Apparently, Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable's patience is nearly at an end when it comes to embattled quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Russell was benched again against the Kansas City Chiefs, replaced by journeyman Bruce Gradkowski.

And now Cable was noncommittal on who would start next week against the Cincinnati Bengals.

He didn't try to hide his opinion about Russell.

"Some guys take longer than others,' Cable said. "He'll get there at some point. He's a talented guy. There's no question about that."

With little sign of improvement, though, in the former top overall pick from LSU it seems like a statement based on little more than wishful thinking and not much on the reality of Russell's career statistics.

In his latest outing, Russell was 8 for 23 for 64 yards while Gradkowski completed just 5 of 9 passes for 49 yards and two interceptions.

"I really can't explain it,' Russell said of the benching. "I really don't know what to say about it, but that was his decision, and just move on from it."

This year, Russell has completed just 47.1 percent of his throws for 1,067 yards, two touchdowns and nine intereptions for a 47.9 rating.

In three NFL seasons, Russell has completed 51.7 percent of his passes for 3,863 yards, 17 touchdowns and 21 interceptions for a 65.5 rating.

The troubling thing is that he seem to have regressed markedly from last season.

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