JaMarcus Russell Could Be in for Another Long Season

Mocking the Oakland Raiders is a year-round affair, and the NFL Draft is no different. People who make it their business to know such things were predicting the Raiders would take wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall pick because -- wait for it -- Al Davis loves speed.

The year before, some folks thought running back Darren McFadden was a stretch with the fourth selection, and then there were the Fabien Washington and Michael Huff first-round debaclements in 2005 and 2006. But the 2007 draft was different: the Raiders chose quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 pick, and we all agreed it was the right move.

Oakland needed a quarterback, particularly one who could throw a football 80 yards in the air to the latest 4.2 40 wideout Davis had acquired. (Hey, the go routes aren't going to complete themselves.) Of course, we're constantly reminded that day-after draft grades are dumb, and that it takes three or four years to pass judgment on a player or a class.

Well, this will be Russell's third NFL season, and to date his career can be summed up thusly: inconsistent. Hardly original and not even accidentally insightful, but also pretty accurate. Some of Russell's struggles have to do with playing on a dreadful team, but young quarterbacks, in general, are a fickle bunch.

Of the 23 QBs taken in the first round since 2000, I count 13 who are either on the bench or out of football. So, yeah, it's a crapshoot. And Russell's situation doesn't help his chances. Via SI.com's Jim Trotter:

But instead of building on [Russell's December success], the Raiders brought in a new quarterbacks coach (Paul Hackett), a new passing game coordinator (Ted Tollner) and hired wideout and tight end coaches who've never been lead position coaches in the NFL. Also, instead of adding an experienced receiver who could be a security blanket for Russell, they plan to rely on rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey, who was taken with the seventh pick in this year's draft.

"Also those things have set him back a year," said one of Russell's former coaches.

Trotter also points out that Russell isn't without blame.

Elite QBs are usually gym rats who are consumed with the game. No one has ever described Russell in that manner. At the owners meetings in March, coach Tom Cable spoke positively of Russell but added: "If he can accept the responsibility of being an NFL quarterback -- working more, working harder, working longer than everybody else, accepting the responsibility that his teammates look to him as the face of the organization, that he has to go above and beyond almost on a daily basis... (if) he can accept that and become that, he'll be fine. He'll be great."

On the upside, the Raiders signed Jeff Garcia, so there's that. Ideally, Russell would suddenly decide to spend hours watching film and working out, but he's also a 23-year-old kid who came into $30 million when he signed with the Raiders.

I know, this is his job and whatnot, but I also remember being 23, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have worked harder if I suddenly came into some money. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I never made it as an NFL quarterback. And if things don't improve for Russell, we'll be saying the same thing about him. (One minor exception: he'll still have the $30 million. I will not.)