Jamarcus Russell

[Alworth No.19]

Old Daryle Lamonica - "The Mad Bomber"Â￾. He's largely forgotten. I don't know why. Wikipedia has this to say: Daryle Lamonica went 66-16-4 as a starter, good for a 78.4% winning percentage, second best in NFL history (Otto Graham is the highest at 81.0%). In the American Football League, Lamonica's winning percentage as a starter was 90.0%, on 40 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie in 45 games, the best ever in the AFL.

I think Lamonica is forgotten because the greatest Raiders success came in the latter part of 70s and early 80s with Stabler and Plunkett as QBs. During the mid-to-late 70s the Raiders were a Monday Night Football staple and Stabler became the face of the "bad boy" Raiders. Lamonica's greatest success came before the advent of Monday Night Football, so he didn't have the national exposure that later Raider QBs had. And when the Raiders made the Super Bowl with Daryle at the helm they lost to the Packers 33-14. That loss is a real tribute to the Packer mystique of the era, because the '67 Raider team was good, better than both the Jets and Chiefs teams that broke through the following two years and beat the NFL champion in the Super Bowl. It's funny how fame works. In both '67 and '68 two one loss teams that had totally dominated their respective leagues came to the Super Bowl and lost, the Raiders and the Colts, respectively. Had either of these teams won, they'd be contenders in any discussion of the greatest teams ever. However, because they lost they're relegated to footnotes, despite their outstanding overall performance. I guess you're only as good as your last game.

 

[Don Wassall]

The Colts were 19 point favorites. Losing to the Jets, after the Packers had handily thumped the AFL champ in the first two Super Bowls and with most football pundits and fans regarding the AFL at the time as little more than a minor league, remains arguably the greatest football upset ever, certainly bigger than the Giants defeating the unbeaten Patriots two years ago. They deserved to be a "footnote" after that defeat.

 

[Alworth No.19]

The Colts were 19 point favorites. Losing to the Jets, after the Packers had handily thumped the AFL champ in the first two Super Bowls and with most football pundits and fans regarding the AFL at the time as little more than a minor league, remains arguably the greatest football upset ever, certainly bigger than the Giants defeating the unbeaten Patriots two years ago. They deserved to be a "footnote" after that defeat.

And later that year the Mets upset the heavily favored Orioles in the World Series. Not a good year for Baltimore powerhouses.

The real kicker to the Jets upset is that they were not nearly the best team in the AFL that season. Both the Chiefs and the Raiders were significantly better than the Jets. The Chiefs got to show this the following year when they manhandled the heavily favored Vikings - "The Purple People Eaters" - in the Super Bowl, but the Raiders had to wait until 1976 to get back to the big game. I believe the AFL surpassed the NFL as early as 1963 (The Chargers would have clocked the Bears had there been a Super Bowl at the time, and, in fact, the Chargers' request for a showdown led to a SI cover story in early 1964 regarding the inevitability of such a game.) However the Packers had such a mystique that 66 Chiefs and the 67 Raiders just rolled over in the first two Super Bowls. As soon as the Lombardi Packers were out of the picture, the AFL easily handled the NFL teams they faced, and the AFC's dominance continued after the merger.

 

[Don Wassall]

I'd like to see Gradkowski or Charlie Frye get an extended opportunity, but given that this is senile Al Davis's team, it's not likely to happen yet. From Rotoworld:

Raiders coach Tom Cable refused to commit to JaMarcus Russell as his starting quarterback in Sunday's post-game press conference. Owner Al Davis is a staunch Russell supporter, at one point even calling the bumbling quarterback "a great player," so beat reporter Jerry McDonald suggests that Cable's stance will threaten his job security. Still, Cable would be right to bench Russell. His 47.1 completion rate and 5.5 YPA both rank 30th in the league, and Russell has a 2:9 TD to INT ratio for the year. Nov. 15 - 11:35 pm et

 

[sport historian]

Old Daryle Lamonica - "The Mad Bomber"Â￾.  He's largely forgotten. I don't know why. Wikipedia has this to say: Daryle Lamonica went 66-16-4 as a starter, good for a 78.4% winning percentage, second best in NFL history (Otto Graham is the highest at 81.0%). In the American Football League, Lamonica's winning percentage as a starter was 90.0%, on 40 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie in 45 games, the best ever in the AFL.

Daryle Lamonica's production starting declining around 1970 when zone defenses took away his long passing game. That year, 43-year old George Blanda relieved Lamonica often and became a national sensation with his late-game heroics.

In 1973, Ken Stabler replaced Lamonica as the Raider starting QB.

 

[GWTJ]

Two things about the Jets victory over the Colts.

Bubba Smith has always maintained(to anyone who will listen) that the game was fixed so the AFL could get credibility and merge with the NFL. So far, nobody has given his accusation any support.

The other thing about that game was Namath's 'guarantee' of victory. He never actually meant to guarantee anything. He also was not looking for publicity.

