*Article*: BSO "Al Davis Do Not Draft Jamarcus Russell" (1 Viewer)

[MichaelAngelo]

GOT THIS FROM ANOTHER BOARD WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON IT???

An Open Letter to Al Davis: Do Not Draft JaMarcus Russell

Written by Robert Littal http://www.blacksportsonline.com

Hey Al, it’s your boy Robert Littal. I tried to call but your secretary said you were getting your jumpsuit out of the cleaners, so I decided just to write. I know it has been a hard couple of years for after getting beat down in the Super Bowl by Chucky, but I am here to help. I have always admired your contributions to the game especially in regards of helping Black Americans. Plus your quote, “the Quarterback must go down and must go down hard” is one of my favorite of all time. But unfortunately for you Al, you are considered a laughing stock around the league and even senile by a few members of the biased sports media. There was even a rumor you were dead, but my sources tell me that while your body is breaking down a bit, your mind is still sharp. That is good because you will be able to understand the things I am about to tell you. I have helped people like yourself before (see: Kobe Bryant, D Wade, Peyton Manning etc. etc.) so I need you to listen very carefully. By being so awful last year Al, you now have the #1 pick in the draft and everyone in the world believes you should to take JaMarcus Russell, the QB out of LSU. I am telling you, if you do that by the time the Raiders are in the playoffs again you will be in your casket.

Nothing against JaMarcus, the man has all the talent in the world. Scouts marvel at his strong arm and accuracy. For a big man he is nifty in the pocket and can make throws that no one else can and there is a chance he will be an excellent QB in the league. But Al baby, you can’t take that risk! Taking a QB in the first 15 picks of any draft is a 50/50 proposition at best and the higher the pick, the greatest the risk both financially and professionally. Al, you don’t have a lot of years left to be taking this type of risk on a QB who got hot down the stretch of his junior year.

Russell, for all his talent, hasn’t been the most consistent guy. It wasn’t like he was blowing away the competition in the SEC. As a starting QB, he was never in contention for a National Championship or player of the year awards even though his team was extremely talented. In fact, several times during his tenure the coaches at LSU considered benching him. There was speculation that at the beginning of the season he was on a very short leash and if he didn’t start off the season setting the world on fire he maybe replaced.

But like anything in life Al, it isn’t how you start but how you finish that sometimes determines how you are viewed. Russell finished by destroying Notre Dame in a face-to face battle with the other #1 pick hopeful Brady Quinn. Notre Dame is a great stepping stone because you are judged better than you really are. It wasn’t like he was playing against the Florida Gators defense out there.

Al, my friend, I know you love “rocket arms” (thanks Peyton), but in your infinite wisdom you have to know that to be a successful QB in the league it is more about what is inside of your head than your arm. Do you feel 100% confident that Russell mentally has what it takes to be a successful QB? The greater question is are you willing to risk 30+ million in guaranteed money, the future of the franchise and your dying legacy on it? I know I wouldn’t.

Quarterback is the most important position on the team, but a QB is nothing without a strong team behind him. It doesn’t matter if you are #1 pick like Peyton Manning or a castoff like Jeff Garcia. Right now Al, your team makeup is a disaster. You hired a coach who is young enough to be your grandson. You have disgruntled players all over the place (see Randy Moss & Jerry Porter). You have bad karma in your locker room Al and you expect a rookie who has had consistency issue to come in and correct that mess? I just don’t see it happening.

Luckily for you Al, in the NFL, you can be horrible one year and in the Super Bowl the next, so let me lay out the blueprint on how to get the Raiders back on top. Make sure you have your glasses on because this is important material right here. Tim Duncan failed to read my last paragraph and he is still wearing khaki pants that only go down to his ankles, but I digress.

1-Get rid of Randy Moss

MESSAGE TRUNCATED TO CONTINUE READING CLICK HERE

 

[ThePittbully]

I gotta say as an LSU homer I agree with alot of things in that leader. Ive seen almost all of his games at LSU, and all of his big games. While he has shown moments of greatness, he is inconsistent. And while his physical attributes are great I have doubts he has what it takes mentally to be a consistent QB in the Nfl. First example that comes to mind would be last time they played Auburn (I believe), in the fourth quarter taking the sack to let the time run out instead of throwing it away. You cant make mental lapses like that in big games.

