QUOTE: “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.” -- Elie Wiesel
The Oakland Raiders coaches have finally seen enough of JaMarcus Russell to make a change at quarterback. Now, I’m confident they reached this decision long ago, but because the owner controls which players start, they were unable to make a change sooner. When the Raiders signed Jeff Garcia in the off season, many thought he would eventually be the starter because of Russell’s inability to demonstrate any consistency in his career. Garcia, however, asked for his release because he couldn’t tolerate the conditions in Oakland, and instead of him, the Raiders are about to enter the Bruce Gradkowski era. No wonder there’s indifference in the Raider Nation right now.
All season, Russell has looked bad -- with his accuracy, his decision-making and most of all his body language. He projects the image of a player who just doesn’t care whether he’s successful or not. There’s never a sense of urgency or sense of pride in his work. In fact, after a bad play, there’s just a shrug of the shoulders, and he looks for his baseball cap. He doesn’t put in the time off the field to be great and is immature in his approach toward preparation, which translates to a poor performance on the field. But no matter how poorly he plays, the next day he’s not motivated to improve. When there’s an absence of pride, there’s also an absence of willingness to improve.
Many people close to Russell feel that money has spoiled him and taken away his motivation to become a great player. This happens with some players, but it’s not limited to just players; it can happen to anyone. Don’t think it doesn’t happen to some coaches (Charlie Weis, for example) who are highly paid and become indifferent. Their prevailing feeling when facing obstacles becomes, so what if they fire me, they have to pay me a ton of money. I’m set for life.
Money can be rewarding, but it also takes away the hunger, the drive, the focus to be great. I have always believed that no matter how much money this great game provides that no one should get into football for that. It should be for the love of the game, for the chance to be a part of a winner. Money is a nice reward, but it’s not the reason for working 18-hour days. The will to be great is not in Russell’s DNA right now, no matter how much some in the organization want him to be successful. Until he wants to be successful, until he is willing to make the sacrifices, he will never be successful. As Bruce Springsteen once said, “Money can make life easier, but does not make living easier.”
The Raiders’ insistence to make Russell great is justifiable. They have invested a ton of money in him, and if he doesn’t pan out, they will have set back their franchise even further. The Raiders have lost seven games this year, and if they lose three more, they would become the first team in NFL history to lose double-digit games seven consecutive seasons. They’ve only won 26 games since the Super Bowl seven years ago, which is fewer than four wins a year. No team needs a quarterback to pan out more than the Raiders, so their stubbornness about Russell is understandable. But it’s hard to make someone successful when he couldn’t care less. And no matter what anyone might say, Russell looks like he just doesn’t care.
The one glimmer of hope for the Raiders is that Titans quarterback Vince Young had the same look at times last year when he was out of the game. Granted, Young has had a better start to his career than Russell, but Young not starting last year enabled him to re-evaluate how badly he wanted to be a successful NFL player. So far this year, after three starts, he looks to be a player with renewed spirit, a renewed will to be great and a sense of pride in his career. So there’s hope, and taking away Russell’s starting job might help him face the reality of his career: Does he want to be a successful player, or does he want to be a highly paid player who’s in all the “Bust of the Draft” videos? It’s really up to him.
Random thoughts…
Lost in the New England-Indy game was the incredible play of rookie left tackle Sebastian Vollmer. He did as good a job on Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney as anyone has done all season….
Levi Jones has become the starting left tackle on the Redskins, which allows them to move Stephon Heyer back to right tackle. Mike Williams was not effective when he had a chance to play, and Jones at least gives the ‘Skins an adequate player at left tackle. The main concern is how long he can play….
The Eagles will miss Brian Westbrook more for his pass protection than his running right now. LeSean McCoy can run, but his pass protection is rather weak.
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Vollmer did s good job but he got a ton of help on Freeney (like every other team does). The patriots executed a nice plan of chipping and shifting help towards Freeney. Not a negative on Vollmer who did a good job but he was by no means on an island with Freeney.
