Could the first draft pick in April really look like some oversized Eddie Murphy character? Yes, that’s a shot at chubby LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who definitely didn’t arrive at the NFL Combine as a lean machine. Russell may have even tipped the scales at 280 pounds in the biggest game of his life, throwing for a career-best 322 yards in the Sugar Bowl win over Notre Dame.
Russell, who even looks taller than his listed 6-feet-6, is undoubtedly a very large man, bigger than Daunte Culpepper, the former Minnesota quarterback. And he doesn’t want to be compared to Culpepper and he definitely isn’t worried about being too large. “I’ve always been big,” he said.
The Oakland Raiders own the first pick and the consensus here is that Russell will be the choice of owner Al Davis. The Raiders need a quarterback. They finally dumped Aaron Brooks, who probably was a poor choice last season.
Russell’s naysayers – and there are a few – say that the Sugar Bowl game was his best game by far and that he was an average performer in some critical SEC games. And they are worried about how much heavier Russell can get.
By comparison, Russell reminded some of Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, who arrived here as an overweight slob. It’s an interesting point because Leaf was matched up against Peyton Manning, who has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks of the last decade. And Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn, although he didn’t work out here, either, looked like a top-notch physical specimen.
It will be interesting to see how Russell and Quinn improve and fare as they go down the road to April 28.
Petrino on Vick
Bobby Petrino, the Falcons new head coach, said he will be calling the offensive plays this season, but that quarterback Michael Vick will have the opportunity to over-ride plays at the line of scrimmage, “to get us out of a bad play,” Petrino said. “He’s pretty excited about doing that and it will be a challenge for him.”
Petrino dodged most of the negative Vick questions, saying that it takes all 11 guys on offense to make the passing game work and that Vick needed to simply be “more consistent with his footwork.” He also didn’t see him rushing for 1,000 yards again.
When asked about why he accepted the Atlanta job after talking extensively with the Raiders a year ago, Petrino said: “The location fits me better and my family and the I knew Rich McKay and what he’s been able to do in personnel. After I met with owner Arthur Blank and saw his commitment toward winning a Super Bowl, I knew this was the right job for me and at the right time.”
Tampering Jerry
New Giants GM Jerry Reese picked up that tagline when he revealed that “there is Willis McGahee talk out there” when he was being asked about a potential new running back to take Tiki Barber’s spot on the Giants’ roster. Yes, it’s tampering to be discussing another team’s player who is under contract at any time. You could blame it on first-day jitters for a new general manager. “We will investigate any such trade talks,” Reese said, referring to McGahee.
Will Reese be fined? Who knows, but he is right in that there have been rumors of the Bills trading McGahee, who wants a new contract and has mentioned a holdout as a means to that end. McGahee is represented by Drew Rosenhaus.
Titans were warned
Tennessee’s new general manager Mike Reinfeldt discussed the possibility of trading troubled cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones here, and I bet head coach Jeff Fisher regrets almost daily that they selected Jones with the sixth pick of the ’06 draft. Granted, he’s a more dynamic player than Antrel Rolle, the other cornerback considered by the Titans, but Jones is simply an undisciplined personality. How else do you explain the Las Vegas reports of him tossing money (from of bag containing $81,000) at strippers and the fact that Fisher had to suspend him for a game last season for spitting at a woman in a nightclub?
The young man has character issues.
Fans may howl at this story, but marketing man Mike Ornstein warned Fisher about Pacman prior to the draft. Orny called him irresponsible. According to the story, Pacman was in New York City and Fisher wanted him to fly to Nashville prior to the draft. Well, he skipped his first flight. He was having too much fun in NYC. Ornstein, who was trying to sign Pacman to a Reebok deal, was told to get Pacman on the next plane out of LaGuardia. Well, Ornstein went through security with Pacman and escorted him to the departure gate. He watched Pacman get onto the plane.
However, the next phone call from Fisher said it all. Pacman didn’t arrive on his scheduled flight. Yes, he slipped back off the plane at LaGuardia when Ornstein turned his back. There was simply too much partying to do in Manhattan.
But we all know that there will be teams lining up to trade for Pacman. And the Titans may even get a low second-round pick for him regardless of character.
Center is second best?
