In wake of JaMarcus Russell's release, why not today?
So, this is my evaluation of the Oakland Raiders draft class of 2007.
Round One (1) QB JaBust Russell, QB/LB/DL (who can tell?,) LSU
Grade: J
I gave him a J because an F doesn't justify how bad he was for the Raiders in his tenure.
In training camp of 2007, he held out till the second week off the season. That in itself, tells you he didn't have a great desire to play.
He started in 2008, and wasn't the worst quarterback in the world for a guy playing in his second season. In fact, Russell ended the 2008 season on a more positive note. He had three good games in a row.
Then 2009 came and Russell performed atrociously. He quickly became one of the most hated bay area sports figures of all time.
When I was there for the Eagles game, everybody I asked about him, almost a had hatred of him.
I felt bad for Russell, only because this wasn't just dislike, it was real hatred. I don't know how anybody would feel if they were hated by more than a million Raider fans across the globe.
Ironically, that Eagles game was his best of the season, which isn't saying much. He got benched vs. the Chiefs, and the Jets.
Russell never took blame for his failures.
This was his comment after the New York Jets debacle. "I don't think it's me personally. I really don't. It's a bad combination of one guy doesn't do something right one time. Personally I don't think so. Do you?"
Thank goodness Al Davis finally decided to pull the plug on the JaMarcus Russell experiment.
Round Two (38) Zach Miller, TE, Arizona St.
Grade: A+
What's weird is that this was one of Al Davis' more brilliant moves. Miller has turned into an extreme...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