How much of his poor play has to do with the coaching (or lack there of) he is getting?
OAK has to be forced to draft a QB in 2010 right? Considering the Pats have their 2011 first rounder.
Which does Al weight more when looking at QB prospects:
1) 40 times
2) Distance thrown from one knee
If Russell was in a better situation, would he be different? Randy Moss, for example, looked completely unmotivated when he was at the Hotel, but that certainly changed when he went to a better situation. I wonder if things would be different if he were elsewhere, but it's not like anybody's taking a chance on him with his current contract. The Cryptkeeper probably wouldn't trade him anyway.
Great column Mike, and as a Raider fan I see what you see here. The apathy of this fanbase, which is one of the most passionate in the NFL, is stunning right now.
I don't think Russell has what it takes but I must point out the bad spot the organization has put him in. He finished last year on an up note, he played pretty well. The Raiders kept Cable for continuity, which I agreed with especially for the sake of the 23 year old QB. Then they changed the offensive coordinator, changed the passing offense, changed the QB coach, and let him start this season with two RAW rookie WRs as STARTERS! That's a crazy situation to put a young, developing QB in, and it's asking for trouble. Only in Oakland.
Having said that, Russell clearly has issues with preparation and being a professional. He is so much fatter than he was when he was drafted it's not even funny. I hope the light goes on for him like it did for Vince Young, but I'm not counting on it.
lol @ knocsucow00
A rookie salary cap should help offset the hurt a team like Oakland will endure when a top draft pick checks out after collecting his paycheck.
Cris Collinsworth pointed out Vollmer's play a few times, when he wasn't getting help and seemed to be doing a nice job.
I still think the Eagles are the second best team in the NFC. Despite Reid's clock management issues, they seem to have a great combination of talent and experience to make a run at the playoffs. While the Saints are the best NFC team right now, I think a Saints-Eagles match-up in the playoffs could be very competitive.
You mention Russell going to the sidelines and just putting on the baseball cap, and it strikes me what I really noticed about Peyton Manning in last Sunday's game, that as soon as he comes off the field (and this was showed a few times), he is immediately looking over the photos of the plays from the previous possession, not wasting a second, in trying to make sure he is better the next possession.
But also, just to defend Russell for a second, how many quarterbacks would look good with his receivers? And maybe it shoudn't be an excuse, but that lack of any starting NFL caliber talent, likely makes it difficult to be motivated, and provides an easy excuse - why work hard, when even if I play well and make a throw, my receivers stink. What must Russell think watching Crabtree, with no training camp and missing several weeks, be thrown into the fire and immediately producing.
Alright, alright. Now, let's not kneel down at the altar of Vince Young just yet. His receivers are playing better, his defense is playing better, and his HC and OC are molding an NFL offensive scheme into a college option scheme. How much of that is really Vince Young's initiative?
I'm not saying Vince is a pawn. He has his own talents that have contributed to his recent success, sure. But it's a team game. It's not Circus of the Stars.
He certainly has matured over the past year and a half. I like his demeanor now. Before this season started, I wanted to trade his ass.
All this being said... Vince's professional support system casts a much wider, durable safety net under him that JaMarcus Russell's. I don't think Russell is fortuitous enough to have the positivity, flexibility and support that Vince Young has here in Nashville. Oakland is not Nashville.
If a fiasco like what happened to Vince Young last year had happened in, say, Oakland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh.... Vince Young would not be playing professional football this year. Nashville is a very forgiving city. We're a growing city with a small-town disposition, and this is another reason Vince Young was able to survive and bounce back from last year.
So... JaMarcus is going to have to be much tougher and much smarter to survive this fall from grace than Vince Young. I'm not sure the Raiders or Raider Nation are that sympathetic.