The only sane explanation is that it must be the largesse of the salary cap, which has increased 38 percent in the last two seasons. But center Andre Gurode, who actually shared his position with Al Johnson in 2005, is now the second-highest paid player on the Cowboys.
Yes, this is great for Gurode, the kid who had his head mashed by Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth last season, but it exemplifies how out-of-whack some salaries are in the NFL. A $5 million average for Gurode? Does this mean Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo ten million?
Gurode’s contract is an example that teams with a lot of salary-cap room will spend it in lavish fashion. Dallas paid out of fear that another team would if Gurode would have hit free agency.
Faulk not an issue
Reading between the lines from Rams coach Scott Linehan, he wants running back Marshall Faulk to stay retired. Faulk as been hinting at a comeback, but Linehan said he hasn’t spoken to him to discuss his future. Last summer the Rams gave Faulk a $2 million walking-away check and believe his playing days are over.
Joe Thomas fine
Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas ran two great 40-yard times on Saturday, a 4.92 followed by a 4.96. Thomas has been declared to be the Lions’ draft choice, the second overall player taken. Regardless, Thomas will be the first offensive lineman taken and he won’t slip out of the top five of the draft.
This is supposed to be a quality year if a team is looking to draft a guard, and Allen Barbre of Missouri Southern State was timed in 4.84 and Gabe Hall of Texas Tech in 4.86 on Saturday. Justin Blalock of Texas and Manuel Ramirez of Texas Tech both bench-pressed 225 pounds 40 times each to tie for top honors.
Russell being able to throw 80 yards plus is amazing, but does he have the accuracy and the smarts to read defenses? He's huge and all, but being compared to Leaf and Culpepper is bad. Culpepper is turnover prone. Leaf has a bad attitude.
As for Joe Thomas, remember Robert Gallery? He hasn't played or developed what people thought he'll be.
Brady Quinn IS this decades Peyton Manning! I hope the raiders pass on him, they don't deserve the great legacy he will have in the NFL. Redskins, Vikings and Texans would be foolish to let the Fins get another Dan Marino.
Last edited by Vindog on February 24th at 2:49 PM.
Quinn certainly has the physical skills, but cmon Great legacy in the NFL. The next P. Manning..haha please the dude choked in every big game he played in. Raiders should take joe thomas to help that pathetic line and look to get a QB in free agency. Quinn and russell arent even close to a Young or Leinhart.
If I am not mistaken, Manning choked everytime he played Florida but in the end won a Superbowl. Quinn could have the same future, but only time will tell.
To draft a QB in the Top 5 anymore is the most risky thing you can do in the NFL. Very rarely do they come out to any great success.(I.E Ryan Leaf)
As Far as Jamarcus Russel is, he might be a ok pickup but not at the number one spot. I would imagine him going around 8 or so. He blew up Notre Dame, but lets start with who doesnt put up big points against them.
I still think the best pick in this draft is Calvin Johnson. He put up rediculous stats with Reggie Ball as his Quarterback. He is the best Athlete to come out of College in some years (Not including Reggie). At 6'6'' 240, running around a 4.4 with remarkable body control and a 41'' vertical, there is not one cornerback in the NFL that will be able to cover him one on one. Plus the kid always catches the impossible passes.
Oakland should pick Calvin up, Trade Randy and Porter up, and bring it a Decent quarterback. Possible selections would be Jeff Garcia or maybe Take a chance and pick up Zabransky in the later rounds.
Raggin' on Robert Gallery? Man, he plays for the bloody Raiders! Put a good player in a position to succeed & he's gonna have better luck succeeding. When was the last time an O-linemen single handedly won a Super Bowl for a team?
Just because the Raiders are the worst team in the league doesn't mean that's a reflection on the type of player Robert Gallery is....How many guys do you think one guy can block at a time, Wang? My guess is, you would say 11.... Go learn some more about football before you start posting nonsensical ####.
Gallery's problem is that the dumb Raiders keep moving him all over the line. He should play Left Tackle, but they move him to Guard, Tackle, this side... that side.... put him somewhere consistently and he will settle in and perform... I am NO fan of the Raiders, but the guy got shafted.... I fear the same will happen to Russel.....
