I find it bizarre that with all the positives given to the Raiders about Russell...

[Bram Raider]

...that its Jerry Mac that questions them.

Russell never had a chance - Inside the Oakland Raiders - A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group

Never had a chance?
Well, Jason Campbell had as many voices in his ear and he never quit like Russell, did he?

A team with a clue about how to deal with media relations understands this. Gannon, Collins and other veteran quarterbacks knew it through previous experience. Russell needed to be told. And no one was there to tell him.

Can a team order a player to be available on a certain day?
I understood that he had to make himself available one day per week, but the day could not be forced upon him.
Does Jerry Mac know whether Al Davis/Tom Cable/Lane Kiffin or even John Herrera ever suggested that Russell make himself available on Mondays?
Jerry Mac has supposed that he received no guidance on the situation, but he doesn't know if that is true or not!

The rest of the National Media are incredibly supportive of whats happened.
Here's Clark Judge (CBS) on the situation:

All I know is that the Raiders are beginning to act like a responsible football franchise determined to make itself better -- and no, that is not a misprint. They're making all the right moves, and hallelujah. It's about time.

Releasing Russell means Raiders righting a big wrong - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

I know there is a level of sarcasm in there, but the Raiders deserve it after their recent record.


And how about over at Sports Illustrated?
Here's Don Banks...

You can't help but deduce that the Raiders got it right this time. They've been wandering in the NFL wilderness for seven long years now, but maybe they really are starting to find their way.

Lack of desire brings end to JaMarcus Russell's Raiders career - Don Banks - SI.com

And ESPN blogger Bill Williamson:

Owner Al Davis must be given some credit for making this decision. Davis gets a lot of heat for not owning up to his errors, and many league observers thought he would keep Russell just because he wouldn’t admit the mistake. But the real mistake would have been to keep Russell. Good for you, Al.

Cutting Russell was the right move - AFC West Blog - ESPN


All these people have seen that Russell is the issue.
He never cared once he was drafted.

I'm actually more than a little annoyed at Jerry Mac.
He's generally better than that.
Yes, he tried to balance the column by pointing out Russell's faults, but other players have succeeded in similar situations.
And as Mike Lombardi pointed out...

The Raiders were willing to protect their investment, willing to do whatever it took to help Russell, even if they had to lie about his weight, his work habits and his commitment to football. They felt they could control his behavior and make him see the light — but he was indifferent to their help just as he was indifferent to his career.

Even with the Raiders meeting him more than halfway, Russell was unwilling to extend the slightest effort. The past few years, there are many reasons to take shots at the Raiders, but when it comes to Russell, their mistake lies in the selection, not in the attempt to make him a player.

Diner morning news: A new day for JaMarcus | National Football Post


Al Davis did go to great efforts this off-season.
He gave Russell every chance.
How much must it have cost to have Eddie Anderson play personal chaperon to Russell?
Or the cost of the Arizona facility to try and get him to train?


Sorry, but I lay 100% of the blame at the door of Russell himself.
And that well-known "Raider hater" Peter King agrees.

Russell has no one to blame but himself for this embarrassing three-year reign of error. I remember interviewing Russell and his uncle at the Scouting Combine 38 months ago and listening to the uncle give an impassioned defense of the kid's work ethic, which some teams were openly questioning. Turns out the scouts were right. The Raiders got taken by Russell because Davis fell in love with his arm. Big mistake. Russell loved money and what it bought far, far more than he cared for football.

Oakland Raiders make smart move by releasing JaMarcus Russell - Peter King - SI.com



The Raiders have gotten better by removing any distraction that Russell may have caused.
And the faith in Al Davis that had withered away over the past 7 years has new seeds of hope.


Al Davis, you deserve a

[Raider Ran]

Good reads Bram. I am not sure what is up with Jerry Mc. He reported that DHB still was not looking good when multiple sources stated otherwise now the Jamarcus thing....I know he is a HATER... j/k could not resist.

[R8RFOX]

I echo this!!

[ottomatic1]

Great stuff bram and a good synopsis of russells pathetic career. I believe jerry is simply going in a different direction with his stories so people talk about his columns asking why isn't he reporting the same stuff as everyone else.

