Oakland Raiders quarterbacks Bruce Gradkowski (L) and JaMarcus Russell are shown sitting on the bench against the New York Jets during their NFL football game in Oakland, California October 25, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)
You know things are bad when your life coach gives up on you. My life coach still won’t return my calls and to this day, getting to sleep at night doesn’t come without a great degree of difficulty.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jason Cole, JaMarcus Russell’s “life coach” John Lucas has cut ties with the biggest bust in NFL history. Lucas was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1976 NBA draft and is renowned for helping athletes with addiction and personal problems. But apparently even he has thrown his hands up when it comes to Russell.
Russell, 25, and Lucas had been working together since September in hopes of getting Russell into shape for a return to the NFL. The aforementioned sources say Russell, released by the Oakland Raiders last May, initially worked hard, but quickly lost motivation. Recently Lucas tired of trying to get Russell, the top pick in 2007, to respond to instruction and assistance.
In addition to Lucas, TNT analyst and former NBA star Charles Barkley tried to motivate Russell, according to one of the sources. Both Barkley and Russell are from Alabama, prompting the Hall of Famer to take an interest in Russell.
“The title of your article should be, ‘It’s Over,’ ” the same source said. “It’s just amazing that you could say that about somebody who is 25 years old and just got drafted four years ago. But it’s been almost a year since he got cut and there’s no interest. Even before the lockout, nobody wanted to get near the kid.”
It’s funny, if this kid couldn’t throw the ball 70 yards nobody would give a damn about his career. It’s admirable that John Lucas devotes his time to helping athletes but as we all come to realize in life, some people just aren’t worth the trouble. I’m not trying to be cruel here. I just think that if people aren’t willing to help themselves and then they spit on the efforts of others who are trying to help them then why bother?
Did anybody stop to think whether or not Russell really wanted a life in the NFL? Just because he was blessed with a rocket launcher for an arm doesn’t mean he wanted to be a football player. We all shake our head and call him a waste of talent but it’s pretty clear that whatever is in guys like Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, clearly isn’t in Russell. He just doesn’t want it, so let him go drink cough syrup or whatever he else he does in his free time and move on.
If Russell had a serious problem and was a danger to himself or others, I would be singing a different tune. But as far as I can tell, he’s just another lazy person who doesn’t want to work for anything. Sadly, he’s not the only one who is like this and he won’t be the last.
Former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell recently appeared on Showtime’s Inside the NFL and admitted that he made some mistakes that led to the Raiders’ releasing him last May.
Of course, he doesn’t know what those mistakes were, but he’s taking full responsibility for them.
From USA Today:
“Now looking back on it, I could have went about certain things different,” Russell said.
What specifically did he do wrong?
“I am not sure,” Russell told Showtime interviewer Josina Anderson. “I don’t know where they went wrong. But the things that did go wrong I take full blame for whatever was my fault, and the things that did happen. Being drafted No. 1 there are so much that they want you to do at a snap of a finger. It didn’t happen that way which brings us to today.”
That doesn’t sound like a guy who knows he messed up and is now taking the appropriate steps to ensure he doesn’t make the same mistakes twice. This sounds like someone who is trying to tell everyone what he thinks they want to hear in order to get what he wants (i.e. another chance at the NFL). Just based on his statement above, it seems like Russell doesn’t have the faintest idea how he got to the position he is today.
Here’s the real kicker:
The former LSU product told Fox he knows “for a fact” that he will return to the NFL. “I can’t say when, but until it happens I am going to stay here in Houston and continue to work out each and every day no matter how long it takes,” he said.
Russell told Showtime he will not consider playing in the UFL and brushed off a question about whether he would consider playing a position other than QB.
“I am not going to speak on that,” he said. “I am a quarterback.”
He knows he screwed up and that teams want nothing to do with him because they know he’s a malcontent, yet he basically says he’s above playing for the UFL and switching positions.
My experience covering the NFL for two decades is that players use drugs or their facsimiles for the same reason non-athletes do: for some sort of relief.
Russell was a bust, a terrible bust, and totally unprepared for the rigors of NFL life, but he was still human. Russell likely heard what was said about him by media and fans (much of it deserved). His plunge into eternal bust-dom might’ve led to Russell easing the pain with this cheap drink while believing the chances of getting caught were small.
“The subjective effects [of using codeine] are quite hard to describe beyond the word euphoria,” writes the site Opioids.com. “The sedation associated with codeine is quite a lot less than that experienced with morphine or other stronger opiates. A strong feeling of contentment is usually also experienced. Most people enter a phase where you become quite content and tend to lose interest in their surroundings.”
Wouldn’t you want to lose interest in your surroundings if you played for the Raiders?
