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NFL News, Opinion, Top PostsMMCB: When to pull the plug on a QB drafted No. 1 overall
EDDIE LEE
NFLPosts.com Editor
Will Jamarcus Russell get the Alex Smith treatment or will he be allowed to reach the David Carr and Tim Couch level?
In other words, is the Russell era in Oakland a 3-year or a 5-year term?
Since 1999, 8 QBs have been selected No. 1 overall in the NFL.
For a semblance of objectivity, and because there’s just not enough evidence, we’ll remove the Lions’ Matt Stafford, class of 2009, from the equation.
To recap then:
1999: Couch
2001: Michael Vick
2002: Carr
2003: Carson Palmer
2004: Eli Manning
2005: Smith
2006: Russell
Of the Super 7 that hit the lottery jackpot, Vick, Manning and Palmer achieved early success, as measured by Pro Bowl selections and for Eli, a Super Bowl title. Let’s continue the dog fighting issue in another column.
The others remain cautionary tales in what happens when a team misses terribly, like a Jamarcus air mail, with the top pick.
While many point out that the failures of the remaining 4 QBs are directly related to the terrible teams that they were assigned to, there’s really no way to debate hypothetical scenarios.
And while Cleveland (Couch), Houston (Carr), San Francisco (Smith) and Oakland (Russell) continued to flounder, Palmer, Vick and Manning were the focal points of their team’s turnarounds. We can leave nature vs. nurture to child psychologists.
The biggest issue with the missed picks of the past decade has been the incredible rise in rookie salaries and the effect they’ve had on team salary caps.
Whiff badly on the top pick and teams have no choice but to continue to trudge the Wrong Man out on the field. For years.
Consider that Stafford’s 6-year contract for $72 million (it could reach $78 million with incentives) includes $42 million guaranteed. In 1998, Peyton Manning’s 6-year rookie pact was for $48 million in total.
In Russell’s case, it’s a six-year, $61-million deal with $32 million guaranteed,
The 2009 salary cap is set at $127 million. Which means that one top rookie, without a snap in the league, eats 10 per cent of each team’s allotted amount, regardless of performance.
Which is why Couch and Carr received 5-year assignments and why their teams continued their self-imposed misery. Smith, until he re-entered the fray on Sunday, met with the unlikely scenario of getting beat out by an undrafted free agent, Shaun Hill, after 3 years.
Sure on-the-job training and team branding play a role in extended playing time but succesful teams have been able to make the proper assessment and either pulled the rope (Arizona, Matt Leinart) or lengthened it (Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers) accordingly.
Horrible draft day misses are why parity is but a rumor in Roger Goodell’s league. These monetary implications have permanently sentenced Oakland, Cleveland, Kansas City, Detroit, St. Louis and Tennessee to NFL purgatory. Which means that unless they can uncover a Joe Flacco or a Matt Ryan, they’ll continue to be awful for the foreseeable future.
Perhaps giving added weight to attributes other than size and arm strength might help. Like character, intelligence and a semblance of recognition. Because there’s cool under pressure and then there’s ignorance.
Approached by Cam Inman, an Oakland Tribune columnist, Russell offered this exchange Sunday.
Inman: What’s been the biggest obstacle in your development?
“Up and down. Up and down.”
Inman: As in the team’s consistency, or yours?
“I don’t think it’s me, personally. I really don’t … It’s been a bad combination of one guy not doing something right one time, one guy another time.
Personally, I don’t think so. Do you?”
On his way to one of the worst passing seasons in NFL history, Russell didn’t make it to halftime of Sunday’s 38-0 loss to the Jets, the worst home drubbing in Oakland’s history.
And he was surprised he got the hook.
“It was kind of shocking to me at first. I felt like he thought his decision was the right thing to do. Once Bruce (Gradkowski) got in, I became a cheerleader. I had no problem with that,” said Russell.
In his first 4 possessions, Russell fumbled once and threw 2 interceptions, one a jaw dropper under no duress that was not in the same area code as another Raider.
“No reason for that,” coach Tom Cable said of the throw that set up the Jets’ second TD.
Gradkowski’s performance (10-of-19 for 97 yards) Sunday, however, was not worthy of a Shaun Hill-like palace coup.
Even before he could be asked the question, Cable quickly said after the game that Russell would start on Sunday against San Diego.
It’s not a surprise that the Raiders are sticking by their man.
It’s just unbelievable that they haven’t figured out that the apprenticeship of Russell should have ended long ago.
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Sept. 25: Jammed up Raider shoots for the moon, likely to miss
Oct. 6: TMCB – Autumn wind killing the Raiders
PORTABLE QUOTABLES
“Flashbulbs were going off before kickoff for 10 minutes, which you don’t see in the United States … It was a privilege to come over here. It will probably never happen again, so we’ll retire 1-0 internationally.” Patriots QB Tom Brady following his team’s 35-7 win over the winless Bucs.
Not if Jolly Roger has anything to do with scheduling.
“You get 200?” Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco. “Close, I got 189,” grinned teammate and former Bear Cedric Benson.
The league’s leading rusher ran like the top pick the Bears thought they had when they drafted him in Cincinnati’s 45-10 blowout win. Benson, who believes he was blackballed by Chicago after getting released, continued to run the ball with his team up by 35.
“We couldn’t get them off the field …Didn’t make freakin’ tackles.” Miami LB Jason Taylor after the Saints’ 36-point tsunami in the second half.
Miami, which lost 46-34 after leading 24-3, is just another team blown away by a strong Brees, Drew, that is.
THE JAMARCUS WATCH
We got the extended version, above, today.
Last week on MMCB and TMCB
Oct 26, 2009
Reply
Nice post.
It’s amazing to see how poor some of these quarterbacks have turned out. I don’t think Russell has a chance in hell gaining any sort of confidence again. At least the Browns draft of Brady Quinn doesn’t look so bad now;)
Mike