In his defense like I said there has also been lots of moments where he has made amazing throws in clutch situations.

 

[FantasyTrader]

He could more right than anyone cares to imagine. Creatve post.

 

[Bruno2]

I'll agree that what Al does with this draft pick will have a huge impact on the future of the Raiders organization...obviously. I also believe Al wants to see his Raiders make one last run to the Superbowl before he kicks the bucket. I gotta think he is under alot of pressure to make the most out of the 1st pick because time is running out on him, but it's a tough call who to go with. Clearly the OL needs lots of help, does he trade down a couple spots and draft Thomas? Or is the Gallery pick too fresh in his mind? As for the QBs, I don't think JaMarcus is the right pick for them either. The notion the Al perfers strong arm QBs might have some truth to it, but the Raiders have also been very successful with QBs not known for strong arms, like Plunkett and Gannon (I don't remember exactly, but I don't think Marinovich was known to have a strong arm). Thats why I think if the Raiders draft a QB it will probably be Quinn thinking he will be more NFL ready than Russell and he will be more suited for Kiffin and Knapp's offense. All that being said, my gut is telling me he'll pick the supreme athlete in the draft, Calvin Johnson. Something tells me by overhauling the whole offensive coaching staff, Al must think that last season's offensive collapse had to do more with coaching than the talent on the field, which is why I think he'll give Andrew Walter a mulligan and give him a shot to be the full-time starter, and see what he do in an offense designed after the last ice age.

 

[massraider]

The plan is to NOT take a QB, because it's a 50/50 proposition, but take the WR, a position with even worse odds?

Then draft a QB with more holes than JaMarcus?

Then pick up a 'Kitna'? He doesn't even have a name. Just any old vet QB. You know, a 'Kitna'.

The only difference between this guy, and the 13 year olds posting over at NFL Draft Countdown, is he apparently knows how to operate web design software. Heck, forget NFLDC. I am sure this same draft plan has been advanced right here. Just check any of the JaMarcus/Raiders threads.

 

[dparker713]

The plan is to NOT take a QB, because it's a 50/50 proposition, but take the WR, a position with even worse odds?Then draft a QB with more holes than JaMarcus?Then pick up a 'Kitna'? He doesn't even have a name. Just any old vet QB. You know, a 'Kitna'. The only difference between this guy, and the 13 year olds posting over at NFL Draft Countdown, is he apparently knows how to operate web design software. Heck, forget NFLDC. I am sure this same draft plan has been advanced right here. Just check any of the JaMarcus/Raiders threads.

Take a deep breath, relax. Frankly, its fairly sound advice to take by far the highest rated prospect with the first pick. Either that or trade down rather than reach for a QB because your QBs are horrible.

 

[massraider]

The plan is to NOT take a QB, because it's a 50/50 proposition, but take the WR, a position with even worse odds?Then draft a QB with more holes than JaMarcus?Then pick up a 'Kitna'? He doesn't even have a name. Just any old vet QB. You know, a 'Kitna'. The only difference between this guy, and the 13 year olds posting over at NFL Draft Countdown, is he apparently knows how to operate web design software. Heck, forget NFLDC. I am sure this same draft plan has been advanced right here. Just check any of the JaMarcus/Raiders threads.

Take a deep breath, relax. Frankly, its fairly sound advice to take by far the highest rated prospect with the first pick. Either that or trade down rather than reach for a QB because your QBs are horrible.

Thanks, I'm fine.Frankly, the draft picks don't happen in a vacuum. Drafting CJ by itself isn't a bad move. But you have to look at how that affects the rest of the draft, and team. Calling a QB a reach there is absurd, by the way. If the Raiders pass on Russell, there are a lot of people trhat think he'll go #3 to Cleveland. If the Raiders pass on CJ, he'll go #4. So who is the reach?Does this guy think drafting Drew Stanton and picking up a QB is going to clear up the QB picture?