I couldn’t disagree more. I think Russell sipped on syrup because he’s a massive idiot and not because he sought some form of relief. Nobody should feel sorry for this clown, who made more money than most of us will make in a lifetime for doing nothing. He’s unmotivated, he’s lazy and he used his God-given talents to become rich. And while I’m the first to admit that I often refer to the Raiders’ organization as a “circus,” most fans would love the opportunity to play for a NFL franchise – any NFL franchise.
The flush you just heard was whatever was left of JaMarcus Russell’s NFL career swirling down the toilet.
According to the Mobile Press-Register, the massive bust was arrested on Monday afternoon for possession of a controlled substance, which was said to have been codeine syrup (i.e. Sizzurp).
(Spokeswoman Lori) Myles said Russell was arrested at his home early this afternoon during an undercover investigation. Police did not find a prescription for the codeine during their search, Myles said.
Other people were on the property, but Russell was the only one arrested, according to Myles.
He was booked into Mobile Metro Jail at 4:22 p.m. Russell was released minutes later after making $2,500 bail, according to online records.
Witnesses claim that when the police asked him to hand over the syrup, he fumbled it, picked it up and then overthrew the officers by 20 feet.
Even before his arrest, he was overweight, lazy and highly ineffective on the field. Why any NFL team would even give him a tryout at this point is behind me. Hopefully Russell likes Canada, because the CFL is the only football this asshat will be playing anytime soon, although the UFL is also a possibility I suppose.
I can’t wait for his agent to make a public announcement a couple of months from now saying how much Russell has turned his life around and is “in the best shape of his life.”
In his recent “2 Minute Blitz” video, Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz suggests that the Colts should take a chance on JaMarcus Russell. Kravitz lists the lack of options that the team has behind Peyton Manning and the possibility of Russell “seeing the light” while learning in a great organization as some of the reasons why the former No. 1 overall pick would be a fit in Indy.
On the surface, the idea isn’t as far-fetched as some may think. Curtis Painter did nothing in his limited time last year to suggest that he could be a capable backup for Manning, nonetheless someone that the Colts could actually count on to win a came if Peyton were ever to get injured. (Throw on game film of Painter’s effort against the Jets last year if you disagree.) Plus, Manning and Russell are polar opposites, so maybe JaMarcabust could learn something from the hardest working quarterback in the game.
That said, I’m one who believes that Russell will never get it. I think he wanted to parlay his junior season at LSU into a big payday in the NFL and that’s exactly what he did. With the backing of Al Davis, I think he knew he could do whatever he wanted and the checks were still going to come in the mail. I don’t think he wants it, nor do I think he ever will want it.
If the Colts did sign him, I wouldn’t pooh-pooh their decision because Russell could stand to learn a lot from Manning. He needs to be in that kind of structured environment if he ever has a shot to make it in the NFL. In fact, Indianapolis might just be the best spot for him.
But at the end of the day, a person can be in the right situation and still not change for the better. It would be up to Russell to make fundamental changes to improve his work ethic and I just don’t think he has the will, desire or dedication to do that.
Here’s a shock: Michael Vick didn’t work hard when he was a member of the Falcons, or so he admitted in a radio interview with 790AM The Zone in Atlanta.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
“There was a lot more I could have done off the field and in the film room that could have elevated my game to a different level,” Vick said. “I was complacent at the time, somewhat lazy, and I settled for mediocrity. I thought what I was doing was enough.”
“Just imagine what I could have been doing if I really would have been applying myself. That’s a regret I have.”
Considering that he’s complacent, somewhat lazy and is settling for mediocrity, I can envision JaMarcus Russell saying the same things about himself in the next couple years when he’s looking for a job outside of the NFL.
Russell’s on-field problems have been well documented. He doesn’t have good mechanics, his decision-making is horrendous and he has never been an accurate passer. But that doesn’t mean he lacks the athletic tools to become a decent starter. If he only applied himself more, then maybe he could make something out of the talent he does have.
The problem is that he’s just like Vick was in Atlanta. He has had everything handed to him in life and he’s never had to work for something he truly wants. He’s lazy, unmotivated and he settles for being a lush because he knows Al Davis will support him no matter how bad he is on the field. But if he would heed what Vick said in the interview, maybe he would take this offseason to try and turn his career around.
Personally, I wouldn’t bet on Russell succeeding. I don’t think he has the work ethic to become a good player and worse yet, I don’t think he cares. I agree that he’s not in the best environment in Oakland, but at some point you have to stop blaming other people and look in the mirror.
But maybe he’ll prove everyone wrong and take this offseason seriously. It took Vick going to jail to realize the opportunity he pissed away in Atlanta, but maybe Russell (who is only 24 mind you) won’t need a life-changing experience to turn his career around in Oakland.
Beat writer David White of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting “someone using the name JaMarcus Russell checked into The Palms in Las Vegas” the day after Russell was excused from a team meeting for “personal reasons.”
