. And Davis is to blame. Yea until he's gone we will continue to dysfunction that is the Raiders.

 

[People's Champ]

Ok I started this thread a long time ago and this thread had become irrelevent when Russell was benched for Bruce Gradkowski. But Al Davis still had in mind that Russell should be the starter coming into this year. That is until Jason Campbell was traded for. Campbell now has to be the clear front runner to be the starter. That takes me to Russell and today.

There is a report on ESPN that Russell is going to be released by the Raiders. To me that's a wow. I say that because Al Davis never likes to be wrong. He fired Kiffin because he wouldn't accept Russell as a starting QB. But reports are that Russel is now tipping the scale at 300 pounds! This guy just doesn't get it and never will. He was given a fat contract and thought that guaranteed him his position. Now he's going to be cut and will be out of the NFL forever. This has to be the biggest bust in NFL history.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Now he's going to be cut and will be out of the NFL forever. This has to be the biggest bust in NFL history.

I wouldnt go as far as saying he will be out of the NFL forever, He's only 24 and turns 25 in Aug. Some team might take a chance sit him and develop him. As for a starter yea that won't happen. He has already made 39 mill so far and will get 3 mill this season if he's cut so bringing that to 42 million so money isn't a problem for him, so if he is serious about continuing his career he can sign with someone for shorts, cause no team is gonna pay him anything more. He just has to want to be committed to learning and staying in shape. But yea as for now he is the biggest bust in the history of the NFL, clears Ryan Leaf's name thats for sure.

 

[Big Sexy]

No way is Jamarcus Russel a bigger bust then Ryan Leaf. Go back and look at Leaf's numbers. Fucking atrocious. Russel's are horrible too but he at least had one solid season.

Back on topic Jamarcus will get picked up by someone and given a chance to make the team as a back up. Whether he does or not is yet to be seen but his career as a starter seems to be over. Definitely a huge bust but not as big as Ryan Leaf.

 

[JGlass]

JaMarcus isn't done forever, he's just done with The Raiders, and when is the last time they had a good quarterback... Gannon?

I was talking to my friend today who is a Broncos fan, and he said he hopes the Broncos pick him up. It's in an interesting proposition, but the Broncos clearly need more depth at QB, and they aren't the only team. I'm sure there will be a few teams scoping him out simply because he is athletic and has a lot of tools in his arsenal.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

No way is Jamarcus Russel a bigger bust then Ryan Leaf. Go back and look at Leaf's numbers. Fucking atrocious. Russel's are horrible too but he at least had one solid season.

Alright so I went and compared the two of them Leaf definitely has the shittier numbers. In 08 Russell had 2400 yrds 13 td 8 int 12 fumbles with 7 lost with a QB rating of 77.1, not really a solid season but decent because he is on Oakland, and def better than any season of Leafs which his best season was 1880 yrds 11 td 18 int 12 fumbles 6 lost QB rating of 56.2 in 11 games. So yea Leaf is still the bigger bust and I take back what I said about Russell clearing his name, plus I still think Russell has room to improve where Leaf was done after that short stint in Dallas. Like I said Russell has to want to improve and committ to staying in game shape.

 

[Slyfox696]

No way is Jamarcus Russel a bigger bust then Ryan Leaf. Go back and look at Leaf's numbers. Fucking atrocious. Russel's are horrible too but he at least had one solid season.

I guess it just depends on how you look at it. Leaf certainly had really bad seasons, but he was also the SECOND Quarterback taken in the draft. Jamarcus Russel was the #1 player overall in the draft, and his contract was TWICE as much as Ryan Leaf's contract, with Russel making MORE in guaranteed money than Leaf did in his entire contract.

It's really a tough call on who would be considered the bigger bust. I think Leaf was more highly touted than Russel, but Russel's team put a lot more money into him, and thus, was unable to put money elsewhere.

 

[Big Sexy]

I guess it just depends on how you look at it. Leaf certainly had really bad seasons, but he was also the SECOND Quarterback taken in the draft. Jamarcus Russel was the #1 player overall in the draft, and his contract was TWICE as much as Ryan Leaf's contract, with Russel making MORE in guaranteed money than Leaf did in his entire contract.

It's really a tough call on who would be considered the bigger bust. I think Leaf was more highly touted than Russel, but Russel's team put a lot more money into him, and thus, was unable to put money elsewhere.

They put more money into him based on time period more then what the pick was. 1997 and 2006 are a long ways apart. There isn't that much of a money difference between number one and two picks in the same year especially if they are both quarterbacks. Al Davis is once again the idiot in all this. There is no way Russel should have been the first overall pick. Al Davis has gone from a great football mind to a guy that needs to retire because the game has passed him by.

 

[People's Champ]

Why would any team want to pick up a 300lb QB who has shown no signs of improvement and obviously no self control when it comes to eating? This is not the first time he has come in overweight. Its been a long standing problem with him. And I find it hard to believe that he can be motivated from this and workout hard and try to salvage his career.

Yes I will admit saying he is out of the NFL forever was premature, and there might be some team who will go out and give him a try as maybe a 3rd stringer. But I don't see him making any transformation and being a decent QB. I agree with some guys who have written about him who say he has never really been motivated to play football in the best shape. He's been about money. When he was a kid in hight and up to college he was always bigger than the rest so he didn't need to worry. He got his huge payday and that's all he wanted.

When he gets cut he will have earned 5 million for every win and 2 million per touchdown. Wow. He straight up robbed the Raiders. And Davis was too dumb to see it. Russell should have been a project QB, not a top pick overall. I guess I don't want to see back in the NFL when there are a lot more guys who are willing to work hard and do what they can for the team, something Russell knows nothing about.

 

[Big Sexy]

For all the people shitting on Jamarcus saying that he is out of shape and doesn't care, it looks like you were wrong. According to ESPN he has shown up to mini camp in good shape and was described as the most impressive quarterback on the field. Obviously it's just mini camp but so far Russell has said and done all of the right things and sources are now saying that he may stay with the team and try to compete for the starting job. Even coach Tom Cable who hasn't always been fond of Russell said that he worked his ass off during the off season.

 

[Minor League Brian]

Its just the fact people love to run with negative news stories, so that's what they'll do.

Honestly, I don't know what it is with Russell but he has all the tools and abilities to be one of the better QB's in this league. I know people scoff at the idea now, but coming out of College he didn't make mistakes, he was deadly accurate, and the only knock was his work ethic. That's stayed true till now, but somewhere along the line he lost that accuracy and ability. I think eventually Jason Campbell will win the job out, because they won't want to pay JR any more money, but on the flip side I'd be terrified that he'd go to a potential contender (Let's say the Vikes) and is giving a year to sit behind a good QB and learn a little something.

He's just missing, or he lost, something between when he was drafted and when he took the field.