Aside from one ball that slipped out of his hand as he dropped back to pass, there were no glaring errors from JaMarcus Russell Thursday, and no sensational plays either.
On balance, the Raiders would probably take that level of performance right into the regular season if they could.
Russell made his first public appearance as the Raiders quarterback since last Dec. 30, the day he completed 23 of 31 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 30-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers.
That Russell was a marked improvement over the Russell who was 7-for-23 for 83 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in a 49-11 loss to Jacksonville, a game which coach Lane Kiffin was mystified by his quarterback’s decision-making process.
Judging from a single OTA practice, always a risky proposition, the Raiders are working on getting Russell to make quick, safe decisions, get the ball out of his hands, and sacrifice risk-taking in the name of efficiency.
“It’s going to get better,” Russell said. “Everything doesn’t get better in a day.”
Russell threw mostly short and medium range passes, never once showing off his legendary arm with a laser 50 to 60 yards in the air. He rarely threw from a dropback position, rolling to his left or right. Infrequent dropbacks were short and usually deliveries were made quickly.
And to hear Kiffin tell it, the Raiders were wheeling and dealing.
“We’re throwing a lot at him right now to let him still make those mistakes right now,” Russell said. “Then, as we get closer, we’ll go back to exactly what we’re going to do in the order on game day. But right now we’re still taking a lot of chances with him and see what he can do and let him make those mistakes now.”
Maybe all those chances happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, rather than Thursday. Or maybe Kiffin was simply filling time answering questions. Either way, there wasn’t a lot flash in the Raiders offense Thursday, and that’s a good thing. Better to get the young quarterback making smart plays from the ground up and work in the bells and whistles at a later date.
Russell cheerfully addresed the story of his supposed out-of-control weight problem, with CNN-SI reporting Russell was north of 300 pounds. Although it was tough to tell body definitition in loose fiiting red jersey, Russell’s face looked thinner than it did last year and he looked nimble and quick, covering a lot of ground on his rollouts with a giant stride.
His weight?
“Right now I’m 269,” Russell said. “I was never close to 300 pounds.”
(Maybe not. But if Russell weighs 269 now, then he had to be 285 when he reported after his contract impasse last year, and he probably hasn’t seen the officially listed weight of 255 since high school).
Russell said he’s looking to lose five or six more pounds, but no more. He seemed relaxed, confident and in control. He said the report of his weight caused Kiffin to give him a call, with the coach greeting him, “Hey, big boy!”
“They said I was 300 and that was before I had gotten back to California and no one had seen me. That’s why it was kind of funny,” Russell said. “People have their opinions. They get paid to make a story and a reason for people to read it. That’s why they get paid.”
Kiffin made no pretense about the fact that the Raiders are all about JaMarcus, his comfort level with the system and his relationship with his teammates.
“We really feel good about JaMarcus’s shape and the way he’s throwing the ball,” Kiffin said. “Now we’ve got to get all the pieces around him to come together and working with him at his OTA days. As important as anything out here, as far as the rest of our team, is getting that chemistry.”
More OTA news and snap shots:
– The Raiders spent a lot of time playing 3-4 defense, but Kiffin said it was only because the media happened upon a red zone day during which the Raiders go heavy with the 3-4.
“You happen to hit the red zone day which is the first day we install 3-4 and we’ve done it before down there,” Kiffin said. “It may be a little more but it’s not a major change.”
In the 3-4, the Raiders put Robert Thomas on the inside along with Kirk Morrison, with Thomas Howard and Sam Williams on the outside.
The first team 3-4 defensive front was Kalimba Edwards at left end, Terdell Sands at nose tackle and William Joseph at right end.
– Linebacker Edgerton Hartwell, signed last week, worked as a middle linebacker in the 4-3 and on the inside in the 3-4, the positions he played with Atlanta and the Baltimore Ravens.
“That’s where we’re looking at him right now. We’ll give him a shot to make the team and he’s got a lot of work to do,” Kiffin said.
– Just a guess _ if Hartwell looks like he could handle a fulltime gig in the middle, don’t rule out the possibility of Morrison moving to the strong side. His coverage skills match up well with tight ends and running backs over the middle, and he wasn’t always stout last season in terms of playing off blocks in the middle.
– With Robert Gallery away, the Raiders first team offensve line lined up with Cornell Green at right tackle. Cooper Carlisle at right guard, Chris Morris at center, Paul McQuistan at left guard and Kwame Harris at left tackle.
Morris consistently played with the No. 1 team offense, with free agent acquisition John Wade lining up with the second team.
Kiffin warned against attatching too much significance to starting lineups during an OTA.
“I’m not worried about that right now. We put these guys in there and let them play and we’re not really concerned about a depth chart right now,” Kiffin said. “We’ve got a lot to figure out with this team and find out who the best guys are.”
– Among the players who didn’t attend Gallery, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, running back LaMont Jordan and defensive end Derrick Burgess.
Gallery got married recently and is expected back next week. Asomugha has not signed his tender, is not under contract and not eligible to participate. Kiffin said he has talked to Jordan but won’t elaborate. Burgess is an annual no-show, because as he said dryly last year, “It’s voluntary.”
– Wide receiver Ronald Curry, defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, center Jake Grove, safety Stuart Schweigert and strong safety Jarrod Cooper and linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba were among the players who were injured or rehabbing and did not participate in practice.
Curry had surgery on his foot two weeks to go and could be ready in another two weeks, Kiffin said. Kelly, who had reconstructive ACL surgery after seven games last season and was awarded $18.125 million in guaranteed money, is shooting for the start of training camp.
Grove was also rehabbing a knee injury, while Schweigert, Kiffin said “tweaked” a leg and is expected back next week. Ekejiuba missed the end of last season with a foot injury.
– Javon Walker and Drew Carter got most of the work with Russell and the first team at wide receiver with Curry away. Todd Watkins, who excelled at the rookie/free agent minicamp, also has had a strong OTA, Kiffin said.
Walker said his injury problems last season occurred because he came back too soon from arthroscopic knee surgery and that he is healthy now. As for playing with Russell, Walker compared it to his early years in Green Bay when the quarterback was Brett Favre.
“He has a good arm. I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to play with a quarterback who had a strong arm, and that’s something I developed into, catching a fast ball,” Walker said. “He’s one of those guys that has that ball. The more and more we work together, the better that we’re going to be.”
– Watkins, Michael Bush and a few others were eligible play in the OTA after participating in the rookie minicamp. However, true rookies (draftees and undrafted free agents) were not eligible to participate and are expected next week. That means the first hookups between Russell and first-round pick Darren McFadden.
“I can’t wait until he gets here,” Russell said. “I played against him. To see that guy going against me and the rest of my teammates at LSU it will be a lot of fun to have him as a teammate. I’ve seen him do numerous things on the field. I just can’t wait to be a part of it.”
– Kiffin said he expects Asomugha to attend the June minicamp even if he has not yet signed his tender as a sign of solidarity. With Asomugha out, Stanford Routt still got most of his work as a slot corner, indicating the Raiders are planning on having Asomugha around.
– Fred Wakefield, a tight end/offensive lineman who was on injured reserve last year, is working at defensive end during the OTA. Kiffin said the Raiders simply wanted to get a look at him on that side of the ball and already know what he can do on offense.
– The Raiders will hold three-day OTAs in each of the next two weeks, with one day availavble to the media.
By Jerry McDonald