 

[Cookiemonster]

Agreed. And it makes less sense to take a QB because your O-line made your QBs look horrible.

On the few plays that Walter had time, he threw some really good passes. I can knock him for holding the ball too long and being fumble prone. Another year like that and you can knock him for playing scared. I don't know that any QB in the draft will look much better or improve unless some adjustments are made. I wouldn't mind seeing a Joe Thomas/Kalil similar to what the Jets did last draft, but Det and Cle don't need to trade up and you won't get Thomas past #4, so I agree w/ the best player in the draft - Calvin Johnson.

 

[radballs]

I really don't know why people thought we, the Raiders, would take a QB with that pick in the first place. Both guys have huge question marks but that really isn't even the point.

One, Al doesn't like to take QBs that early.

Two, Al doesn't have the time to allow a rookie QB to develop before contributing.

Three, Al still believes that if the other offensive talent is there, he can plug any FA QB in there and he can do okay if they can improve the O line.

Four, it's very risky and expensive to develop QBs in today's NFL with the first pick.

Five, Calvin Johnson is miles ahead of any other prospect on the board.

Taking CJ is a no brainer unless they can get good value trading down but I don't see it. Moss is as good as gone.

 

[DAG]

While the article raises some basic issues about Russell, and has its merits, I would point to two items that are problematic. A lot of what this writer is addressing was part of the LSU fan base's discussions, despite what the coaching staff insisted on. Specifically:

1. The coaches were thinking of benching Russell if he underperformed last season - while I believe the coaching staff said the QB competition was open, it was clear that Russell was the guy, very early on. When this became clear, the coaches defended him as a player and a leader. While he didn't always put up sick stats he won a lot of games, and this was also pointed out by the coaches, to memory, on a pretty consistent basis. The QB controversy, in my opinion, was something that happened on message boards more than it did with the team. That's natural, since we had Matt Flynn perform so well in the Peach Bowl against Miami only months earlier, and we have Ryan Perilloux who was the top QB in the nation when we recruited him. But it seemed pretty clear to me at least that Russell had the coaching staff's confidence.

2. Russell is a great physical talent, but may not be smart enough to succeed as an NFL QB - I think this is based on a couple things: a) the predominant focus on Russell's arm strength and size; and b) Russell's decision-making, which was inconsistent at times. This second issue is a mixed bag. In some games you felt like he was certainly going to take the team down the field and win the game (I was in Knoxville last season, and I had that kind of confidence on the game-winning drive). In other games (Auburn and Florida last season for example) you felt like he might make a horrible decision and blow it. But when you take stock of his entire career, he was able to lead game-winning drives against good competition (TN this season, and Alabama last season come to mind off the top of my head, and there are other examples of course). Certainly he had more issues with decision-making before his senior season and that remains a legitimate concern, though it's something that has improved. But questioning his intelligence seems unwarranted to me. Jimbo Fisher, our former OC who just moved on to Florida State this offseason, said Russell was the best QB at the line of scrimmage that he's ever had at LSU, not a small complement when you consider he had Matt Mauck, who was a very intelligent QB and Rohan Davey, who had enormous success at LSU. The coaching staff consistently praised Russell's ability to make reads at the line of scrimmage, so I don't know that questions over his intelligence have any basis.

I've posted before that I think Russell has some things to work on, especially his timing, but I think he'll be a very good NFL QB.

 

[dparker713]

The plan is to NOT take a QB, because it's a 50/50 proposition, but take the WR, a position with even worse odds?

Then draft a QB with more holes than JaMarcus?

Then pick up a 'Kitna'? He doesn't even have a name. Just any old vet QB. You know, a 'Kitna'.

The only difference between this guy, and the 13 year olds posting over at NFL Draft Countdown, is he apparently knows how to operate web design software. Heck, forget NFLDC. I am sure this same draft plan has been advanced right here. Just check any of the JaMarcus/Raiders threads.