[raiderArt]

I agree Bram. I saw that article by McDonald and just smh . 99% of the blame is on Russell. Al fell in love with the big arm but he wasn't the only one. For Russell's family they saw this as hitting the lottery and it always seemed that after the guaranteed money was paid out, they would look to get out. It was always about the money for them, nothing else...

[Raiderwerewolf]

Jerry Mac is really RAIDERLYFE3000 and NOCLAPSPLEASE lol.

[cheapshotartist]

F*ck Russell his azz is history, lets move on.

[slapstar]

didnt have a chance? give me a break..

[HITMAN]

Russell is gone so nothing to debate really. The guy was indifferent and had no motivation to succeed so while I will say the Raiders are dysfunctional as an organization, Russell was worse.

[madstork]

These observations about the Raider organization's shortcomings would ring more true if Russell actually, you know, tried.

[Raidermofojeff]

I think there could be a little history rewriting here........and this is how I see it..
In regard to Kiffin leaving, I don't believe it had much to do with Russell....Sure when Russell was drafted, Kiffin wanted to go another route. As a coach Kiffin always appeared to have a very good relationship with Russell. In fact it appeared to me that they really bonded, that Kiffin was bringing him along slowly, and Russells numbers reflected this. Kiffin has mentioned in PCs speaking to Russell and other players, saying his goodbyes. In fact it appeared Kiffin and the players truly missed one another.
Russell appeared confused by the whole thing, and seemed to me he missed Kiffin. Sure Al villified Kiff in the overhead projector press conference and many Raider fans bought it. In spite of Kiffs lack of wanting to draft Russell, the two had a strong working relationship. Al bringing to light the difference of opinion regarding the draft was merely attempting to pull fan base support away from Kiffin, as well as Russells. In the end I think this whole thing really hurt Russell....but only speculation on my part...Initially a lot of us were pissed about the dissmissal, but as Raider we fans in the end we pull for our team.
Many even buy that Cable is a better HC! Not me ! That said, Kiff leaving Tenn as he did, showed probably his true character......Never the less I believe Kif and JR had a good relationship. I believe Lane did a better job working with Russell .....As for Raider Head coaching.....We replaced bad with worse and it's a big climb to success, particularly when attempting to get on top of the mountain while cutting corners in coaching.

[wizardoftroy]

Jerry Mac is a weird cat. He was and no matter what he tells you still is a huge raiders fan. He is like Hitman. He really just thinks Al has ruined this franchise and likes to say that. Also, for some reason coaches get along with him good and al has always accused both Gruden and Kiffin of talking to Jerry too much. While I agree with your assessment bram i really do see macs point.

The fact that not one of our first round picks since Aso have really worked speaks clearly about how dysfunctional this organization really is. I think Jerrys point is that even if JR worked hard, he still would have been a bust bc this organization didnt do anything to put him in a position to succeed.

[Raidahs7]

I have bashed Al and the organization for sometime......but I will be fair and dish out some love when deserved.

This offseason has been the best offseason I could remember, and we know Al calls the shots.

So here's to you Al, a big thumbs up.....keep up what you are doing and continue to make these smart decisions like you have these last few months.

It feels like a new, restart on life without that Japarasite on our team.

[DontBeMessin]

Russell is gone so nothing to debate really. The guy was indifferent and had no motivation to succeed so while I will say the Raiders are dysfunctional as an organization, Russell was worse.

JESUS CHRIST!!!! You're STILL riding that horse - really?!?! So, they get rid of all their baggage - have the best draft day in YEARS and you're still not satisfied...

retarded...

[Hungary87]

You can debate whose fault it was that Russell falied, his for not caring or the Raiders' for not providing the structure he needed. The real question though, is WHY THE HELL did they draft him in the first place? You can say that lots of teams had him highly rated. Ok, but didn't the Raiders interview him? Didn't Al and Kiffin take him to dinner? Aren't they capable of conducting an in depth interview to guage the player's level of intellegence, grasp of fundamentals and commitment to the game?

There!s the old story of how Peyton Manning met with the Indy brass pre-draft and basically INTERVIEWED THEM. That!s when they knew he was their guy. You can't expect that from every QB, but The Raiders should have seen that Russell was basically the polar opposite and stayed the hell away. My guess is that's the conclusion Kiffin's came to, but we already know he as overruled.