Report: Raiders prepared to release Russell
It appears that the end is near for JaMarcus Russell in Oakland, as the Raiders are preparing to release the NFL’s all-time biggest bust.
From ESPN.com:
John Clayton just said on ESPN’s “NFL Live” that the Raiders are preparing the process of cutting quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Clayton said it is not a matter of if, but when Russell will be cut. He also said the team could release Russell before Oakland’s minicamp, which runs Friday through Sunday, and that there is no trade market for him. The Raiders will save more than $6 million if they cut Russell this year.
I wrote about this topic in more detail yesterday, which you can read here. But the long and the short of it is that Jason Campbell is the starter and the best move for the Raiders is to cut their losses and move on with Russell. He would be nothing shy of a distraction, including for owner Al Davis.
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The big question — at least to me — is will anyone give him another shot? Isn’t getting cut by the Raiders like being cut from an NBA D-league team? Isn’t it over?
It should be.
Say hello to the CFL.
He has more money than he’d ever need.
If he was wise with it, it wont matter.
He is a wasted talent.
Of course 99% or more is his own doing.
So you’d definitely rate Russell as a bigger bust than Ryan Leaf?
It’s probably a little premature on my part, but yes, I would declare Russell a bigger bust.
But we’re splitting hairs in a debate. One could have easily been the No. 1 overall pick while the other was. They both had the physical talents, but were/are the poster children for what happens in the NFL when guys don’t put in the work off the field. They’re both disasters.
At least Leaf had two good games before he self destructed. I’m not sure if Russell has had to good quarters.
I would rate Leaf as the bigger bust just because of the circumstances. Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf went 1/2 in that draft, and I’d be hard pressed to come up with an example of two guys who played the same position having careers that turned out that differently. Leaf looks even worse because of the comparison.
With Russell, as bad as he’s been it’s not as if there’s a QB from the same draft that’s an absolute lock for the HOF.
Comparisons might be a great barometer of how well a player turned out, but it doesn’t mean one guy was a bigger bust. You have to factor in expectations, draft status, etc. The year Russell was taken, there wasn’t a clear No. 1 and some may even argue that he was the clear choice. (Nobody argued CJ’s talent that year, but given that he’s a WR, people weren’t clamoring that he should be the top overall pick.)
Again though, we’re splitting hairs. They both suck/sucked.