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Growing time for JaMarcus Russell
By Jeremy Harness December 27, 2007 |
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A week after getting his first extended action of the season, rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell will make his first NFL career start when the Raiders play hosts to the playoff-bound San Diego Chargers, a move which begs one specific question. What took so long? Understandably so, the team’s brass was very careful as they gradually brought Russell along after the rookie held out until finally signing a contract during the second week of the regular season. Also, it takes significant time to completely comprehend an NFL offense, which isn’t something you can get down in a couple of weeks. However, the NFL is a league for grown men, and it’s a continuous sink-or-swim situation. The quicker Russell got on the field and got some game-time experience, the quicker he would be able to develop as a quarterback. And another thing. It’s not like the Raiders’ season was on the line, either. That was thrown out the window a long time ago, and the longer the season dragged on - and the more intense the boos rang from the McAfee Coliseum crowd during seemingly every home game - the less sense it made for the team to keep trotting out Josh McCown or Daunte Culpepper. Contrary to what head coach Lane Kiffin said over and over this season, it was quite evident that neither quarterback was going to give his club much of a chance to win. So as the season went down the drain, why not give the restless fans a taste of the future a little earlier? Perhaps in Week 7? In the process, the Raiders may have stunted Russell’s growth while watching two quarterbacks who most likely aren’t going to be with the team next season take the keys of an underachieving offense. On the other hand, maybe Kiffin knows what he’s doing with Russell. He knows full well what Russell would be getting into, with an offensive line that gives up sacks by the dozens when it’s not drawing false-start penalties. But again, the young guy has got to take his lumps at some point. So it would have been best to throw him in there a tad earlier than when the Raiders actually did. The sooner that Russell develops, the quicker the Raiders can make a return to respectability. |
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