No More Excuses For JaMarcus Russell

Ever since being taken with the top pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, Raiders and NFL fans alike have praised JaMarcus Russell simply based on hype. Russell missed most of his rookie season due to contract negotiations which may have hurt his transition from the college game, but even that is no excuse for some of Russell's performances in his first year as the full-time starter. It seemed fairly consistent that Russell would finish games with stat lines like the one in a shutout loss to the Atlanta Falcons where he went 6 for 19, 31 yards and an interception—with a passer rating of 19. In 6 of 15 starts last season, Russell had a completion percentage below 50—four times it was under 40. Oakland's 5-11 record isn't completely Russell's fault, but when a team has the 10th highest yards per game on the ground and the lowest average through the air there is something wrong with the passing game. The Raiders don't have one of the best receiving corps in the l...