Al Davis finally decided to cut his losses with JaMarcus Russell.  The Raiders’ owner does not like to admit his mistakes, but the 2007 number one overall pick’s production was awful.  Oakland paid Russell 39 million dollars for a 52% passer with 18 touchdown passes, 23 interceptions, a bunch of fumbles and absolutely no leadership in three years of employment.  That is not much of a return on their investment.

Russell’s colossal failure highlights the importance of football character.  The former LSU standout was a lazy and unmotivated quarterback.  He relied on his god-given gifts of tremendous size and a howitzer for an arm and thought that would be enough.  The warning signs were there right from the start.  Russell was not chomping at the bit to play quarterback for the Oakland Raiders and did not sign his rookie contract until almost mid-September.  His rookie season was basically a wash because of the extended holdout.  This contrasts sharply with how Mark Sanchez was so eager to be the Jets quarterback that he ordered his agent to make sure he was in training camp on time.  Sanchez gained valuable experience during his rookie season and is on his way to being a quality starter at the game’s most important position.

Russell simply did not have the work ethic or drive to study film and speed up his decision-making process.  It became very clear in his 3^rd season that Russell had little appetite for the game (food was a different story).  The Raiders were not an ideal situation for him to go to, but Russell deserves much of the blame.  Oakland had no chance of winning when their “franchise” quarterback had such a lackadaisical approach to the game.

Every NFL team should live by a draft rule that a top 10 selection must be a self-starter.  I spoke with a former NFL scout that lives in Baton Rouge about Russell prior to the 2007 NFL Draft.  He told me that JaMarcus was one of the laziest players he had ever scouted.  It was not a secret that Russell was not exactly a ball of fire.  However, he parlayed a big Sugar Bowl performance against Notre Dame and an impressive pro day into the top pick in the draft.   The former LSU quarterback looked good against Notre Dame, but he was playing against future accountants and insurance agents!  Notre Dame did not have a defense loaded with future NFL players.  I still remember his pro day and how the buzz was he threw lasers all over the field.  Russell’s size and arm strength were never the issue.  His work ethic, dedication to the game and competitiveness should have been the focal point.

The Raiders could have saved themselves a lot of money and won more games had they focused on football character over raw athletic tools.  The team has apparently finally learned their lesson with the selection of Rolando McClain with the 8^th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  McClain’s greatest strength is he is a student of the game and one of the smartest players in the draft.  It looks like the skies are brightening for the Raiders and a once proud franchise may be turning the corner.

Tags: 2007 NFL Draft, 2010 NFL Draft, JaMarcus Russell, oakland raiders

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