Take a deep breath, relax. Frankly, its fairly sound advice to take by far the highest rated prospect with the first pick. Either that or trade down rather than reach for a QB because your QBs are horrible.

Thanks, I'm fine.Frankly, the draft picks don't happen in a vacuum. Drafting CJ by itself isn't a bad move. But you have to look at how that affects the rest of the draft, and team.

Calling a QB a reach there is absurd, by the way. If the Raiders pass on Russell, there are a lot of people trhat think he'll go #3 to Cleveland. If the Raiders pass on CJ, he'll go #4. So who is the reach?

Does this guy think drafting Drew Stanton and picking up a QB is going to clear up the QB picture?

Do you think that Russel would be able to play to a playoff level within 2 years? That defense is good now, so if they can improve the offense from abysmal, they could potentially turn things around quickly. Though unlikely, CJ could have an immediate impact due to his freakishness - same can't be said about Russel. And if you aren't going to be able to turn things around that fast, it still makes sense to draft the best player for the long term. I just don't see how you can see a player that will probably sit on the bench for a year as filling a team need, especially when he's going to cost so much of the cap. You can just as easily draft a QB later in the draft to sit for a year.

Some people are looking at the Raiders like they must take Russel, because with him at QB they'll make the Super Bowl or something. Trust me, they're not.

Oh, and yeah, taking ANYONE other than your top rated player at 1 is a reach, given the swift drop off in salary with each successive pick. And if CJ lasts till 4, than Tampa Bay will get a gift.

 

[Saints-Man]

I wonder that Al might take CJ just NOT to give Gruden that gift of the best player falling to the #4 slot in the draft.

 

[T Man]

While the article raises some basic issues about Russell, and has its merits, I would point to two items that are problematic. A lot of what this writer is addressing was part of the LSU fan base's discussions, despite what the coaching staff insisted on. Specifically:1. The coaches were thinking of benching Russell if he underperformed last season - while I believe the coaching staff said the QB competition was open, it was clear that Russell was the guy, very early on. When this became clear, the coaches defended him as a player and a leader. While he didn't always put up sick stats he won a lot of games, and this was also pointed out by the coaches, to memory, on a pretty consistent basis. The QB controversy, in my opinion, was something that happened on message boards more than it did with the team. That's natural, since we had Matt Flynn perform so well in the Peach Bowl against Miami only months earlier, and we have Ryan Perilloux who was the top QB in the nation when we recruited him. But it seemed pretty clear to me at least that Russell had the coaching staff's confidence.2. Russell is a great physical talent, but may not be smart enough to succeed as an NFL QB - I think this is based on a couple things: a) the predominant focus on Russell's arm strength and size; and b) Russell's decision-making, which was inconsistent at times. This second issue is a mixed bag. In some games you felt like he was certainly going to take the team down the field and win the game (I was in Knoxville last season, and I had that kind of confidence on the game-winning drive). In other games (Auburn and Florida last season for example) you felt like he might make a horrible decision and blow it. But when you take stock of his entire career, he was able to lead game-winning drives against good competition (TN this season, and Alabama last season come to mind off the top of my head, and there are other examples of course). Certainly he had more issues with decision-making before his senior season and that remains a legitimate concern, though it's something that has improved. But questioning his intelligence seems unwarranted to me. Jimbo Fisher, our former OC who just moved on to Florida State this offseason, said Russell was the best QB at the line of scrimmage that he's ever had at LSU, not a small complement when you consider he had Matt Mauck, who was a very intelligent QB and Rohan Davey, who had enormous success at LSU. The coaching staff consistently praised Russell's ability to make reads at the line of scrimmage, so I don't know that questions over his intelligence have any basis.I've posted before that I think Russell has some things to work on, especially his timing, but I think he'll be a very good NFL QB.