So many similarities, but some huge differences, too. I agree, though, that Vince taking a year to sit on the bench did him some good. He found out that his many millions could not buy him what he really, truly wanted out of life - and that is to be a football player. He was already a star, just not a player. Now he's a football PLAYER.
I wish JaMarcus the best. Not many organizations have the patience to deal with someone who progresses slowly.
There are a lot of problems that can arise when you are playing or working for a completely dysfunctional organization. It's hard to motivate yourself to put in the extra hours in the film room, difficult to do that extra conditioning in the off-season. When you are in a dysfunctional situation that is far and away out of your control to individually change, its hard to put in the extra time.
Now I don't really know whether any of this applies to Russell. Maybe its the money, or maybe he just doesn't feel like its worth it. Maybe he thinks that this isn't what he signed up for. But he probably has as much knowledge as anyone with respect to what is happening inside the building from a coaching/management perspective, and when he is playing for an organization that has NO HOPE of being competitive or experiencing sustained success under current management philosophy, I can see how it might be easy to check out a little bit.
It's tough playing or working for a laughingstock.
The gratuitous shot at Weis for supposed "indifference' could not be more off the mark. Weis has not been very successful in the W-L column, but nobody has worked harder to be successful, on and off the field. He has been an absolutely tireless (and effective) recruiter, his players don't get in trouble, he ensures they go to class and graduate, and his day in his office begins well before the sun comes up. He has been too loyal to several assistants who haven't cut it, and likely overthinks the college game, but indifference has never been his problem, as any of his fellow college head coaches who recruit against him will tell you, if you bothered to inquire. You, of all people, should know that lack of success in an endeavor does not by itself mean one was indifferent. In fairness you should edit that comment out.
What kills me about Jamarcus Russell is when he is pulled from a game he is totally baffled as to why ? I really believe Jamarcus is a total idiot . He is just not smart enough to be an NFL quarterback. I don't think will has as much to do with it as being in way over his head does . Being able to throw a ball 100 yards on your knees in pretty useless in the NFL as compared to reading a defense . As far as Vince Young is concerned , you know he practically had a breakdown last season . If he didn't want to succeed badly he would have just grabbed the clipboard no ? Vince Young has always had heart . Jamarcus doesn't seem to have heart but also doesn't seem to have the mental capacity to play the position .
Funny I remember when the Patriots took that tackle out of Houston I was baffled . I knew they needed o-line help but the tackle out of UConn was the highest player on Mel Kipers list . That Vollmer guy was never mentioned until the pick . That is why the Patriots will always be good under BB. They just know how to evaluate talent better than anyone . BTW ,whats up with Peter King taking my Todd Haley needs to take up yoga material ?
You can lead a horse to water, then do something else I can't remember.
I sympathize with Russell. Once I received a bonus check for 150,000 (not huge but big).
The only thing I could think of was "how much time could I take off If I just quit right now." The answer was 3 years.
I couldn't agree more with LJ76. Mike, that was a cheap shot about Weis. You can say he is cocky or he is not head coach material. However, I am not sure that there are more than a handful of coaches who work harder than Weis. It's easy to take a shot at somebody when they are struggling, but if you are going to pile on at least make sure it's accurate. By the way, if and when Weis is fired, I bet there will be at least 20 pro teams interested in having Weis as their OC.
JaMarcus Russell's struggles confirm that Division I-A college football is an obnoxious pretender to the Real McCoy of the NFL. The lack of playoffs in the highest level of college football is only the most prominent inferiority, but there are many others. Big-name quarterbacks in college often falter once the bright lights of the NFL come along. Sebastian Vollmer is the Patriots' version of Ryan Clady and they're lucky to have him. Thanks again, Lombardi. Keep up the good work, in other words, continue to be the antithesis of JaMarcus Russell!
Wow. Striking quote today!
That's one that's worthy of being written on a 3x5 card and stuck in one's pocket.
Russel's friends were disparaging some "broke a$$" Raiders fans who tailgate next to player parking. Russel was seen laughing when his friend made those comments about Raider Nation/Black Hole denizens.