Brady Quinn is a smart player... yes... no doubt... Russel is a better QB.... You can be an absolute genius but unless you can bring it on the field, you are a backup, a coach, or in the booth.....
Anybody that goes to the Raiders is more than likely doomed. I agree w/ improving the OL and keeping Gallery in one specific spot (although I still think he has underperformed), and maybe getting a QB in free-agency. Bottom line is the Raiders (especially/mainly the Offense)are replete w/ errors and as long as the old man pulls the strings, well... I just hope they find a way to start working on improving.
As for the BQ, its not just a matter of the "Big game", Notre Dame is still a quality program, but last years team WAS NOT a quality team, I think he'll improve, but I have remained fairly unimpressed by him. Not that I'm expecting Jamarcus to play as well as he did in the Sugar Bowl too often, especially not right off, but I think he'll get pretty good.
As for Peyton, I dunno, but I wouldn't place the blame for losing to the Steelers during the 05-06 post-season on his shoulders, thus not making him the "guy that always choked until now".
Last edited by AA-bomb on February 24th at 5:36 PM.
OK! Everybody who followed College football knows that Quinn chocked whenever he played a good defense. If he goes anywhere that has a poor offense front line. His time in the NFL is going to be short. He gets messed up fast after he gets rushed and hit. The NFL! The NFL! Linebackers are going to have fun with him. He can't pass under pressure. JR will have to see. LSU is a good team. They played in the SEC. That's all I have to say about that. With the right QB coach. He can be great.
All I have to say is that JR is a SEC QB. This alone puts him up against a lot of pro style defenses and speed. He has also played in a pro style offense. Comparing JR to anyone outside of the SEC is a bad comparison. I fully agree that anyone going to the raiders is doomed though. I hope that someone can trade for him. As a matter of fact going to the Fins and the Vikes could be bad for your health.
Hey Ron, you're an ####. History repeats itself. Peyton never won the big game back in college either. Also, look at Rober Gallery... He ain't doing much for the Raiders, is he??? Do your homework.
QB is way to risky in first round, most likely a bust with both Russel and Quinn, although I would have to say that Quinn may be the better option, here is my reasoning. Russel was flakey, but played in the SEC with SEC talent on his roster, Quinn played for independant ND, but played against quality opponents week in week out (for the most part). Yes Quinn choked in the big one but at the Czar said, it takes 11 players to make a passing game work. All in all I think ND got out talented in the bowl game, college is a house of cards, look at the big bad Buckeyes, they got totally spanked (He He!) by the far superior SEC Gators with a really flakey QB. The Raiders program is in complete disarray and putting any QB in there will be a tough situation (think about Peyton in Oakland, he may be lucky to get 2,500 passing yards). As I always say (or is it Madden?), everything comes down to the lines, if the QB has no time to throw then he will not be successful, period. If it were me I would beef up the OL first, that will help the running and passing games.
JR had one great game against a suspect Notre Dame defense. Other than that he played for an LSU team that was still stacked both offensively and defensively from the Nick Saban recruiting days. Brady Quinn has had the benefit of runing both the West Coast offense under Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis's coaching for 2 years. I think he's the most ready of the two of them to produce at the Pro level.
I feel for whoever is sentenced to playing for the Raiders. I don't think the Raiders will be good again until AL Davis turns over the reins to a different owner or at least is willing to hire a strong GM and strong head coach and stay out of their way for the duration. They're dumb enough to trade a draft pick or two for Ricky Williams and maybe even give up something for Pacman Jones and T.O. in hopes it'll return them to their glory days. For Miami's, Tennessee's, and Dallas's sake, I hope they do just that.
Yeah, a QB is risky for a pick that high, I'll agree w/ that too, but honestly I'm not sure who or what position would work for the Raiders any better. Calvin Johnson going to Oakland would break my heart, he had a bad enough time w/ Reggie Ball, w/ a Raiders QB behind that horrid OL I think he'd get the ball tossed his way even less than it got to him in college.
I live in the ATL, and even though I'm more of a UGA fan over GT, I didn't pass up the chance to go to a game or two downtown and it was really depressing to watch the rock from Ball hardly make it to CJ.
Yes, taking Quarterbacks early in the draft is a risk but it sure looks like it worked out last year with Young, Leinhart, and Cutler.
