re: Jamarcus Russell Update

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“I can’t remember being in such awe of a quarterback in my decade of attending combines and pro days. Russell’s passing session was the most impressive of all the pro days I’ve been to. His footwork for such a big quarterback was surprising. He was nimble in his dropbacks, rolling out and throwing on the run. The ball just explodes out of his hands.”

– ESPN’s Todd McShay

“I think JaMarcus Russell to the Raiders scares me. I would have done the exact same thing Oakland did, to be sure. But the formula for early success is a bad one there. So much pressure on him to perform well early, with such a porous offensive line, and who knows what at wideout.”

– SI’s Peter King

“JaMarcus Russell is going to immediately energize that fanbase, that football team — on the practice field, in that locker room. Three years from now you could be looking at a guy that’s certainly one of the elite top five quarterbacks in this league. …You’re talking about a 2-3 year period once he’s under center. Look out because the skill level that he has is certainly John Elway-like.”

– ESPN’s Mel Kiper

“The workout Russell had was Star Wars. It was unbelievable.”

Then-Tampa Bay Bucs coach Jon Gruden

“If you had to choose a quarterback, who would you pick, JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn? Both have strengths and glaring weaknesses. It goes down to which guy is most coachable. I might take Quinn for that reason. But, pure skill with a ton of work to do, it would be Russell. If you put a gun to my head, I would pick Russell. But he comes with a lot of risk.”

– ESPN’s Merril Hoge

“He’s like a video game. There’s not a throw he can’t make and there’s some he can make I’m not sure anyone else can make. That’s exciting. But how many times does that happen in a game, making those long throws. Maybe twice in 16 games. I know seeing someone do that is a scout’s dream, but it doesn’t happen much. … He seems very first class, very easy to get along with. No doubt he was a great leader [at LSU]. That’s why everybody wants him now.”

– Then-Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin

“This year, I can’t get over how good and talented JaMarcus Russell is. It just blew me away. If I had the first, second, third, fourth, fifth pick in that draft, I would be tearing apart his personal life trying to figure out whether or not I could trust this kid with $10-million … From a physical skill set perspective, I’ve never seen a college quarterback with more ability than Russell. You put the tape on and it’s frightening. The only thing that’s going to keep [Russell] from being great is him. What it comes down to is you’ve got to figure out whether or not this kid wants to be the best quarterback in football. If he wants to be the best quarterback in football, he can be.”

– NFL Network’s Mike Mayock

“I’ve never seen a kid that big who can sit there and just have people hanging on him and make the throws he can make. He reminds me a little bit of Daunte Culpepper, but a little bigger. I’m sure he’s going to continue to be a great player.”

– Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak

“If you asked me who has the most upside, I would say Russell. If the question is who is going to be best the next three years, I’d say it’s [Brady] Quinn.”

– NFL Draft Advisor Gil Brandt

“The film that we’ve watched has impressed more and more. The guy can wing it but seems to have that real feel for the game, and a presence. He looks like he could come into any system and be ready.”

– Then-Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli

“He has a cannon for an arm, can make all the throws and has great size. Heck, he looks like a tackle playing quarterback. I just don’t see the pinpoint passing, the great timing of the throws or his feel for the pocket. He’s careless with the ball, at times, and he struggled against the better college defenses. Can he develop into a quality NFL quarterback? You bet. Would I take him with the first overall pick? No way. As of now, I have him rated at the 20th-best player.”

– CBSSports.com’s Pete Prisco

“JaMarcus Russell, my man. The Raiders finally get their big arm. And he’s a good kid, strong kid, smart kid. He’ll be a big-time player. If I’m the Raiders, that’s who I pick. That’s pretty easy.”

– FOX’s Terry Bradshaw

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Fact is he went into a horrible situation in Oakland at the time on a team that any young QB would struggle in. We do not know all the factors



This is a fact.

I think it will be sad but ultimately kind of fitting when all the JR bashers have to explain away Flynn being eaten alive in the shithole known as Oakland as well. It's a circle of life thing that will really complete the JR/Flynn story.

I wish Flynn all the best, but I see things ending badly for him there as well. And the Raiders are a MUCH better organization today than they were in 2007, and Flynn will still likely go down in flames on the Hindenburg that is the Raiders franchise.

The Raiders had been one of the worst run organizations in the league for several years before JR was drafted. After going to the SB in 2002, the Raiders won 4, 5, 4, and 2 games in the seasons leading up to drafting JR. They were a fricking joke, and then they jumped the shark like never before by hiring Lane fricking Kiffin a couple of months before drafting JR.

That led to a bitter and public feud with Al Davis because apparently Kiffin never wanted to draft JR and resented Davis not letting him control the draft room, which caused Davis and Kiffin to be in a virtual war throughout his first year and a half in the league until Davis fired Kiffin less than a month into his second season. The entire situation was a time bomb waiting to explode.

JR had the extended holdout, which was his decision, into the regular season missing all of training camp and preseason, capped off by being rewarded with the largest rookie contract in NFL history, and you just had to know that the intangibles around the situation were all wrong.

Now, does any of that excuse his lack of motivation and weight gain? Of course not, but had JR ended up in another organization, there is no telling how things could have gone.

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He showed up to training camp(s) at 280-300 pounds

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