"It's funny in that his fat butt couldn't leave the parking lot" as the broke a$$ people his friend talked about, people who pay to see the team play, the one who was talked about blocked the drive out. A lot of the guys are veterans, it's a wide array of Bay Area blue collar types. Raiders fans take no crap and we expect better of our own.
"He wasn't even smart enough to get out of the parking lot, how can he be a pro QB?"
That's a comment made after the game he was benched to a chorus of boos.
@Murder, translation please?
Chris being in a different situation didnt help Andrew Walter this year. Maybe the Raiders are terrible at evaluating a qb or maybe they dont develop them but Walter was given every shot to win the 2nd string gig in NE and failed.
I just hope Raiders stink next year too when Pats get their 1st rounder.
Fact check: Tampa Bay lost at least ten games every year from 1983-1994.
It's a shame that Al didn't make Cable ride JaMarcus the Hutt to the bitter end of the season. Thanks to the gift called Sunday Ticket, I've checked in on the Raiders for at least a few series every week and am always in awe of how bad an anchor the dude is for that team. This is classic addition by subtraction and I fear the Raiders will now assume a true spoiler role from here on out. They are a much better team than their record indicates.
I wrote in a post last night that I can't help but wonder if Russell is playing like this on purpose and eventually will end up on another team and have a stellar season, in the likes of Randy Moss. If that were to be the case, it would be disrespectful to the organization, and the fans, after all the time and money they have invested in him to this point. Now I know the two can't be compared, and he may prove me wrong and it will turn out that Russell just can't cut it in the NFL. However, the more the season progresses the more I have a hunch, and the more it is becoming blatantly obvious in my opinion that he is just going through the motions in Oakland. Cable, the rest of the coaching staff, and the other players on the team I'm sure have long seen enough. He has been in enough practices and played in enough games to where you would think that his football IQ would have gone up a little. In the Kansas City game this past Sunday, Russell looked somewhat decent in the first half and it was the wr's and the penalties that were hampering the offense. In the second half Russell looked to me like he clearly shut it down rather than KC having made any significant adjustments in their defense.
Hypothetically speaking, from Russell's standpoint, he already has his foot in the door in the NFL, he already has the money, what reason does he have not to bide his time and wait for the opportunity that he wants? Albeit at the expense of the Oakland Raiders.
You can draw out a scenario in which Oakland inevitably releases Russell. I figure Cleveland, Buffalo, Miami (maybe...I don't think anyone knows who the qb is in Miami since they run the wildcat so much...), Denver, San Fran, St. Louis, Washington..eh.. One or more of these teams will show interest and bring in Russell to "check him out" as they say. He will wind up starting and be a completely different qb than he is now and everybody will say, where was that when he was in Oakland...
As far fetched as it may seem, just don't be surprised.
The Gritz Blitz post is absolutely on point - my seats are close to the bench. I've observed JR locating his beany rather than going over the previous plays. Only when Gradkowski and Frye were looking at the snapshots would JR get involved (and from a distance). The 1st time he got benched he reached for a "cheering towel" rather than a clipboard or earpiece to hear what is being called in. He just.. doesn't... get ... it....
Sorry - meant the post before GritzBlitz
Mr Lombardi,
How can anyone succeed with Raiders? You of all people should understand how a young quarterback is doomed to failure in Oakland. Even if this team had a young Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Brett Favre or Joe Montana they would all utterly suck. I found Jeff Garcias commentary on the organization and Russell earlier this season quite revealing at how they don't properly develop players. The Raiders are the worst team in football and an embarrassment to the NFL.
Hallcyon
Wow I've never read an article created on the basis of speculation, hear say and body language. If this so called article was honest you would find in the vast majority of QBs it takes at least 3 yrs to be a consistent starting QB in the NFL. Only rotheisburger in recent memory hit the ground and continued to be successful. Funny thing opl don't consider him better than peyton manning even though he has more rings and has a good chance as anyone to get another. Especially considering he is younger than both mannin and brady.
