Russell Saga Reveals Raiders Real Problem
| 12
|
by Seanlahman
So the NFL season started last night, and JaMarcus Russell, the number one overall pick from this spring's draft, remains unsigned. Depending on who you talk to, the two sides are either on the verge of a deal or not even close. Either way, the fact that it's gotten this far is ridiculous, and it raises serious questions about owner Al Davis and his ability to run the team.
With the number one pick, you have months and months to get a deal done. At the very least, you can use that time to gauge what kind of deal a kid and his agent are looking for. If you can't get the contract done ahead of time -- or at least get a framework in place -- you ought to move on. The pick is to valuable to waste.
And frankly, while it's too soon to say the selection was a mistake, picking him and not being able to sign him has been a collossal blunder. The kind that can set a franchise's development back. It's easy to say "oh well, the kid wasn't going to play much this year, anyway." Maybe not, but without attending training camp, how's he going to learn the offense? A handful of reps during a regular season practice can't come close to replacing the weeks of work he missed during the pre-season. The coaching staff won't have a chance to spend quality time with him until the offseason, and he'll enter next year as a novice in the offense rather than looking to iron out some rookie kinks.
Mark Kriegel of Fox Sports puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of Al Davis, noting that the 78-year old owner can't afford to waste another year. "Over the last four seasons, the Raiders have had the worst record in football. Last year's 2-14 campaign was especially egregious, but their reward was JaMarcus Russell. Only now, with the preseason finished, the Raider boss has squandered one thing he has in precious short supply: time."
Count me among those who think that for the Raiders to return to playoff contention, they need more than an exciting young quarterback; they need someone other than Davis running the team.