I agree with most of this.First, the coaches NEVER considered benching Jamarcus last year. During spring camp it was mentioned that the competition was open. WHY???? BEcause LSU had recruited the #1 QB in the land a year prior (Perilloux) and had a QB in Matt Flynn who played lights out in the bowl game. But Russell was always considered the #1 guy.Russell's problem at LSU earlier ini his career was that he had too much faith in his God given abilities. He tried to do to much. This is not unheard of considering LSU had just come off a National Championship and he had more talent then the prior QB (Mauck). HE had problems dealing with SEC defenses -- but so did many other QBs early in their careers. Heck, Peyton Manning was benched his freshman year at times.Last year, Fisher (the OC) was much too conservative early on in big games (actually my guess is that it was Miles (the head coach and an offensive guy) . LSU relied on a ground game against Auburn and their defense. Against Florida, a turnover on the goalline changed the complexion of that game.Russell has enormous talent. He still has flaws. I think he will have trouble initially with reading defenses; but, he will come along. He will be a fine NFL QB. HE should not be the #1 pick however, as I think CJ is a rare talent. BUT, Savage will never let Russell fall past Cleveland.

 

[Da Guru]

QBs that early are always a crapshoot!

 

[gump]

Who is this mysterious free agent QB that the Raiders are going to pick up to help them improve this year?

Yet another check in the plus column for the Bucs/Plummer trade.

 

[BigRed]

I really don't know why people thought we, the Raiders, would take a QB with that pick in the first place. Both guys have huge question marks but that really isn't even the point. One, Al doesn't like to take QBs that early.Two, Al doesn't have the time to allow a rookie QB to develop before contributing.Three, Al still believes that if the other offensive talent is there, he can plug any FA QB in there and he can do okay if they can improve the O line.Four, it's very risky and expensive to develop QBs in today's NFL with the first pick.Five, Calvin Johnson is miles ahead of any other prospect on the board.Taking CJ is a no brainer unless they can get good value trading down but I don't see it. Moss is as good as gone.

Exactly.

 

[massraider]

Does this guy think drafting Drew Stanton and picking up a QB is going to clear up the QB picture?

Do you think that Russel would be able to play to a playoff level within 2 years? That defense is good now, so if they can improve the offense from abysmal, they could potentially turn things around quickly. Though unlikely, CJ could have an immediate impact due to his freakishness - same can't be said about Russel.

Really? Russell isn't a freak? Young QB's can't have an immediate impact? Roethlisberger, Marino, Carson Palmer, Phillip Rivers. There are as many recent examples of young QB's contributing as young WR's. The difference is, the young QB's tend to have a bigger impact.

And if you aren't going to be able to turn things around that fast, it still makes sense to draft the best player for the long term. I just don't see how you can see a player that will probably sit on the bench for a year as filling a team need, especially when he's going to cost so much of the cap. You can just as easily draft a QB later in the draft to sit for a year.

It's that short term thinking that people mock the Raiders for. Drafting Russell doesn't fill a need because he won't start right away? That's absurd. But drafting Drew Stanton at the top of the 2nd DOES fill a need? He won't start. So why are we drafting him? WR isn't even a glaring need for this team.

Some people are looking at the Raiders like they must take Russel, because with him at QB they'll make the Super Bowl or something. Trust me, they're not.

OK, who said this? Because I'm gonna go ahead and say 'straw man' with this one. And if we aren't making it to the Super Bowl anytime soon, why shouldn't we take the developmental QB? It's more important to get "immediate impact" from a WR, than to get our QWB of the future? These are kind of rhetorical questions. I already know the answer.

Oh, and yeah, taking ANYONE other than your top rated player at 1 is a reach, given the swift drop off in salary with each successive pick. And if CJ lasts till 4, than Tampa Bay will get a gift.

Fine it's a reach. But taking a guy at 1 that may have gone 3 is a minor reach. And their position has to enter into it. If the top-rated player is a guard, you don't take a guard #1. CJ is a WR. No matter how great he is supposed to become, he's a WR. The Cards have two of them, they are picking 5th.

 

[dparker713]

Does this guy think drafting Drew Stanton and picking up a QB is going to clear up the QB picture?