Back to russel. While I never thought russel was going to be great we are talking about the raiders. What are we talking about the raiders? They have been at the bottom of the league evry year. Name the last raiders drafted QB that was successful?? Raiders are a crappy organization. So you shouldn't expedt any development from them. Another thing is why people compare VY to russel. Their career paths are completely different. VY is the only QB to get benched while having a winning record as a starter and was on a 4 regualar season win streak. I know people tend to lump all black QBs in the same catergory which is unfortunate. A better comparison for russell would be alex smith. Both were #1 draft picks and not highly successful in college. And both have struggled in the nfl with losing arecords as starters. One more fact / statistic: peyton manning had 88 ints in his first 4 yrs including 28 picks in his rookie year. Yet people weren't telling peton to get out of the league. Russell is no where near peytons pick record.
Wow I've never read an article created on the basis of speculation, hear say and body language. If this so called article was honest you would find in the vast majority of QBs it takes at least 3 yrs to be a consistent starting QB in the NFL. Only rotheisburger in recent memory hit the ground and continued to be successful. Funny thing opl don't consider him better than peyton manning even though he has more rings and has a good chance as anyone to get another. Especially considering he is younger than both mannin and brady.
Back to russel. While I never thought russel was going to be great we are talking about the raiders. What are we talking about the raiders? They have been at the bottom of the league evry year. Name the last raiders drafted QB that was successful?? Raiders are a crappy organization. So you shouldn't expedt any development from them. Another thing is why people compare VY to russel. Their career paths are completely different. VY is the only QB to get benched while having a winning record as a starter and was on a 4 regualar season win streak. I know people tend to lump all black QBs in the same catergory which is unfortunate. A better comparison for russell would be alex smith. Both were #1 draft picks and not highly successful in college. And both have struggled in the nfl with losing arecords as starters. One more fact / statistic: peyton manning had 88 ints in his first 4 yrs including 28 picks in his rookie year. Yet people weren't telling peton to get out of the league. Russell is no where near peytons pick record.
good thing no nfl owner paid you a lot of money....or else we would have to settle for raider bashing
@Steve. It's not apathy that the Raider fans are showing, it's disgust. Don't get them confused. There wouldn't be any disgust if that shriveled up, senile old man would give up control of the team to a GM so that he/she could hire a top-notch head coach who would then have a say in who we draft, play, cut, etc. Some people claim that Davis is NOT senile but I beg to differ. Who, in their right mind, would let such a once-proud and winning franchise sink into the quagmire that the Raiders have been in for the last 7 years? Not 1 or 2 or even 3 years. S-E-V-E-N, count 'em, S-E-V-E-N long torturous years. I've been a Raider fan for over 40 years and have been just as disgusted as the rest of Raider Nation. As far as Russell goes, you either CAN or CAN'T throw a football accurately, PERIOD!!!! A week ago I saw a HIGH SCHOOL QB throw and COMPLETE a fade pass into the corner of the end zone and this fat-ass PROFESSIONAL can't do it? Incredible! And to all of you who say that it's due to the different coaches, schemes, coordinators etc, I say Bullshit. The bad throws are all on him.
And maybe it shoudn't be an excuse, but that lack of any starting NFL caliber talent, likely makes it difficult to be motivated, and provides an easy excuse.
That is why the Patriots will always be good under BB.
And maybe it shoudn't be an excuse, but that lack of any starting NFL caliber talent, likely makes it difficult to be motivated, and provides an easy excuse.
Thanks for information.
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Nov 19, 2009
10:36 AM
Russell certainly comes across like he doesn't care. (It's also possible that he just isn't very good.) The NFL humbels up a lot of these guys who got by on pure talent and supeior teams in college. Leinart, Young and Russell all seem to be shocked that they can't just show up on Sundays and dominate like they used to.