The Raiders are obviously going with JR because he has a cannon for an arm but they need to patch up that thing they call an offensive line.
As far as comparing Brady to Peyton I think it's a little early to be doing that. Brady's defense lost him a lot of games along with a weak offensive line but I would feel safer if I owned a franchise 5 years from now with picking Quinn over JR. His body build is that of Daunte Culepepper and where has he been the past two years?
hey vindog,Quinn won't be playing Army, Air Force and Navy anymore. Almost every good team he played against thru out his years at ND beat them. You must have had ND pounded into your head as a Catholic School attendee and can't see past it. He will never be of the caliber of Payton Manning. We'll see what his legacy is in the pros. Maybe if ND started playing a schedule as big as their hype,he might have learn to play with the big dogs and win a bowl game against a formidable opponent. Actually, if the Coast Guard had a D-1 football program, ND would add them to the list. Those were the type of teams Quinn was able to beat. He should win the Commander in Chief Trophy for beating young men who are more interested in an education and serving their country than playing football.
I dont know why the focus is always on QBs come draft time. I mean if you look last year what the Jets did with D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, that is the way to draft. A good O-Line will make mediocre players huge. Build your team from the inside out, that is the key to success. I am biased as a Pats fan, but lets not forget that Brady was taken with the 33rd pick in the 6th round. Joe Thomas is the safest, and best pick in this draft. Pick him up and you have a cornerstone to build an offensive line out of. Maybe acquire one or two O-lineman in free agency and you're good to go.
And on Jamarcus Russell and comparisons to Daunte Culpepper, lets not forget the MVP candidate seasons Daunte had when he was throwing to Randy Moss. I still say draft Joe Thomas, but the Raiders, regardless of their draft are not going to compete next year.
Ok guys first off every college team plays at least 3 suck teams usually non-conference! So on my opiniion in the draft you have to look back in the draft to see how history repeats itself! Give a guy a few years to develop before you declare him as having a legacy!!! So my opinion has always been to use any of the top 3 picks in the draft on any position is ridiculous. To give away that much money to an unproven player thinking he will turn around your losing team is also ridiculous. If I were the raiders i would trade down 2 times each about 4 spots to parlay that into say a 2nd an 3rd each time so at the end of it owning the 10th pic an 2 extra 2nds an 2 extra 3rd round pics. Teams that are that bad off being high up in draft order need more than 1 or 2 guys to help them win. Plus this way it increases your chances of hitting gold!!! Then use that saved waste of revenue on some free agent guys! That's what i would do if i was a gm or owner everytime! Heres a flash back of the previous #1 pics- 06 Williams, o5 smith, 04 Eli, 03 Palmer, 02 Carr, 01 Vick, 00 Brown, 99 Couch, 98 Peyton, 97 Pace, 96 Johnson! Ten years and half are worthy. 1 certified hall of famer. Everybody that watches fb knows without a line(O or D) you can't win period! But a great o-line will make any qb or rb look like gods! Cowboys ring a bell(no offense) If Barry Sanders had that line! I'm out
Big LSU fan here, JR rarely runs even when he has a lane, Sugar bowl proved speed kills, ND trying to cover 3 early round wr's (early Doucet) would get drafted in the 4th round had he left. Raiders have a decent defense, soif they draft lotsa olineman they could 6-10 next year. ND plays a poor schedule & against top teams they blow
Ok as for draft information, we are all talking about how good someone will be in comparing them to other QB's in the past. Tom Brady was a nobody who split time with Drew Henson at Michigan. Now look at Tommie Boy shine. Peyton struggled at times as a QB at Tennessee, but will break every passing record in the NFL. In making comparisons between other QB's we sell ourselves short, because we may actually be looking at the greatest quarterback ever, Brady Quinn. Im not saying Brady will be the best ever, but people need to stop calling him "the next Montana". The truth of the matter is Quinn played on a decent D-1 team. Yes they lost some big games against OSU, Michigan, and LSU. However, I would like to make note that people say one person cannot win games in the NFL. So are we to believe that its solely Brady Quinns fault the the IRISH defense had more holes than a wheel of swiss cheese? The Irish offense did well to compete and score points to try to help them win every game. Put Brady Quinn in a well coached system on a team with a defense and look out. Quarterbacks are the "golden boys" on which to rest the fate of your organizations, which is why they are drafted in the first round. As long as the QB is given glory for victories and takes the beatings for losses it will always be that way. We will never see another class of '83. I wish Jemarcus and Brady the best in the NFL. I hope also the JR was not just a one game wonder against the Irish who has a cannon for an arm. As for the draft, the Raiders would do themselves and the NFL some favors by tradin
Having watched every game Brady played in at ND, I can honestly set back & laugh at all the JR is the better QB because he can throw the ball 80 yards..Come on now, how many completed pases of 50 yards ( in the air) are ever completed in the NFL?maybe 5 a year tops...& if JR is so great how come almost nobody outside LA knew him before the sugar bowl?...Brady Quinn will still be QBing the Browns 10 years from now & jr will be a 350 lb former 1st overall pick with a fat bank account..& nothing but comparisions to Ryan Leaf to look back on...