Do you think that Russel would be able to play to a playoff level within 2 years? That defense is good now, so if they can improve the offense from abysmal, they could potentially turn things around quickly. Though unlikely, CJ could have an immediate impact due to his freakishness - same can't be said about Russel.

Really? Russell isn't a freak? Young QB's can't have an immediate impact? Roethlisberger, Marino, Carson Palmer, Phillip Rivers. There are as many recent examples of young QB's contributing as young WR's. The difference is, the young QB's tend to have a bigger impact.

And if you aren't going to be able to turn things around that fast, it still makes sense to draft the best player for the long term. I just don't see how you can see a player that will probably sit on the bench for a year as filling a team need, especially when he's going to cost so much of the cap. You can just as easily draft a QB later in the draft to sit for a year.

It's that short term thinking that people mock the Raiders for. Drafting Russell doesn't fill a need because he won't start right away? That's absurd. But drafting Drew Stanton at the top of the 2nd DOES fill a need? He won't start. So why are we drafting him? WR isn't even a glaring need for this team.

Some people are looking at the Raiders like they must take Russel, because with him at QB they'll make the Super Bowl or something. Trust me, they're not.

OK, who said this? Because I'm gonna go ahead and say 'straw man' with this one. And if we aren't making it to the Super Bowl anytime soon, why shouldn't we take the developmental QB? It's more important to get "immediate impact" from a WR, than to get our QWB of the future? These are kind of rhetorical questions. I already know the answer.

Oh, and yeah, taking ANYONE other than your top rated player at 1 is a reach, given the swift drop off in salary with each successive pick. And if CJ lasts till 4, than Tampa Bay will get a gift.

Fine it's a reach. But taking a guy at 1 that may have gone 3 is a minor reach. And their position has to enter into it. If the top-rated player is a guard, you don't take a guard #1. CJ is a WR. No matter how great he is supposed to become, he's a WR. The Cards have two of them, they are picking 5th.

1) No, Russel isnt a bigger freak than CJ. As for rookie QBs coming in and winning, the list in the past 25 years is just about Marino, Roethlisberger and VY. Carson sat his first year and Rivers sat for 2. The only player on that list that elevated a bad team is VY, the rest played with alot of talent. Besides, the success list is very short, and the failure list very long - yet somehow you expect Russel to be in the first group?2) If a team need is a developmental QB, then yes Stanton in the second can fill a need and at a much cheaper price tag with much less risk. Repeat after me, there is no QB in this draft that the Raiders can select to get decent starting QB for this year. Any QB is a developmental QB. If they wanted immediate help they should have gotten a FA or made a trade. Besides, sometimes a player is too good to pass on. Last year the Saints didn't really need a RB at the top of the draft, but Bush was too good to pass on.

3) The better long term play is the better player. The most likely to succeed. That is clearly CJ. Thinking long term, there will be plenty of other opportunities to fill a need for a QB.

4) Its thinking like that which leads to drafts with Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, and Ryan Leaf shooting up draft boards. QB blinders. Great QBs don't come out every year, and this happens to be a year where neither Russel nor Quinn grade out high enough to justify the #1 pick, yet somehow people insist on one of them being the proper pick - Alex Smith anyone?

 

[massraider]

The success list for top 10 WR's is even shorter, and the failure list even longer. If you make it into a position vs. postion argument, you lose. WR has the largest failure rate among 1st round picks. Period.

Repeat after me: I don't care if drafting Russell doesn't give us solid QB play for this year. If we draft Russell, it's not for immediate impact. It's to improve the team long term. You keep hammering on this notion that I want a starting QB for 2007 to come out of this draft. No one's making that argument.

If we are thinking long term, there are going to be more opportunities to get WR's than there are QB's. Heck, how deep is this draft at WR? How many FA WR's were available this year that are proven starters? Stallworth, Bennett, etc.

And who is the best FA QB? Garcia.

 

[Da Guru]

QBs and WRS..beware..

