Jamarcus Russell: Potential or Bust

The last two weeks of the 2008 NFL season, Jamarcus Russell and the Oakland Raiders beat the Houston Texans, a team they have not beat since the Texans started their franchise. Then Jamarcus, along with a strong running game from Michael Bush, end the playoff hopes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those two games were a defining moment in the expectations this young team was going to have for themselves in the 2009 season.
The media would criticize Russell over and over about his weight or his experience as a a starting quarterback for an NFL team. It seemed that people began to have some hopes about our production in the 2009 season; all of the sudden the mood has changed in a very drastic way. What is interesting is that the mood of the fans not only changed, but the actual leadership that is required for Russell to have among his teammates seems to be absolutely gone.
It's so hard to say something like this, because you think your overall draft pick will benefit your team, however, Jamarcus Russell is a completely different story.
According to ESPN Week 5 Notes, written by Bill Williamson, "Oakland quarterback Jamarcus Russell threw just 13 times;, it tied the NFL low for passing attempts by a team that lost by 35 points or more."
Besides the low pass attempts, Russell forced three fumbles, in which it looked like the ball barely fell out of his hands; almost to the point where he is not even trying; not saying it's true, however, after observing the game, it seemed that way. Again, It is up to management to find the right pieces to make this football team work. Al Davis, saying he wants Russell to start and be his star is, obviously, not the right choice. There is a big question that needs to be answered, why release Jeff Garcia? You never want to condemn players, because maybe they have to deal with a lot of pressure, but that doesn't mean players handle it in an unprofessional way, but prove themselves in every way to be a great player and teammate. Although Russell shut the media up after those last two games of the 2008 season, the media now have a real reason for why Russell is the worst quarterback in the NFL.