To the guy above referring to Chirs Leak as being flaky? The guy endured coaching changes, set many a school record at Florida (without Spurrier) and won an SEC and National Championship. 10,000 yards passing and over 100 TD's....I'll take a flake like that any day.
First off if the Raiders or anyone takes a QB it will be difficult to succede if you do not block for him. Look at David Carr people say he has not developed well he is always getting sacked the most in the NFL. How many times does Peyton get sacked. You also hear the announcers on NFL games say he hardly ever takes a solid hit. With a solid O Line you can put a QB that is effecient and not the best and win games like the Bears did this year. This also goes to the critisim that Brady Quinn choked in big games. He couldn't set his feet they were coming from all over in the LSU game. In some cases they were getting there before Brady could. Brady has the tools to be a good QB and the intelligence to run a pro game whose playbooks take a month just to read.
Russel climbed so high in the draft just because of 1 game against a ND defense that high school teams could score on. HE may have all of the tools but he will need time to develope with an OLine and a quality running back which the Raiders do not have. Players who had just one good year in college or a few good games are not a sure thing in the NFL.
The best player in the draft is Calvin Johnson. Size, athletism and he works just as hard in the classroom.
Joe Thomas is a tackle who you can build around and if no injuries he will be around 10 to 12 years.
Personally the Raiders would be a terrible place to go for any player. They have not done anything to bring in talent to the offense and to think the draft the No. 1 Pick will fix all of those problems well they are in for another year like last. The should trad
I laugh at this blog. If you followed anything with this draft you would see that both QBs are overrated heavily. Russell has great tools as a QB, but he isn't the type you would build a franchise around ie a #1 pick. He had "good" numbers in college, however if you look at him besides his arm strength and size nothing stands out. He's a horrible decision maker and cannot read a defense. The guy had great talent around him all 3 seasons as a starter yet his best performance for a game was for 322 yards against who else? Notre Dame. C'mon get a clue. Did any of you watch him play Florida? He had an awful game along with his game against Arkansas. Don't get me wrong he has talent, but not #1 pick talent. As for Quinn I will not even get into it with him. The guy isn't a winner. Charlie Weiss made him what he is. The kid plays a mediocre schedule against teams in the armed forces. In "big games" he looks lost. He doesn't have the fire or drive you want from the QB position. If you ask me the best QB prospect in the draft is Drew Stanton of Michigan St. He is very raw, however he will learn the NFL system while holding a clipboard for 2-3 years. He is as gifted if not more than Brady Quinn. He has the prototypical size and he's very athletic. He was at a senior skills competition and outdueled the likes of Troy Smith, Chris Leak, and Jared Zabransky. I know that doesn't say a lot, but given the chance he can be special. He actually outplayed Quinn head to head over the years at Michigan St. The only thing that hurt Stanton was his poor play this season at times. The guy played
To say the combine is #### is ridiculous. The conditions you mentioned, bad character and the likes would be analyzed the same without the combine. The combine allows for Gm and staffs to judge a persons ability to thrive under pressure, and also to see how well they prepare for such an event. The combine is far from useless, and certainly is not a joke. The combine does what it was intended to do, nothing secures a LOCK draft pick, nothing. We all pick on the QB comparison, bottom line, NOBODY IS A SURE THING, ALL positions have busts!!