White notes that this could potentially save Tom Cable’s job in Oakland.
Russell is believed to be the major sticking point between Cable, who benched Russell after nine games, and Davis, who preaches patience for his prized No. 1 overall draft pick.
Russell has been criticized by Cable publicly, and teammates privately, for not working hard enough off the field. The reason reporters knew about Russell’s absence Monday was because of a tip from a teammate in the locker room who couldn’t hide his disgust.
Cable can take Russell’s Vegas-over-team trip to show Davis the extent of his disconnect from the rest of the team. Maybe Davis will see Cable handled Russell the right way all along, that his struggles were about more than Xs and Os.
That, or Davis says about Russell what he said about Randy Moss in September — that the Raiders failed him. If that’s his stance, then yeah, Cable is gone.
If Davis choices Russell over Cable it would be a colossal mistake. Russell will never live up to his lofty expectations because he’s not prepared to put in the work. Furthermore, he doesn’t have the overall talent. (It takes more than a strong arm to be a quarterback in the NFL, which he has proven time and time again.)
If this rumor/report (not sure what to call it) is true, then Russell should be released immediately. I don’t know how much proof Davis needs to unload that gigantic bust. That said, maybe Russell really did have a “personal” issue to attend to, so we’ll just have to wait and see if more details emerge.
I don’t want to make Cable out to be Vince Lombardi, but he proved this season that he’s capable of winning games. With Russell on the bench, the Raiders showed promise down the stretch and actually fought hard under Cable. He wasn’t Oakland’s biggest problem this season and deserves a shot to see what he can do without worrying about Russell infecting the team with his horrible play.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, “all signs point to” the Raiders firing Tom Cable this offseason.
In the Raiders’ case, that means parting ways with coach Tom Cable and hitching their floundering franchise to another coach who has a fresh set of ideas and the patience to put up with quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Managing general partner Al Davis has yet to weigh in publicly on the matter.
However, several people close to Davis say he is inclined to fire Cable and hire a new coach for the sixth time since Jon Gruden was jettisoned after the 2001 season.
When asked if he is expecting to be the coach next season, Cable said: “I am, because I see, and you all see, too, where this team is going, and what we’ve been able to accomplish in proving some things.
If Davis fires Cable and keeps Russell, that would be yet another horrendous decision in a long line of horrendous decisions by Al Davis. I’m not necessarily suggesting that Cable should be retained, but what has Russell shown in four years that would make Davis (or any owner, coach or water boy for that matter) want to keep him? Russell is absolutely abysmal and shows zero signs of ever becoming a professional quarterback.
At the very least, Cable should be credited for benching Russell and having a little success with castaways like Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye. The Raiders were actually competitive with Gradkowski and Frye under center, not so much with the biggest bust in NFL history. Personally, that merits Cable keeping his job for at least another year. He’s not the Raiders’ biggest problem – Davis is, with a little aid from Russell.
We’ll see if Cable is inevitably gets the boot, although if I were a Raider fan I’d currently have that horrible, Al-Davis-is-about-to-screw-us feeling in the pit of my stomach.
That means JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2007, has again been demoted. Russell was benched last month for Bruce Gradkowski, who is now out with MCL sprains in both knees.
Russell replaced Gradkowski in the second half of last week’s loss to Washington. He threw an interception and was sacked six times.
That performance was enough to make Cable turn to Frye, who has been inactive or did not play in every game this season.
This has to be the nail in the coffin for Russell in Oakland. If Cable retains his job in the offseason, I don’t see how he’ll keep Russell when he’s already chose Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye over him. Even crazy ol’ Al Davis has to see that Russell is a bust.
If he is released, some team will take a shot on Russell because of his size and arm strength. But I doubt he’ll be one of those players that resurrects his career after seeing the light of day. The guy just doesn’t have what it takes to be a professional quarterback because he won’t put in the time to succeed. He’s a mess.
With Bruce Gradkowski likely shelved for the rest of 2009 after spraining and partially tearing his MCL in the Raiders’ Week 14 loss to the Redskins, it could be do or die for former first overall pick JaMarcus Russell.
Russell has been a bust virtually from the moment he arrived in Oakland. He has never grasped that in order to become a great player in the NFL, he has to work for it on and off the field. Thus far, he has tried to get by on only his God-given abilities, which clearly isn’t enough for him to succeed.
Russell has major issues with his accuracy, his decision-making and his overall pocket awareness. He also has shown the inability to read a defense, to lead and to become a student of the game. The first three things can be taught, but the latter is on him.
He likely has three games to prove himself to the Raiders, because the team will no doubt evaluate him to decide whether or not to cut their losses and move on the offseason. If he isn’t going to develop, it doesn’t make sense paying him all that money to watch Gradkowski on the sidelines.