The Jets were in the film room watching the Colts and after a while one of Namath's lineman said to him, "We better stop watching or we're gonna get overconfident". Later in the week, Namath was at an NFL awards dinner and some guy popped off to him. Namath got ticked off and told the guy, "We're gonna win, I guarantee it". He never told the media about the film room conversation until many years later.

Namath was just getting tired of hearing the Jets had no chance and spoke his piece with no intention to make a boastful prediction.

Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIIbybfCJmI

 

[Don Wassall]

The link doesn't work. Maybe we need Sport Historian's input on this, because although it was a long time ago and I was young at the time, I have pretty strong memories of Namath being atotal publicity hound leading up to that Super Bowl. I remember daily stories in the sports page quoting Namath's latest "outrageous" comments. I have a memory of him lounging poolside, lapping up the media attention. My lasting impression from that game was that it was all about Namath and little else leading up to it. Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[FootballDad]

Here's the link. I was a young-un at the time, too, and although the Namath poolside schtick got press, the overall sentiment in the press was that the Colts were going to pound the hapless Jets. Even as an impressionable youth, I didn't buy it, I thought that the AFL teams in the first two championship games were as good or better than the established NFL teams.

 

[white is right]

Namath's claims were outrageous for the time but would be nothing compared today's players. The Jets had a dynamic offense for the time, but they really won the game with timely pick offs and pounding the rock to Matt Snell.

 

[Riddlewire]

ESPN just reported that Russell has been demoted to backup for the remainder of the season.

 

[White Power]

Hell yes #1 draft pick my a'ss

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Here's a link:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2009/11/raiders-bench-jamarcus-russell-permanently-name-bruce-gradkowski-starter/1

 

[Bear Backer]

ESPN just reported that Russell has been demoted to backup for the remainder of the season.

The coaching carousel in Oakland might be ready to start spinning again. The senile one can't be too happy about this turn of events for his proclaimed "great Quarterback".

 

[whiteathlete33]

I am very surprised Russell is getting benched. He should have his usual 5 yearsof failure for a black qbbefore the coach has to make a change. Gradkowski will do better for sure but probably not by much.

 

[Tom Iron]

Well, it's about time. I think they can win some games now.

I don't blame Russell for the way he is. An old black comedian (Flip Wilson) used to say, "What you see, is what you got." How true. Russell is what you see. The other nfl teams were laughing like crazy (behind closed doors) when the Raiders picked him I'm sure. The only thing was they maintained a blank expression for the news media. The only one who wasn't in on the joke was Al Davis.

Tom Iron...

 

[Alworth No.19]

Two things about the Jets victory over the Colts.



Bubba Smith has always maintained(to anyone who will listen) that the game was fixed so the AFL could get credibility and merge with the NFL. So far, nobody has given his accusation any support.



The other thing about that game was Namath's 'guarantee' of victory. He never actually meant to guarantee anything. He also was not looking for publicity.



The Jets were in the film room watching the Colts and after a while one of Namath's lineman said to him, "We better stop watching or we're gonna get overconfident". Later in the week, Namath was at an NFL awards dinner and some guy popped off to him. Namath got ticked off and told the guy, "We're gonna win, I guarantee it". He never told the media about the film room conversation until many years later.



Namath was just getting tired of hearing the Jets had no chance and spoke his piece with no intention to make a boastful prediction.



Check it out here:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIIbybfCJmI

The Jets - and not just Namath - disparaged the Colts leading up the the game. Smith's "allegations" were made to sell his book; no one has ever taken them seriously, and he later backed off when the League told him to shut up. And had the game been fixed, there was one obvious candidate as the fall guy: Earl Morrall, who had a terrible game, just awful. Of course, leading up to the game, Namath had said that Morrall would have been a third string QB in the AFL, and he sure played like it. And I guess Bubba thinks that time stopped in 1969; if not, who was in on the fix when the Chiefs beat the equally fearsome Vikings even worse the following year, and when the AFC won 9 of the next 11 Super Bowls after the merger? The fact is, by 63 the AFL was even with the NFL, and then it far surpassed it. The Cowboys were the only NFL/NFC team for decade that could play with the top AFL teams. Of course this all changed in the 80s, but back in the mist of time the AFL/AFC ruled the Roost.

 

[Alworth No.19]

It looks like Russell, McFadden, and Heywood-Bey are all busts. The NFL is going to have to do something about Davis. The nightmare for the NFL is that it will end up with a Pirates/Royals situation, having a team or teams that is perennially out the picture. It's getting that way with the Raiders. The Lions and Cards have been dogs for long stretches, but the Raiders are have become a joke.
Edited by: Alworth No.19

 

[Don Wassall]

A full quarter of the teamsare jokes this year -- Raiders, Browns, Redskins, Lions, Rams, Bucs, Chiefs, and Titans. The Titans are showing signs of becoming respectable again, but there's very little light at the end of the tunnel for the others. I'd bet on the Chiefs being the next one to not be horrible, followed by the Lions, but all of them lack talent. Hey I thought blacks were "interested" in football. Isn't that supposed to be enough?

I doubt the league will do anything about Davis. First because he's a league "legend"; and more importantly because of how litigious he is. He's cleaned their clock before in the courts and would probably try his best to do it again if the league trys to interfere with his ownership.