Last edited by Laker-Dynasty on February 25th at 7:39 AM.
You say Quinn is no P. Manning because he never one the big game in college? That sounds EXACTLY like Manning. You people might want to start actually watching college football. By the way, Russell isn't a "consensus" #1 by a long shot. Consensus means everyone agrees, not just the ND haters, or those who want to see an SEC QB taken at #1.
Last edited by DirtyK on February 25th at 8:29 AM.
By the way, Navy was pretty good last year. As were Georgia Tech, Michigan, USC, Penn State, and LSU. Pudue also went to a bowl game, as did UCLA. ND plays a tough schedule every year and doesn't dodge anybody, nor do they play I-AA teams like the SEC does every year. I would love to see anyone in the SEC schedule USC and Michigan every year. What was the SEC's bowl record against the Big Ten last year?
Last edited by DirtyK on February 25th at 8:28 AM.
JaMarcus Russell is not smart enough to read an NFL defense like Brady Quinn, not able to make the adjustments like Brady Quinn, not as mentally prepared as Brady Quinn, yet here we go again ......the Raiders may actually be stupid enough to take Russell with the first pick over Quinn because he can "throw 80 yards from his knees." Need I remind you, if Russell is on his knees, the play is over anyway. BIG MISTAKE !!!
Last edited by jerzeejim on February 25th at 8:28 AM.
* Raiders can do with JR what Titans did with VY. Don't only make the QB adjust to the playbook, make the playbook adjust to the QB too. That eases a rookie's transform and builds his confidence even in sorry circumstances.
* Pick JR's 2nd go-to guy, Craig Davis - LSU, in the 2nd round. CD is a early 2nd-round prospect and someone who knows JR.
* BQ comes from a over-hyped team, but he does have all the tools needed. He looks more like a machine to me. It can be both good and bad.
* BQ was chased all around, but JR has also been against extremely tough defenses. He faced 6+ of them each year in the SEC. He still has impressive numbers. BQ is known more due to Charlie Weiss & the ND brand. Let's not forget that. Even JDB of USC gets more "coverage" than JR. Brand matters when it comes to publicity.
* Both JR & BQ will be chased around since they'll both end up with struggling O-lines. We've seen how a good defense can cripple BQ. Here's where JR's physique comes in.
* Doubters of JR are suggested to a play from this season's LSU-Arkansas game. On a QB draw play, JR simply ran over one of the biggest AK linebackers! He ran 5 more yards with 3 others clinging on to him! Also, count the number of fourth-quarter, fourth-and-long wins JR has. Against quality teams, that is.
* Raiders would serve themselves and the NFL well if they trade twice, but they need a QB too badly and one better take a good rookie QB than risk getting torched by him a year or two later.
* Finally, JR is 25-4 as an LSU starter, led his team to 2 10-2 seasons in the SEC, thrown for 6000+ yards.
Don't think I would be in too big a hurry taking Russell. Look at all the fuss over Vick. He hasn't panned out. Young, I think he was a one, maybe two year wonder. Look at Culpepper, McNabb et al. Looks like I may be saying its a black QB thing. NOT! Just be careful what you wish for!
I'm not a Raider's fan, However if they fix their offensive line & pick up a RB they could compete next. Their Defense is one of the best in the NFL.Last year they were playing 40 + mins. a game. Just think how great they would be playing 30 mins or less a game. Signing Jeff Garcia would be a plus as well. There's no way the offense can play that bad next year. Al Davis will have to fix it ASAP. MR. Just win Baby!
Wow, you really just said that about black QBs, whether you said "Not!" and meant it or not that was a pretty derogatory, generalizing useless post.As for Vick, he still needs to develop a bit yeah, hes had a rotating door of coaches and coordinators and the ATL OL is not efficient. Culpepper has in the past played well but his knee was shredded and came back premature, McNabb has also had a good career and got hurt pretty bad last year. Think about what your going to post before you do.
As to the poster that said GT was "pretty good" I'm sorry, your sorely mistaken, they had CJ but Ball couldn't get the rock to him, and they were nowhere near good. The ACC was once again awash in mediocrity and bad teams.