 

[ThePittbully]

While the article raises some basic issues about Russell, and has its merits, I would point to two items that are problematic. A lot of what this writer is addressing was part of the LSU fan base's discussions, despite what the coaching staff insisted on. Specifically:1. The coaches were thinking of benching Russell if he underperformed last season - while I believe the coaching staff said the QB competition was open, it was clear that Russell was the guy, very early on. When this became clear, the coaches defended him as a player and a leader. While he didn't always put up sick stats he won a lot of games, and this was also pointed out by the coaches, to memory, on a pretty consistent basis. The QB controversy, in my opinion, was something that happened on message boards more than it did with the team. That's natural, since we had Matt Flynn perform so well in the Peach Bowl against Miami only months earlier, and we have Ryan Perilloux who was the top QB in the nation when we recruited him. But it seemed pretty clear to me at least that Russell had the coaching staff's confidence.2. Russell is a great physical talent, but may not be smart enough to succeed as an NFL QB - I think this is based on a couple things: a) the predominant focus on Russell's arm strength and size; and b) Russell's decision-making, which was inconsistent at times. This second issue is a mixed bag. In some games you felt like he was certainly going to take the team down the field and win the game (I was in Knoxville last season, and I had that kind of confidence on the game-winning drive). In other games (Auburn and Florida last season for example) you felt like he might make a horrible decision and blow it. But when you take stock of his entire career, he was able to lead game-winning drives against good competition (TN this season, and Alabama last season come to mind off the top of my head, and there are other examples of course). Certainly he had more issues with decision-making before his senior season and that remains a legitimate concern, though it's something that has improved. But questioning his intelligence seems unwarranted to me. Jimbo Fisher, our former OC who just moved on to Florida State this offseason, said Russell was the best QB at the line of scrimmage that he's ever had at LSU, not a small complement when you consider he had Matt Mauck, who was a very intelligent QB and Rohan Davey, who had enormous success at LSU. The coaching staff consistently praised Russell's ability to make reads at the line of scrimmage, so I don't know that questions over his intelligence have any basis.I've posted before that I think Russell has some things to work on, especially his timing, but I think he'll be a very good NFL QB.

Yea I agree, forgot to say this in my post. The coaching staff was never going to bench him, not even with two huge high school prospects playing behind him. The fans wanted him benched quite a few times but the staff never considered it

 

[twistd]

Who is this mysterious free agent QB that the Raiders are going to pick up to help them improve this year?Yet another check in the plus column for the Bucs/Plummer trade.

Not only that, but where are these O linemen that are so easy to get. Leonard Davis got a $16 million signing bonus from the Cowboys. Leonard Davis has been a huge disappointment. So I'm not sure where Al Davis can find these linemen at. Maybe the QB is David Carr. He's better than anyone they have, and he is used to running for his life.

 

[dparker713]

The success list for top 10 WR's is even shorter, and the failure list even longer. If you make it into a position vs. postion argument, you lose. WR has the largest failure rate among 1st round picks. Period.

Repeat after me: I don't care if drafting Russell doesn't give us solid QB play for this year. If we draft Russell, it's not for immediate impact. It's to improve the team long term. You keep hammering on this notion that I want a starting QB for 2007 to come out of this draft. No one's making that argument.

If we are thinking long term, there are going to be more opportunities to get WR's than there are QB's. Heck, how deep is this draft at WR? How many FA WR's were available this year that are proven starters? Stallworth, Bennett, etc.

And who is the best FA QB? Garcia.

QB isn't a more secure position to draft than WR, they're both about equally risky. Yet you've got a guy coming out at WR with NO question marks. Same can not be said about Russell considering some teams have him with a second round grade. For the long term, CJ has the best chance to be a special talent in this league. There isn't anyone on the Raiders offense that qualifies as that anymore. But hey, why not get a fat and lazy guy with a rocket arm thats never proven to be a champion, sure worked well with Leaf.

 

[massraider]

The success list for top 10 WR's is even shorter, and the failure list even longer. If you make it into a position vs. postion argument, you lose. WR has the largest failure rate among 1st round picks. Period.

