The QB/RB tandem that Oakland will be building around for a long time This thread is just for them. Updates will include progress, and news on both players.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>JaMarcus Russell drafted first overall by Raiders Last Updated: Saturday, April 28, 2007 | 12:51 PM ET CBC Sports Strong-armed quarterback JaMarcus Russell was selected first overall by the Oakland Raiders in the NFL draft on Saturday. Russell, a 21-year-old junior, led Louisiana State University to a 41-14 victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl last year. The strapping six-foot-six, 263-pound pivot passed for 332 yards and two touchdowns against the Fighting Irish, and was voted the game's most valuable player. He compiled a 25-4 mark with the Tigers, matching Warren Rabb for the third-highest win total in LSU history. "It is a dream come true," Russell said. "Growing up as a kid, playing every sport in life, and always seeing the guys on the professional level — and here I am today." Russell is projected to start next season for the Raiders, who posted a league-worst 2-14 record last season. He was a 61.9 per cent passer at the collegiate level, completing 493 of 797 attempts for 6,625 yards and 52 touchdowns with 21 interceptions in 36 NCAA games, including 30 starts. "I cannot wait to get in the black and silver and get to work," Russell said.</div>
Russell: Columbus Touchdown Club SEC Player of the Year (2005) 4x SEC Offensive Player of the Week (1 in 2005, 3 in 2006) First-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and SEC coaches (2006) Manning Award (2006) Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist (2006) Sugar Bowl MVP (2007)
Failing to reach a contract agreement with the Raiders, Russell held out through training camp and the first weeks of the 2007 NFL season, until September 12, 2007, when he signed a six-year contract worth up to $68 million, with $31.5 million guaranteed. Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin did not immediately name Russell a starter, saying, "That way we can really control what he is doing, play for this set amount of time for this many plays. He doesn't have to have everything mastered," noting that Russell had missed all of training camp and other quarterbacks, like David Carr, should have been brought along more slowly. Russell made his first professional appearance on December 2, 2007 against the Denver Broncos. Coming into the game in the second quarter in relief of starter Josh McCown, Russell played two series, and completed 4 of 7 pass attempts for 56 yards. On December 23, 2007 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Russell threw his first career touchdown pass, a 2-yard pass to Zach Miller. He finished the game with seven completions on 23 pass attempts for 83 yards, with one touchdown pass, three interceptions and a lost fumble. Russell made his first career start in the final game of the season against the San Diego Chargers. He completed 23 of 31 passes for 234 yards with a touchdown on a 34-yard pass to Jerry Porter. Russell finished his rookie season with 36 completed passes on 66 attempts, 373 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. After the San Diego game, Kiffin named Russell the team's starting quarterback for the 2008 season.
Darren McFadden was drafted by the Raiders fourth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft out of Arkansas. McFadden, often referred to as D-Mac or Run-D.M.C., became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award in 2006, and joined Ricky Williams as only the second two-time winner after taking home the award again in 2007. McFadden also won the 2007 Walter Camp Award as the nation's best player and was also the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy two years in a row in 2006 and 2007. McFadden was named 1st Team All-SEC all three years he was at Arkansas and was also a consensus 1st team All-American after his sophomore and junior seasons, also being named a freshman All-American in his freshman year. Darren was also named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by the Coaches and AP in 2006, and again by the Coaches in 2007, as well as being named The Sporting News magazine National Player of the Year in 2007. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on February 24, 2008, McFadden ran an official 4.33 40-yard dash, which was second among all running backs at the combine. McFadden also reportedly scored a 17 on the Wonderlic exam. With the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Raiders signed McFadden to a six-year, $60 million contract which includes $26 million in guarantees.
