The Future is Now
With JaMarcus Russell firmly rooted as the starting QB in 2008 and beyond, the Raiders have a very bright future in front of them. Watching Russell perform against the Titans gave me a sense that he could become one of the elite QBs in the NFL.
What really struck me was the combination of his athletic prowess, poise, and overall leadership abilities. His body language oozes with confidence and a positive vibe. It is hard to describe in words but the feeling I get when I watch him play is that he has that indefinable "it" quality about him.
The commentators before the game discussed and compared Vince Young with JaMarcus Russell. Both Young and Russell are indisputably both great athletes. The biggest difference between the 2 is in their abilities as passers. JaMarcus Russell is more polished and mechanically more sound than Young.
There will be a few big keys to whether or not the Raiders can establish a dynamic, potent passing attack. First and foremost is the pass protection provided by LT Kwame Harris and RT Cornell Green. Both performed admirably against 2 of the better pass rushers in the NFL in Jeavon Kearse and Kyle Vander Bosch. It will be critical for some of the new additions to the offense to get in sync with Russell and contribute to the passing attack. Both McFadden and Bush have big play potential in the passing game. WR Drew Carter needs to become a reliable 3rd receiver. At this point in time, big money free agent Javon Walker is a wild card as the #1 WR. The Raiders can count on Ronald Curry being a solid possession WR. It also looks like TE Zach Miller had developed into a trusted go to receiver for Russell.
With Russell watching and learning for most of the 2007 season and now getting a full training camp under his belt, it will be exciting to watch him blossom before our eyes. Having one of the best rushing attacks in the entire NFL, Russell will need to orchestrate a productive passing attack to balance out the offensive firepower. Is that asking too much of a 2nd year QB? Normally I would say "yes" but with Kiffin's handling of the play calling and the special traits that Russell possesses, I firmly believe the Raiders have a very bright future.
posted by Calico Jack at 6:13 PM
7 Comments:
I was truly impressed with how we blocked. It wasn't the best pass-block, but they gave J-Russ enough time to make check downs and get the ball out. If we can do that consistently like we did, we will be okay.
WR is more than likely going to make or break our passing game. The inconsistency of our WR corp is now the #1 concern to me. We have to move the ball. And like Kiffin said of Walker dropping the 3rd and 7 pass on the first drive, "He needs to step up and make that play. That would have given us a first down. That is why we paid him big money."
Saw better consistency against the run, but we still gave up a few 20+ yards. We cannot let that happen in the regular season. The other concern was at the end of the game playing "Prevent-you-from-winning" defense. We had the Titans 3 and 15+, 3 times and gave them a first down those 3 times. We cannot let that happen in the regular season either.
We haven't even played a real game yet and we have our head coach calling out the owner every chance he gets, this puts the begining of the season under a dark cloud.
Bring it on .....can't wait to see some real hitting and our 3 headed monster running the ball all over our opponents(look out kansas City)for some serious yardage.Hopefully that will be enough to carry the passing game through its formative period and lay a healthy footing for our future.
like i said,can't wait....
I agree with anonymous's comment Kiffin is a punk. The sad thing is I think he has the talent to be a good coach. During his babyish behaviour in the off season, I sided with Al, given his latest outburst I feel vindicated and I now have to label him as weasel. Really Lane you ungrateful punk grow up or at least keep your trap shut. Its one thing to call out players but to call out the great Al Davis and insult the organization in public pure blasphemy.
CJ, you are right Russell looks like the real deal, he has the arm, the legs and a prescence about him that shows he is not afraid of being the man.
Regards
Florida Raider
nice post CJ.
offensively we have our young nucleus together (j-rock, d-dawg and zack-attack) now we must establish these weapons into their respective positions. make people game plan to stop each. that will open everything else up. making the other "role" players much much more effective. this ought to be fun.
next year we add a young WR star in the making and add a lineman or two and SHAZAM!!!! we put it on 'em for the next decade. make people fear that we'll hang half a hundred on 'em every week.
fkryraider
We need some receivers to step up. Spent some cash on one who is going to get a lot of looks tonight -- let's see how it goes.
In other news, Rest In Peace Gene Upshaw. Now THAT was a Raider.
Loved reading this thank yoou
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