 

[sport historian]

There is no way Davis would have played Russell at QB 40 years ago.

 

[Bear Backer]

A full quarter of the teams are jokes this year -- Raiders, Browns, Redskins, Lions, Rams, Bucs, Chiefs, and Titans.  The Titans are showing signs of becoming respectable again, but there's very little light at the end of the tunnel for the others.  I'd bet on the Chiefs being the next one to not be horrible, followed by the Lions, but all of them lack talent.  Hey I thought blacks were "interested" in football.  Isn't that supposed to be enough?  

<div> </div>
<div>I doubt the league will do anything about Davis.  First because he's a league "legend"; and more importantly because of how litigious he is.  He's cleaned their clock before in the courts and would probably try his best to do it again if the league trys to interfere with his ownership.</div>

You could probably safely add the Bears to the list of teams who are bordering on terrible. Since starting out 3-1 before the bye, they have now fallen to 1-4 in their last five games and could very easily fall to 4-7 by the end of this month. Their running game has fallen off the map and they look like they are just about ready to blow a gasket in relation to their QB situation in typical Bears fashion. I have them finishing 7-9 only by virtue of getting to face STL, DET as well as GB at home down the stretch. I don't think they have a realistic shot of beating Min at home or away and very doubtful they can beat the Ravens @ Baltimore. I don't even believe beating GB is a lock at Soldier Field. If for not the luck of playing the Seahawks without Hasselbeck and the luck of being in the same division with Detroit, I think we would be looking at another stinking cellar dwelling Bears team right now like in years past.

 

[Watcher]

Not sure who was talking but here's commentary from the Oakland game Sunday October 4th 2009 that I wrote down:
Q:How much of this is [JaMarcus Russells'] fault?
"The more he plays, you gotta believe sooner or later he's gonna get better. You just gotta stick with him through hard times like these."

Also, in the week before that, a commentator said that the team had "opened up 80 percent of the playbook" for JR. But that they should "cut the field in half" so he only has to look at half/one side of the field on any play.

 

[Don Wassall]

DuhMarcus to stay on the bench with Charlie Frye starting after Gradkowski was injured. Frye struggled in Cleveland, but he was clutch and a lot of fun to watch at Akron. Let's hope he can duplicate Gradkowski's "unexpected" success and resurrect his NFL career. Even anti-White Rotoworld now sneers at DuhMarcus:

Coach Tom Cable announced Wednesday that Charlie Frye will be Oakland's starting quarterback in Week 15 against Denver. Barring the conversion to left tackle we've been pulling for two years running, JaMarcus Russell's time in Oakland is nearing its end. Look for him to be waived in the offseason. Frye, of course, has no chance of success against a Broncos defense that ranks No. 2 against the pass and seventh in the league in sacks. Avoid Raiders skill players in Week 15...and 16...and 17 too.

 

[Electric Slide]

We need to spread the word that JaMarcus Russell is the biggest bust of all time. Otherwise he will be quickly forgotten and we'll only see the same white players said over and over again as the biggest busts. The fact that he was the number 1 overall pick and got a $30 million signing bonus makes him top the list as the most monumental bust of all time.

Looks like my predictions were right that JaMarcus is dogging it and figures he can live off his signing bonus and 3 years of salary forever. Anybody have an idea about the NFL pension package is like? Does JaMarcus qualify and if so what kind % of his income will he receive every year if he does?

 

[Electric Slide]

OK I answered my own question. Since he did meet the 3 season requirement for players entering the league after 1992, JaMarcus will be eligible for the NFL pension once he TURNS 55! It will only be $600 a month ($200 for each season in the league)! I wonder if JaMarcus will be able to stretch his money for another 30 years, or if he can manage to get another job to feed himself?

http://www.askmen.com/sports/business_100/109_sports_business.html

NFL
Year pension plan began: 1959

The NFL's pension plan covers every eligible player (meaning he played four years in the league) since 1920. That four-year requirement drops to three for players in the league after 1992. Full benefits are available at the age of 55, with a minimum payout of $200 a month for each season played in the NFL.

That monthly payout, based on the number of seasons played, does not amount to millions. Even a veteran like Darrell Green, who retired in 2002 after 20 seasons, will only be looking at $5,805 per month. Approximately $70,000 per year or $290 a month for each season played.

And despite the fact that the total pension fund was raised to $40 million annually in 2002, there are still disputes over payouts. In May 2004, the estate of Mike Webster began the legal process to sue the NFL's retirement and disability plans over his pension. Webster, who died in 2002, allegedly suffered brain damage while playing in the NFL. With his 1999 request for full disability benefits rejected, he ended up in debt and homeless for a short time. In 2005 his estate received full retroactive benefits, which amounted to $1.18 million plus interest and fees, dating back to 1991. Of course the NFL appealed, but in 2006 the U.S. Court of Appeals backed the ruling of the original federal judge.

 

[FootballDad]

After he leaves the league, he can always bankroll a dogfighting operation. I hear that they can be very profitable