Greg Knapp Q&A With coach Lane Kiffin busy trying to lure undrafted free agents to Oakland, coordinators Greg Knapp and Rob Ryan met with the local media to discuss the 2008 draft. Knapp’s transcript: Q: Is it a nice problem to have so many running backs to sort through? Knapp: It is. My background from being in the league is that you need more than one. You need two, for sure, and probably three. Last year was a case and an example. We went to three guys at the running back spot. There’s no doubt that you need a definite combination because the season’s so long and now the game is so physical. The defensive side has gotten much faster, stronger and quicker. So, you can’t have enough backs. This kid’s versatility is just unbelievable watching him do the things he has done, from quarterback, being outside, catching the ball out of the backfield, not to mention the running back himself. It made a lot of sense when you have a guy with that kind of ability that, even though we had some quality guys already in place, it’s a great weapon to have. Q: Can you draw any comparisons between McFadden and anyone you’ve seen? Knapp: No. He’s unique. In my experiences, his home-run ability is very unique from what I’ve seen on the college tape. Hopefully, that will transfer over to the pro level, as well. What does make it even more so is that ability to move him around and to put him in different places. Some of you guys might know my background, where I came from, we did a little bit of the offense where we had a guy named Mike Vick take the hand-off and do some of the run game that way. This guy did that for the last couple years there at Arkansas. So, he provides an option where that could also be used. Q: You get greedy as an offensive coordinator? Knapp: Heck, yeah. Ultimately, it’s what’s best for the team. But when you have a guy what that kind of ability, that does give you potential that anytime he touches the ball, he could go the distance. Yeah. I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say you get a little greedy sometimes. But ultimately, what’s best for the team is what counts. Because that’s what makes this game great, the team support.” Q: What is Fargas’ reaction to getting McFadden? Knapp: He is such a quality guy. Obviously we call the players right away, they’re in that room when we draft somebody, especially a significance like Darren is. And his talks with his position coach, Tom Rathman, he was excited for the team: ‘Hey, if that’s gonna help our team, then let’s go do it.’ And look at the role he’s had the last couple years, before he became a starter last year, and how much of a pro he was with you guys and around others. That’s who he is. And so I’m sure he’ll make this a transition that’s as smooth as possible. Because that’s Justin, that’s his makeup. Q: How much has JaMarcus progressed this offseason? Knapp: Because we’re not allowed to do team settings it’s hard to tell. But as far as the classroom goes, he’s done a great job. He’s been meeting for an hour and 45 minutes Monday, Tuesday and Thursday since March 10th. We’ve been on the field for an hour on those same respective days and to see the progress of the footwork and the correlation we’re getting in the classroom as far as quizzing and taking the test. We give him study guides each week to take home and bring back, the quizzes we’ve given in the classroom, he’s really progressed fine. It’s exciting to see because this is when you see a lot of growth. It’s those guys after their first year into their second year. We don’t get to do as you might have read about the hard-wiring of the quarterback with a rookie QB because we don’t pick him up until like May 16. Even then you’re jumping into OTAs so the time we get to spend now really of really wiring a guy’s brain on how to play the position in our offense is during this time. We’ve seen great strides in the classroom and in the individual stuff and now we’re hoping to see it in the OTAs when we start team practice. Q: Do you grade those quizzes like a teacher? Knapp: No. A lot of them would be like right now I would throw out in the middle of watching a play, ‘What’s your progression here, what’s your footwork, who’s your first read on the defense.’ Obviously the feedback I get like you would all get with me in reaction is, ‘Oh that’s good. He’s stepping up quicker.’ Some of the things he’s brought up to us really has impressed me. Like when we started this offseason back March 10th we showed something on the board and he goes, ‘Why are you asking me that question coach? That’s the one you asked the night before my workout at LSU.’ He was exactly right. We were putting up a quiz against a certain defense if this guy were to blitz where would the ball go to. He was like, ‘You got something new for me, don’t you?’ And that’s exciting. Because if you’ve got that kind of recall on a night that was very important to him a year ago way before the draft you know he’s into it and really wants to become a better quarterback.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8...mp;confirm=true 7/27/08 <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>NAPA, Calif. -- JaMarcus Russell was greeted at his first NFL training camp with some good-natured ribbing from veteran teammates acting surprised that he knew his way to the Oakland Raiders summer home in California's wine country. It was a fair question considering Russell was thousands of miles away a year ago in a contract holdout as the Raiders conducted training camp. This year, Russell is front and center, the player being counted on to lead the Raiders back to their winning ways after five long years of losing. "Everybody on the team gets paid off of what I do and the rest of the team does," Russell said. "I hate to say it but I'm accountable for a lot of the guys' families." That's a lot of pressure on a player who has made only one NFL start and appeared in just four games as a rookie. Coach Lane Kiffin made him the starter for this season as soon as the 2007 campaign wrapped up, and he has spent the entire offseason preparing for it. Being given the title of starter and earning the respect as the leader of the offense are different things. Russell said he noticed as the offseason went on that players began to follow his lead more and more.</div> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Russell has shown his brilliance at times in training camp, threading a pass perfectly between defenders or firing balls right on target while moving out of the pocket. "He can whip that thing into small places in a heartbeat," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. Those are traits that only someone with Russell's physical abilities can make, but those are not the plays that the coaching staff focuses its lessons on. Kiffin is more concerned with the more mundane topics like getting the team to the line of scrimmage quickly, switching plays when necessary and knowing when to throw the ball away.</div> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It's a message that has gotten through already to Russell, who says his priority is focusing on the small details instead of making the spectacular play. "When you pay close attention to that, then things will be better for you instead of being Superman all the time," he said.</div> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Russell showed signs of what the Raiders hope will come in the future when he completed 23 of 31 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. It was a big improvement over his four-turnover performance the previous week as a reserve against Jacksonville. There figure to be some of both kinds of days in Russell's future.</div>
