Brian Russell

[Don Wassall]

Minnesota safety Brian Russell tied for the NFL lead in interceptions in 2003. Cleveland has signed him to a restricted free agent offer sheet.


[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasqua relli_len&id=2028293[/url]


This article says the Vikings are likely not to matchCleveland's offerand keep him. Let's hope so. Russell will be able to step into a starting job with the Browns, whereas he would most likely be a bench warmer if he stays with Minnesota.


I'd have to say Mike Tice now ranks with the worst of any head coaches in the NFL when it comes to fervently supporting the caste system. Read this snippet from the above article:


"Although Russell tied for the league lead in interceptions in 2003 and has started the last 32 games for Minnesota at free safety, the Vikings staff is not enamored of the former San Diego State star. Even after his stellar '03 performance, Russell was forced to compete for the starting job in camp. Coach Mike Tice has frequently been critical of Russell's open-field tackling and has hinted of what he perceives as a lack of toughness." [emphasis added]


The man ties for the league lead in picks and still wasn't regarded as the starter going into the next season! It's not surprising his performance declined last year. Tice treated Chris Hovan (who recently signed with Tampa) the same way. The sooner Russell's out of Minnesota the better.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I agree Don. It is unbelievable the new ways of denigrating white players these coaches and media hacks come up with. Like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect, no respect at all.

 

[white lightning]

Russell reminds me alot of John Lynch.The only thing is
that Lynch is one of the very few white players that
gets some respect.I don't know how he pulled that one
off other than his obvious talent.Most good white fb
players are still looked down on.This needs to stop.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I wish I knew how to make that happen whitelightning. I think it has to start at the top and will become evident as more whites are given a shot at proving themselves and do so.

 

[Bear-Arms]

Todd Johnson was leading the Bears in tackles last year before they put him on the bench for R.W. McQuarters
who is not even a saftey. It is really weird to see these white
guys excel and get absolutely no respect. I seen Brian Russell
play for the Vikings, and I gotta tell you he was the only guy in the
secondary worth mentioning. As for toughness I seen him lay vicious hit
on one of recievers. White Lightning I think John Lynch got
respect because of Madden talked him up. I remember watching a game
where Madden just lavished him with praise. You only get to be known
when you're on ESPN on the hour.

 

[Don Wassall]

Todd Johnson only got to start because Mike Brown and other members of the Bears secondary went down, and like you say he did very well when he did play, only to immediately become a backup again. He was given no respect whatsoever before the Bears started him because of injuries, and still has none. And he was a star at Florida too.


There are always a very few white players who get media attention close to what many dozens of black players get. The best white quarterbacks, and then one or two like Sehorn and Lynch. Urlacher also. I've read posts by many white know-nothings who use these guys as examples of how the media is "racist" in favor of whites!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I have seen this too Don. They take one example of fairness and call it discrimination against blacks. These guys are so full of it they stink!

 

[rob327]

I like how Romeo Crenel is the head coach in Cleveland. I mean Tice who is white and a moron, doesnt like Russell. I like when black coaches sign whites. It shows they arent racist and can see talent.

Altough if a white coach has too many whites he'll be labeled a racist.

 

[speedster]

Lynn Scott of Dallas is in the same boat.He was an uhearalded free-agent signing a few years ago and made his name with the Cow as a special teams guy with good speed and a solid tackler.He played some in the nickel in the past and finally got his chance to start last year.Darren Woodson the Cows perrenial starter at SS for years was lost for the season so Tony Dixon,a third round pick from 2000,was penciled in as the starter.He didn't work out and at the halfway point of the season Scott was put in and I thought did an admiral job.Going into this season he's not even being considerd as starting material as Dallas has just brought back Woody Dantzler,a former QB out of Clemson who they're trying to find a position for and that positon happens to be safety,since in their eyes Scott is nothing more than a backup.No respect I say,no respect at all.

 

[Don Wassall]

Good news -- as expected the Vikings didn't match Cleveland's offer, so Russell frees himself from Mike Tice and will start for the Browns:


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2032021

 

[caste_System87]

Brian Russell will help the Browns out alot and i wouldnt be surprised if he racks up another 9 or 10 Int season. The guy had 101 tackles and they cut him loose. Oh i wounder why? Yeah the 101 is what his solo and assisted tackles came up to and the guy is an all around player but hey it didnt shock me when i heard he was leaving the Vikes because look at what they did to Chris Hovan. They guy was a monster and then what happened? He got benched. He was being doubled by the front linemen and they ask why his production was down and why Williams was up? Hmmm i wounder why? Its great that Hovan is with the Bucs and he will be playing beside a DT with some talent like Bubba Mac so he should be the same old Hovan again.

 

[White Shogun]

Wasn't Hovan the guy who called out uber receiver Randy Moss in the
locker room after Moss walked off the field with time on the clock?



Wonder if that had anything to do with his benching...

 

[Don Wassall]

Center Matt Birk was the Viking who supposedly confronted Moss. I would've loved to have heard that conversation! Hovan had been marginalized and all but cut earlier for reasons known only to Caste System fanatic Mike Tice.