Repeat after me: I don't care if drafting Russell doesn't give us solid QB play for this year. If we draft Russell, it's not for immediate impact. It's to improve the team long term. You keep hammering on this notion that I want a starting QB for 2007 to come out of this draft. No one's making that argument.

If we are thinking long term, there are going to be more opportunities to get WR's than there are QB's. Heck, how deep is this draft at WR? How many FA WR's were available this year that are proven starters? Stallworth, Bennett, etc.

And who is the best FA QB? Garcia.

QB isn't a more secure position to draft than WR, they're both about equally risky. Yet you've got a guy coming out at WR with NO question marks. Same can not be said about Russell considering some teams have him with a second round grade. For the long term, CJ has the best chance to be a special talent in this league. There isn't anyone on the Raiders offense that qualifies as that anymore. But hey, why not get a fat and lazy guy with a rocket arm thats never proven to be a champion, sure worked well with Leaf.

Well, I guess we're about done here. Why didn't you just say so in the beginning: You think Russell is gonna be a bust. It would've been an easier position to understand.

 

[Raider Nation]

Wow, that dude nailed it. I wish the letter had made it to Al's desk.

 

[Raider Nation]

And, gone in the next ten picks were Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Joe Thomas and Patrick Willis.

 

[massraider]

Hoo boy, do I look dumb in this thread. Thanks for bumping this, fellow Raider fan.

 

[Raider Nation]

Hoo boy, do I look dumb in this thread. Thanks for bumping this, fellow Raider fan.

Most of us loved the pick at the time, except the smart gent who authored the article in the OP.

 

[lyon812]

Quarterback is the most important position on the team, but a QB is nothing without a strong team behind him.

Please let Bradford not suck. Please let Bradford not suck. Please let Bradford not suck.Ahem.

 

[Cookiemonster]

And, gone in the next ten picks were Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Joe Thomas and Patrick Willis.

A ####### men.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Calling a QB a reach there is absurd, by the way. If the Raiders pass on Russell, there are a lot of people that think he'll go #3 to Cleveland. If the Raiders pass on CJ, he'll go #4. So who is the reach?

Well, if Cleveland doesn't think Russell is a reach, he must not be a reach.

 

[Chadstroma]

And, gone in the next ten picks were Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Joe Thomas and Patrick Willis.

Ouch. I wanted Brady Quinn so even if we got what I wanted the above list of players would still hurt.

 

[renesauz]

Quarterback is the most important position on the team, but a QB is nothing without a strong team behind him.

Please let Bradford not suck. Please let Bradford not suck. Please let Bradford not suck.Ahem.

Bradford is twice the prospect Russel was. If Bradford busts, it's MUCH more likely to be due to health issues....it WON'T be due to effort issues.

 

[thevidon]

Although I wasn't active on this forum, you can head over to dynastyleaguefootball.com and search for my post history there for my Russel thoughts. Basically I hated him as QB prospect and told everyone I would be shocked if he was in the league after 3 years.....I may be missing my projection slightly but it was damn close.

How could you possibly listen to Russel in an interview and ever think he had the intelligence to be a starting QB? If a RB comes off as slow I can live with it, his job is relatively simple and he can still be great at it. When a QB sounds like a mildly ######ed (edit* what kind of stupid filter won't let you use a dictionary term for someone of low intelligence?) person in his interviews and can barely use words with more than 4 letters.....its time to run for the hills not draft him #1 overall. His total utter lack of anything resembling work ethic just compounded the issue.

I think if I was a GM I wouldn't draft a player at #1 who was unwilling to get a contract prepped pre-draft. As the #1 pick they should be chomping at the bit to get into camp not trying to nickel and dime you for more money. I would bet all the money that I have that Tim Tebow will not miss a day of ANY type of team activity because he is holding out for more money. That is the right attitude that I want to see in my shiny new QB.

 

[WVU Alum]

To be fair I wanted ADP. Even then I think we are in the same boat, no QB and good RB with no line.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Lot of eggs meeting faces in here.

 

[NoFBinLA]

Littal is a bit odd and goofy at times but he makes some very good points over at BSO. I never saw this one, but it was spot on.