I feel bad for the rest of the league. This duo will be sick. All we need now is a young wide receiver with lots of potential.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It’s beginning to sound like a broken record but rookie running back Darren McFadden made yet another head-turning play. This time the first-round draft pick took a handoff from Russell and headed left when the defense started making a push in that direction and appeared to have the young runner pinned against the sideline But McFadden turned on the speed and turned the corner, barely making it through before racing up the field untouched the rest of the way...</div> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>McFadden had his second consecutive practice where he didn’t look sure of himself as a receiver, seeming surprised as the ball arrived. “He’s had some inaccurate hand placement on some catches, which is a surprise because we didn’t see much of that in the camp before,” Kiffin said. “He’s got so much going on right now and so much pressure on him and so many different plays so we’re going to keep pushing him and then there will come a time when we pull back. His attitude’s phenomenal.” “Inaccurate hand placement” is Kiffinese for not being ready to catch the ball.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>During kickoff drills early in practice, running back Darren McFadden was deep and running kickoffs hard up the middle. Kiffin mentioned McFadden as a possibility for return duty on occasion. – Expect McFadden to be utilized only in crucial situations, in games where the Raiders need a strike at the end of a half or game, or when they are struggling on offense and need a momentum switch. To use him at all in that role in the preseason would be a questionable use of a major investment. – McFadden had a much better practice catching the ball out of backfield than he did in the earlier session, when Kiffin expressed concern over his “hand placement.” Guess he figured out they had to be somewhere near the ball.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>JaMarcus Russell had his most impressive throwing session since joining the Raiders when he lit up training camp Friday night. A day later the results weren’t nearly the same but the second-year quarterback still looked sharp at times as he continues to settle in as Oakland’s starter. Russell missed several open receivers and sailed a few passes high during Saturday’s lone practice. At one point free safety Michael Huff came diving in to intercept an errant Russell pass just before it hit the ground without a receiver close. When Russell overthrew another receiver linebacker Kirk Morrison shouted, “Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous.” Later the 22-year-old quarterback corrected himself, showing very nice touch on an 18-yard completion to tight end John Madsen. Russell lofted the ball perfectly over a pair of defenders and into the arms of Madsen. He also looked as if he’s gaining more confidence in the pocket, setting his feet comfortably to throw despite heavy traffic around him before stepping up to throw. Several times Russell pulled the ball down and took off running. He also showed good movement when he ran a play-fake then took off on a reverse rollout before throwing a laser pass that sizzled through the hands of wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins.</div>
I was looking all over for this thread! Didn't see you had it pinned.... As for McFadden's struggles catching the ball.... I know Arkansas was a very run oriented team, so perhaps lack of experience is contributing to that. And its not uncommon for rookies to struggle with this sort of thing. Peterson had questions about his hands heading into the draft, etc too.
Preseason game 1 is now over. Russell struggled and McFadden shined. Even though the Raider offense can often operate headless (all running, little QB play), I thought Jamarcus made some bad throws, and a couple of mid range ones that weren't very difficult. He wasn't in the game very long either. DMC played really well in my opinion. They started him out with him running straight downfield, with only a couple of outside runs. He was most impressive on the north/south stuff as he could gain 5, avoid initial contact, and drag the pile another few yards. On one outside run, he was stopped in space, one-on-one with Shawntae Spencer. This week, Russell earns a C, and McFadden earns a B+.
The only thing that worries me about McFadden is when he gets hit in the legs hes done. His upper body is strong but lower body not so much. One thing i love about him is by the time anyone touches him he's already gained 4 yards. Should be interesting.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MysteryMan @ Aug 9 2008, 10:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The only thing that worries me about McFadden is when he gets hit in the legs hes done. His upper body is strong but lower body not so much. One thing i love about him is by the time anyone touches him he's already gained 4 yards. Should be interesting.</div> Yeah I love the fact that hes at the line of scrimmage (or beyond it) in the blink of an eye. Drove me NUTS with LaMont Jordan taking forever to even reach the line if scrimmage. Shit, I could probably give the guy a run for his money in speed drills. But yeah McFadden looked really good out there last night. We did run him in the middle a lot and he did pretty well. I actually do like that he got to experience that outside play where if he eluded the tackler he would have had a TD but he got tackled. Reggie Bush struggled with that a lot at the beginning of his career as well. Hes got to learn his limits, he can't just put on the burners and make a TD like its nothing. Hopefully he won't have too many more of those and he'll learn to evade that initial defender on the corner then pick up as many yards as possible instead of just trying to blow by him and end up getting tackled with minimal yards gained. BTW Michael Bush looked really good too. He seems like a perfect fit for the ZBS. He finds a gap in the O-Line and hits it them extremely well. Goes straight up field, bounces off a few guys and ends up with a nice gain every time. I'd like to see him get some touches against first team defenses though. Also agree that Russell didn't look very sharp. Kind of an inconclusive outing for him, he overthrew a couple deep balls but I didn't see any typical big-time mistakes that you'd expect from a young QB (JT O'Sullivan made plenty though LOL). I think Kiffin has been right in saying they're working on the little things and Russell has the right attitude to just make what plays are presented to him and not force the issue too much. If this team is going to be successful its going to be the defense and running game thriving with Russell and our crappy WR core only relied on to make the occasional big play/1st down. All in all for Russell, he wasn't impressive but he wasn't garbage either. Didn't get a lot of playing time though. Our pass blocking is pretty crappy- not as horrible as its been in years past but it definitely needs work.
Oh God what? You're scared of the Raiders? No offense, but they're the last team in the league I'd be worried about.
That's what I was thinking lol...that post of his probably wasn't worth the response you got. Raiders are horrible though, nothing to be scared about except their crazy fans all going homicidal in the blackhole.
