By Paul Wexler
RaiderBeat.com Staff Writer
Live and learn. It’s an adage that comes to mind when summing up the three-year relationship between the Oakland Raiders and quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Yet, it’s what the Raiders glean from the painful lessons of the past three seasons that is most important. Here’s to hoping that they learned something from the Russell Experiment. At least that way, they can say they got something out of a deal that cost them $39 million.
1. You can’t buy love.
The Raiders gave the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft more than $30 million to become the face of the franchise and the quarterback of the future.
Russell disappointed everyone, including his teammates and fans, with his play and lack of effort. At times, his weight ballooned toward 300 pounds, if reports are to believed, while his passer rating sank to 50.0, the lowest in the NFL in 11 years.
The Raiders spent a ton of money to make available the tools for Russell to succeed. They brought in quarterback coach Paul Hackett, Ted Tollner, high-profile players such as Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey, yet Russell failed to show any signs of improvement. Throwing money at the problem was not the solution.
2. Bigger is not always better.
Russell was given more chances than most because he was a physical freak. At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds or so, he had the ability to throw the football as if it were fired from a cannon. That takes you only so far.
The Raiders waited for his natural talents to make up for his other deficiencies. But the jaw-dropping throws were just too few and far between to be of any value to the team. Many of Russell’s passes were off target and ill advised. The playbook was rewritten to accommodate the limited number of plays and pass routes that he was comfortable grasping.
Outside of staring down and throwing to tight end Zach Miller, the Raiders passing game was almost non-existent when Russell played. Russell’s size was only an issue when he failed to get in game shape each offseason and would have to spend all of training camp and the beginning of the season just trying to get into passable shape.
3. Scouting quarterbacks should start with the heart and finish with the arm, not the other way around.
Quarterbacks always have been difficult to scout. The Raiders weren’t alone in believing that Russell was worthy of the top pick three years ago, but he did have some tell-tale flaws that were glaring in hindsight.
Quarterbacks have to work harder than everyone else on the team, (unless you are Brett Favre and in your 18th season). If they don’t live, breathe and love football over all else, then it is a good idea to take a pass.
Quarterbacks also have to be leaders. Leadership can be vocal or by example, but it must exist from the quarterback. If not, it creates a vacuum on the offense.
Unlike on the defensive side of the ball, where several positions potentially could fill the leadership role, the offense flows through the hands of the quarterback. If he can’t provide some level of comfort and passion for his teammates, the game is over before it begins.
Russell never was a vocal leader, and he did little to lead by example. By most accounts, he lost 90 percent or more of the locker room last season.
He failed to stand up and take any responsibility for his shortcomings, ultimately forcing himself out of the starting job. The Raiders need to find a leader to replace Russell. If they don’t, they will have done themselves a major disservice.
4. Bruce Gradkowski can win big games in hostile environments.
In Gradkowski, the Raiders may have found the perfect backup. He always is prepared, he has earned the trust of the coaching staff and the players, and he can play at a high level.
Gradkowski is good enough to win if the starting quarterback goes down for any prolonged amount of time. And, in today’s NFL, that is more when than if.
The Raiders found out what they had in Gradkowski almost by accident last season. Veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia asked for his release during training camp, which left Gradkowski as the backup by default.
He took full advantage of the situation. Gradkowski outworked Russell and gained the respect of the coaching staff until the 10th game, when coach Tom Cable felt it was best to replace Russell and make Gradkowski the starter.
After winning a couple of games, Gradkowski hurt his knees and was knocked from the lineup or else he might have completed the season on such a high note that the Raiders would have had to pay starter money or watch him leave as a free agent.
Loading ...
