Good argument for Russell. Only thing I would disagree with you on is Russell being a great college QB overall. That said, Russell may have the best physical skills I have ever seen on any QB. You're right, it's amazing how he can throw a deep pass on the run accurately, but his mind has to catch up to the NFL...we'll see...
Good Luck JR. Jamarcus is a class act. JR is learning how to be an NFL QB and it is a serious learning curve. Hard to do when playing as a rookie on bad team. JR improved greatly each season that he was at LSU and I expect him to do the same in the NFL. I think he will be at NC game supporting the Tigers. I always pull for former Tigers that are playing in the NFL. That's why I'm a big LSU-North fan(i.e. NE Patriots). :LSU231: :helmet: :geauxtige
hey i havent posted here before.. oakland fan here... registered to let people know JR was starting but there was already a post. his first pass was a screen that he threw right at the d lineman and was picked off. he had several "lowlights" but looked better and better as the game wore on. his final stats were 23/31 224 yards 1td,1int with a 91 qb rating and 75% completion. he didnt look as good as his stats but definitely was progress as the game went on. he lost a fumble in the EZ that was recovered for a TD, but he also threw a 34 yard TD strike with an absolutely perfect pass.. glimpses of why he was the #1 pick. the raiders already are very strong running the ball so with improved pass protection next year, plus a real #1 WR, and a full offseason and training camp... he will have a lot more to work with. its a good pass defense already and with improved run defense (they did shut down LT today) it is a strength. the JR-led offense outgained SD by 60 yards and if it werent for a couple turnovers they could easily have won and they were playing starters. just as an aside, rooting for lsu in the bcs.. go tigers...!
Signature Russell: Doesn't look as good as his stats. Don't worry, though. He's only going to get better. You'll enjoy watching D-Linemen bounce off of him, too.
Welcome to the party over here. I signed up at raiderfans.net and post there a little under the same screen name as here. I can assure you, there will be a season long thread in the pro sports forum for JaMarcus progress next season!
Come on now, he's playing with a team that most wont even start on a highschool football team. There must've been 10 penalties on the team. 2 or 3 personal fouls on the Oline, the first time I see that. WR getting flagged for false start and a running game that didnt produce when it matters. JaMarcus did get off slow but was playing extremely good for a rookie QB as the game went on. The INT he threw was all his fault, but the others were the result of a very poor supporting cast. This game could've easily been won if the team produced, but they didnt. He had a very good drive with what I think were 5 straight completions then it ended up with Rhodes fumbling the ball in SD territory. Then the fumble in the EZ, you should be ashamed to even mention it as a Russell mistake. It looks like you havent watched the game. The DE came off untouched from Russell's blindside and hit him as he was releasing the ball, and like Deion Sanders said about that left tackle Sims, if you allow the sack at least have the decency to recover it, well, he fell on it, but he didnt recover it. Then there is the comeback JaMarcus was trying to lead but.....on 4th down with 11 minutes to go, the ball is snapped and 3 guys come off the line chasing JaMarcus, he rolls to his right and throws a good pass to his TE, which was dropped. On another 4th down, the RB Rhodes was stuffed. Then there was the fumble on punt return. I thought the LSU team played horrible in the Florida game, well, not until I saw this game. To the defense's credit, they played well and stopped LT. But that offensive line needs to be changed and you cant have 2 starting WRs with over a 4.6 40 speed, they almost never get open!! JaMarcus played well, with a 75% completion rate against a playoff team and a TD that only Peyton Manning can throw in this league. He also caused a 30 yd PI that resulted in the TD run. So you gotta give the guy his credit, and his play was as impressive as his stats considering he's a ROOKIE who hasnt even gone to camp nor payed in preseason, not to mention a junior coming out of college. Hell, he played better than Philip Rivers and Brodie Croyle!!!! As for whoever said he doesnt look as good as his stats, you clearly dont know what you're talking about. He's the only QB I know that can look good on even RB screens..:grin: ...not so much the first one he threw in the San Diego game..
i certainly did watch the game, i live just outside oakland and have been to most of the home games this year. ive followed raider football for 15 years, you dont have to tell me what the problems are. not many 4 win teams would have stadiums as packed and loud as you get in oakland. i completely agree the fumble wasnt his fault. sims is horrible and will hopefully not be around next year. he also completely whiffed on a late block and even got russell upset enough to yell at the guy. i remember that fourth down pass being way too low but it wasnt his fault as the protection completely broke down. he did struggle early and throughout with some throws not having enough behind them and being off target but it got better as the game went on. 4 turnovers = hard to win a game. as for the team not producing.. solid as always running game, its 5th in the NFL i think. 130 yards on the ground against a good SD team. pass protection is the problem with the oline. obviously the lack of speed at receiever is something to address before next year. Oline, WR, and DL are what is needed. no need to be quite so defensive as my intent was to praise his performance.... heres a highlight film if anyone missed the game http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80598a45
From Berman's highlights of the game, JR looked very promising at times and showed he could drive a team down the field. Based on the highlights, it seems that they did not allow JR to throw many deep balls which was a good move. Game did not have any meaning and it seemed to build his confidence. When JR is ready and they let him loose, I expect to see him do a fine job. This all depends on who they surround him with though.
At times JR looked great in the pocket. He threw a strike to the end zone which I thought was classic JR. Man he sure got pissed bout line protection though. He got drilled in the fourth.
The fact that he can already as a rook get pissed at his lineman shows what his teammates have been saying about him. They say he is a natural leader and everyone respects what he brings to the table since the second he walked into the locker room. That goes along way to becoming something special one day in the NFL one day.
