Raiders release JaMarcus Russell

If the nfl & players assoc. come up w/a rookie pay scale similar to the nba, don't be surprised if they call it the "JaMarcus rule." This guy is the poster child for the risk & systemic flaws of having a high draft pick. It may be hard to feel sorry for the raiders usually, but you kinda have to feel for them on this one.

I actually also feel sorry for JaMarcus. I know it's ultimately his fault he's fat & doesn't work hard, but he didn't make the raiders pick him at #1. He obviously was not ready for what he was getting into & he made it worse by not taking care of himself. I wondered if he was smart enough to be a qb the first time I heard him interviewed. Now I think the answer is no, he's not. Again, not his fault there, he can only make himself so much smarter.

I read somewhere that a raiders coach (or someone like that) said that it was sad how his family was such a bad influence on him. I don't ever recall hearing that about a player's family. It must be pretty bad for someone to say that. If it's true that he couldn't handle the bad influences around him, that's sad in itself, but worse if it's his family.

I wouldn't mind JaMarcus in b&g, but not as a qb. The only position I think he could transition to is a fullback/TE/H-back. Given time & coaching he might develop into a decent player in a role where the spotlight isn't on him. Don't get me wrong, his chances of making any team in any role seem very bleak at the moment.

Right now I agree w/Matty, he might be better off taking a year to train.

We've all seen guys (both players and coaches) find success with their 2nd (or even 3rd) team after failing early. But I can't ever remember a highly drafted QB coming back after failing early to have any sort of significant NFL career (McCown, Couch, Smith, Ware, etc)

Ultimately, he has to decide that he wants to play football again, and decide before it's undeniably too late. -some would argue it already is-. I compare him to our BMW, but OL is a far different animal then QB and it just seems impossible that he will decide to make the changes needed in time to turn his career around.

I can't see why ANY team would take him, but you figure one will try it, if he is willing to play for a major pay cut.

Ryan Leaf got a 2nd chance, so I have to imagine JR will get one at some point.

There definitely needs to be a rookie payscale. It's just insane the amount of money these unproven rooks get. And you have to wonder how much the $$ part of things plays into some of these guys busting. There's no carrot for them to chase, they're instant multi-millionaires without putting in an ounce of work at the NFL level.

The thing is, given the feud between Shanahan and Al Davis, it would probably be a bit tempting on some level for MS to take Davis' former first round pick and turn him into a starting caliber QB.

It will never happen. JaMarcus doesnt appear to even have the ability. Failed QB's that enjoy a career re-surgance usually have good basic skills, coupled with a good team that can mask their deficiencies. The best example i can think of is Trent Green. He was mediocre at best, but finally found success with Kansas City's punishing running game, and at-that-time brilliant offensive playcalling...he had a good base set of skills to thrive on a great team.

It doesnt seem like Russell really cares about playing professional football. I think he's happy having gotten paid an obscene amount of money. If ever decides he wants to play football again, the AFL might be his only option (does it even still exist?). I dont think he could make a CFL or UFL roster.

There are guys who really care about football and want to be one of the best. They really get off on the game. There are guys who only want to be rich. I think Russell falls in the latter category.

darrenrovell1

Bodog Jamarcus Russell's next team odds: Cardinals 3/1, Bills 7/2, Jaguars 4/1, Miami 6/1, Bengals 7/1, 49ers 15/2, Titans 8/1, CFL 10/1

Shame because the guy has the physical tools to be one of the greatest ever. Can't make someone like football though.