Give Jamarcus Some Time

JaMarcus Russell is six-foot-six, 236 pounds, and has a cannon for a right arm. The look of Russell is a linebacker, not a quarterback. But, he is the first overall draft pick of the 2007 NFL draft. Therefore, he needs to be the machine he was projected to be.

Everyday, you can go onto any website and hear fans say that JaMarcus Russell is a "bust," and won't amount to anything in the league. Are these the same people that said Payton Manning would be a bust after he went 1-15 in his first year as a starting quarterback?

Do you remember the 2008 season?

The Raiders hired a new coach in Lane Kiffin. He was going to grow with JaMarcus Russell and become a dynamic duo—Shanahan and Elway, Montana and Walsh, Favre and Holmgren. Kiffin and Russell were the hopes of the Raiders' future.

Then on December 2, 2008, Oakland Alameda Coliseum started buzzing. Number two grabbed his helmet off the bench. The buzz gets louder as the silver wrapped around the head of Russell.

An eruption happened that hasn't been heard in Oakland since Rich Gannon ran untouched into the end zone, sending us to the Super Bowl in what feels like an eternity ago. Russell stepped onto the field for his first play as an Oakland Raider.

These were the days before everyone saw the flaws of what comes with a young quarterback. Since then, Kiffin has gone on to leave the Raiders and join the college ranks. Russell, is now labeled as a bust waiting to happen, and fans everywhere are calling for Jeff Garcia to lead the silver and black.

This is No. 2's second full year as starting quarterback, and his first year was a promising year. He didn't blow the competition away like Matt Ryan, but he didn't lead us to a one-win season. He had more touchdowns then interceptions, 13/8. Considering the talent of receivers that we had on the field, 13 is a high number.

It wasn't until the last three games of the year that we put in decent talent for him to throw to. In those three games, he was 49-78 with 626 yards, six TDs and a 2-1 record.

You can't build a career of three games, but it's a start in the right direction.

If JaMarcus Russell still continues to have the same struggles as last year—the fumbles, throwing into tight coverage, not running when the field is wide open—then, yes, maybe bring in Garcia to show the kid how its done. But Jamarcus' career, I believe, is too early to be labeled as as a bust.