 

[Don Wassall]

This week's Sporting News describes Russell thusly: "Newcomer Brian Russell figures to start at free safety for the Browns even though he lacks speed and athleticism and often was shaky with the Vikings. Russell quickly can analyze complex coverages and offsets his deficiencies by having good instincts and applying what he sees on film to the field."


Poor Brian apparently is less athletic than the average nursing home resident. The media has been piling on him ever since he tied for the NFL lead in picks two seasons ago.

 

[speedster]

The stupid white media,which I will refer to them as from here on in,anyways the SWM will not even think twice when they're talking about a white athlete playing a position like safety.Right away it's the lack of speed and lack of athleticism,ho and hum,boring,boring.I sometimes think these morons haven't even seen the player they're spitting on,they just see the colour of the guy's skin and their agenda is set.

 

[whiteCB]

The Browns and Russell will be having the last laugh along with new white starters on the browns defense OLB Matt Stewart(I love this signing) and Jason Fisk.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

They should be fun to watch.

 

[hollywoodnorth]

yeah...Edited by: hollywoodnorth

 

[Don Wassall]

It remains to be seen how many white starters Cleveland will have.


Hollywoodnorth, the idea is not to see how many old NFL threads you can find and post to. All the threads that were active the past few days are now buried, and it's difficult to have any give and take on anything you're writing about because of the sheer volume of threads opened up at one time.

 

[whiteCB]

Well Brain Russell is officially shelved for the year having been put on IR earlier this week. It seems a staph infection, the 4th player on the Browns to get on this year, is the culprit of the circumstance. The papers are reporting that the Browns have not made a move yet to sign him next year; as Russell contract is up at the end of the year. However, the browns have not said that they won't resign him so we'll see what happens. Russell is looked up to by his fellow DBs(honestly not b.s) and is really seen as the secondary's leader and play caller. So hopefulyl the Browns will realize what an asset he is to the team and will re-sign him. I know Russell has said he would like to stay in Cleveland.

 

[backrow]

here's a snippet about Brian from NFL.com:

"KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Just as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is getting back to relatively full health, the traffic cop of the Seahawks' surging defense is hurting.

Hard-hitting free safety Brian Russell missed another day of practice on Friday and is questionable to start on Sunday when the NFC West champions (9-4) play at Carolina (5-8).

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Russell, one of three free-agent acquisitions who have greatly improved the defense, watched the short practice before the team flew east while wearing an electric stimulation pack attached to his torso. If he can't play, reserve defensive back Jordan Babineaux would likely make his first start of the season alongside strong safety Deon Grant.

When asked whether Russell was OK, coach Mike Holmgren said, "I think so.

"That's going to be a Sunday decision. He has a little pull in his abdomen. I think we are being a little conservative with him, but he's very important to us."

Russell arrived with Grant in the offseason to replace the since-departed Michael Boulware and Ken Hamlin as starting safeties, after Seattle repeatedly allowed huge plays down the middle of the field last season.

With Russell and Grant as the last line of defense, the Seahawks have allowed just 10 touchdown passes in 13 games, tied for fewest in the league. That and Patrick Kerney's 10 sacks in the last five weeks are a large reason why Seattle has allowed only 228 points, second-fewest in the NFC behind Tampa Bay (215), and has won five consecutive games.

Holmgren said Russell isn't sure when or how he hurt the muscle, but that the former member of the Cleveland Browns (2005-06) and Minnesota Vikings (2001-04) has a history of abdomen strains.

He has played in every game this season. The Seahawks want him again Sunday because they are trying to rally past Green Bay (11-2) for the No. 2 seed in the conference, which brings a first-round bye in the playoffs."


even in caste Seahawks, two of the most important players on defense are the only white players starting there, Russell and Kerney.

 

[Angelcynn]

With Russell and Kerney doing so well at Seattle, will Holmgren start to be more white friendly? I just wish he'd sign Matt Jones, him and Hasselbeck would be an amazing duo.

 

[Deadlift]

Did anyone else see Brian Russell's explosive tackle of Darren Sproles that occurred in the open field to narrowly prevent a TD?


San Diego made a goal-line TD on the next play.


Naturally, the announcers didn't mention what had happened on the field, but I clearly saw #25 getting up after having made the tackle.

 

[jared]

I missed it, unfortunately. Must have taken place during one of the 58 sideline interviews they interrupted the game with.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Yeah, it all definitely makes a ton of sense Deadlift. A white, six foot one safety can tackle one of the quickest and elusive scatbacks in the league who is only 5'6 in the open field one on one...yet Russell is "stiff hipped" to idiot American football fans.

Geez, if a white LB or Safety can make an open field tackle on a slippery black RB in the open field, to me that says he must have the same slippery hips that the black RB has. That's got to be the only way that you can recover or react to the RBs jukes. And on top of it you have to have the ability to get both hands on him and the power to drag him down. LBs and especially safeties need "loose hips" too, but whites are occasionally allowed to play those positions unlike RB.