JaMarcus Russell
Somewhere in Los Angeles, Lane Kiffin is having the last laugh. The Oakland Raiders finally released quarterback JaMarcus Russell. What took them so long?
In three seasons, actually two and a half since he held out his rookie season, Russell never lived up to the hype created by the Al Davis hype machine. Davis, in the famous over-head projector press conference said to then fired head coach Lane Kiffin about Russell,
He is a great player. Get over it & coach this team on the field.”
Basically, if Al Davis is giving up on him, there is not much hope for JaMarcus Russell to find another team to play for in the NFL.
Since 1970, spanning 41 NFL Drafts, there have been 18 quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall. That list includes QB Sam Bradford, who was drafted this year by the St. Louis Rams. Of those 18, JaMarcus Russell is the only QB to only last 3 years with the team that drafted him. The next closest player is Jeff George who played only four years with the Indianapolis Colts before being traded to the Atlanta Falcons.
Since 2007, Russell ranked dead last in completion percentage (52.1), passing yards (4,083), yards per attempt, passer rating and tied for last in TD passes. This was among 31 quarterbacks that had a minimum of 600 pass attempts during that time span.
I just wonder why they kept him as long as they did…
He could always come over the pond to the UK and begin a new career in politics.
With shoking stats like that, he’s a shoe-in for the Prime Minister’s job!
What’s the world coming to?!
Does he actually care about this though? Noones going to pay him what hes getting payed now and i cant see him as being the type of guy to take a small contract to try and prove himself! I bet he never plays in the NFL again.
I am relieved that Al has finally woken up the reality of the situation & dropped Russell. Can’t help but wonder if this is just further evidence (after the draft) that Cable still has Al locked in a cupboard.
I can now burn my nmber 2 shirt!
Russell was simply appalling, his work ethic rivalled Homer Simpson’s on a bad day. He spent his time shopping and eating, paying no attention to the game itself. In one game last year there was a hilarious picture of him standing on the sideline with his stupid beanie hat on with a packet of skittles hanging out of his pocket. Symbolises the guy he was. He had all the physical gifts to be a HOF’er, in 20 years he’ll bitterly regret his NFL career.
To conclude, he looked a million pounds and played like a Zimbabwean dollar.
I think, if he gets his head in order (and that’s a big if), he can not only be picked up but can have a decent enough NFL career. Players have got to have something about themselves to be the No. 1 pick in any given draft considering the amount of scrutiny teams put into their picks (i’m looking at you Jeff Ireland!). Let’s not forget the fact that he landed in the Oakland circus where he was allowed sideline his work ethic, gain weight and play shockingly bad while amassing a pile of cash. If he were to be picked up by a coach who could mould him, in a back up role, into a more rounded and professional individual who knows? What have teams got to lose? It’s not like he can command a huge salary so it’s minimum outlay for a possible maximum gain. All up to the man himself.
If only he could make a baby with Tebow. You’d have the ultimate NFL QB.
I gotta agree with Philip. Oakland was a big part of this bust.
With Russell’s work ethic, he’ll be lucky to work a cashier’s position at Wal-Mart. Another sad case of wasted talent.
He can always have a job at KFC being the guy they test new flavours on.
Come to think of it, that would be a job I think he would dedicate himself to! LOL