I said it before Ill say it again, anyone the Raiders take is in for a huge struggle, whether its a QB, OL-men, or any other position outside of a punter or kicker (which as we all know wont happen b/c its a dumb pick).
Last edited by AA-bomb on February 25th at 9:57 AM.
Who knew JaMarcus Russell outside of La. before the Sugar Bowl, try the whole SEC. Try 11-2 for two seasons in a row!! Who would have known Brady Quinn if he had played at any other college. We all know without notre shames TV contract, nobody would know Brady Quinn or who the notre lames other over hyped players are. If notre shames Brady Quinn could not handle the LSU defense, what do you think he will do in the NFL. That deer in the head lights look he had in the Sugar Bowl will be magnified with the speed of NFL defenses!
Let's hope the Raiders wise up and pick up Brady Quinn over Jamarcus Russell....Yes Russell won head to Head and against ranked teamed, what most don't realize all the Ranked teams Quinn faced had MUCH higher ranked defenses...including LSU's D being much higher than ND's Defense. Plus Quinn came to the Combine much more prepared. He was a physical speciman and out bench a fair amount of the O-Line that were there....Russell showed up 20 lbs. heavie and it didn't appear to be muscle. All True Raider Fans want Quinn.
The Raiders were high on Andrew Walter a couple of years ago.They picked up Aaron Brooks last year and unless they can go back in time and reproduce Ken Stabler or Jin Plunkett stay away from drafting a QB first, it rarely works. The OL is a joke and Robert Gallery spends more time on his backside then the QB'S it's time he earned his paycheck or ship him off to Detroit. They do need receivers since Porter and Moss don't want to play but if it's possible I would trade every pick this year to any team if they take Al Davis with them. He's the number one reason Raider fans hide their head in shame, he's bad for football and has made the Raiders the biggest joke in all sports(yes bigger than the Clippers). Al's committment to greed is bigger than his committment to winning.Draft a QB and find out how good he can throw from his backside or to receivers who aren't happy.One person will not turn this franchise around.
Scott- You are the Joke. Al Davis Brought us 3 SB Trophy and I dare you to find someone who has taken thought to be average talent and turned out being studs with Oakland...ie..Plunkett, Gannon Yes there have been some mistakes lately, but don't fool yourself, Raider Fans Love Davis and what he has done for not just the Raiders but for the NFL.
Well Marshall Faulk is certain a first ballot hall of famer. There are no doubts about that. If i was a general manager, I would consider this opportunity to be a marketable opportunity to pick up Marshall Faulk. Maybe he has the last great season in him. There has been so many unforgettable moments in Marshall's hall of fame career. Maybe Pittsburgh could pick him up to be a backup running back along with Parkers. Giving Parkers some mentoring. What else is better way to improve by learning from two of the game's greatest players in "Bus" and Faulk. He would be very trilled to be taken under Faulk's wing and pick up some tips and possibly become Hall of Famer in his own right. But hey, it's just my opinion. I would pick him up somewhere and sell some more tickets and make a big profit by having him on my team.
All of you are absolutely ridiculous, the raiders just buffed up there o-line with newberry and cooper carlisle. I was at every home game of the raiders and in 8 games they had the lead going into the fourth quarter and lost it. the team lacked discipline. JR is exactly what this team needs, under lane kiffin who was one of the best qb coaches in college football, who is experienced in a pro style offense. JR is a future mcnabb, but he wont get injured because he's bigger than 9 out of the 11 players on the defense. The raiders D is one of better ones in the league, besides JR all the raiders really need is a left tackle and a good running back. This team will win at least 6 games.
John Czarnecki, a former sportswriter with over 20 years experience covering the NFL, has been the editorial consultant for the Emmy Award-winning FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. Prior, he provided exclusive information to CBS Sports' The NFL Today program from 1991 to 1993, holding a similar position.
Prior to joining CBS Sports, Czarnecki was a pro football writer for The National Sports Daily (1989-91), The Dallas Morning News (1989), and The Los Angeles Herald-Examin er. An archive of work can be found here.
Russell, who even looks taller than his listed 6-feet-6, is undoubtedly a very large man, bigger than Daunte Culpepper, the former Minnesota quarterback. And he doesn’t want to be compared to Culpepper and he definitely isn’t worried about being too large. “I’ve always been big,” he said.
