ALAMEDA – Two wins, six losses.
That’s a big reason fans are clamoring for JaMarcus Russell to play.
Lane Kiffin has gone into detail the last couple of days about when to play Russell, admitting he thought of using him yesterday against Houston.
Kiffin has even toyed with the thought of making Russell the No. 2 quarterback and giving him a package of plays to run during games.
But Kiffin is being cautious for good reason. Russell first game would really be his first game because he missed the exhibition season.
And with the problems the Raiders have on offense, there’s no need to throw Russell into the middle of a mess and hurt his development.
Kiffin said Josh McCown is still the starter. That would seem to eliminate Russell from starting a game the rest of the month.
After the Raiders host Chicago this Sunday, the Raiders are at Minnesota and Kansas City.
I would imagine Kiffin wouldn’t want to put Russell on the field without any prior NFL experience on the road.
But it looks more and more as if Russell will play this season.
Russell has two things Kiffin’s quarterback needs playing behind the Raiders offensive line.
He can get the ball out quickly with zip on the ball and he’s mobile enough to make plays on the run.
And with more losses, it’s only a matter of time before we get to see Russell’s skills on a Sunday.
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Good news on the injury front. Nnamdi Asomugha’s knee injury isn’t believed to be serious.
The Raiders need Gerard Warren to get healthy soon. The defensive line needs a lot of help right now.
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If you caught the beginning of Kiffin’s press conference, you heard him mention he’d been told the game against the Bears is sold out.
Well, the game isn’t sold out, yet.
With no Colts vs. Patriots type match up this weekend, feel free to buy tickets without fear of being shunned by friends who want the game blacked out.
--Jason Jones
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