The Daily WTF: Jeff Garcia Rips Oakland Raiders

Quarterback Jeff Garcia put the Raiders on blast, aiming his cannon straight for the organization that elected to release him and start JaMarcus Russell.

He started by saying it's unfortunate that "the entire work ethic and the entire goal of the team is really put upon one guy's shoulders."

He continued by adding that Russell may be more of a workout warrior than a battlefield leader, saying, "When you put him on the field in a one-on-one workout session, he'll make every throw for you."

When it comes to his leadership?

"That's where maybe things aren't where they need to be."

Garcia could be perceived as bitter, but he's been nothing short of a class act all the way throughout his career.

It's likely that he's incredibly torn up about not being the starting quarterback for the championship caliber Oakland Raiders .

The Daily WTF goes to...

The Oakland Raiders, who haven't known what they're doing ever since they fired Jon Gruden.

Although he's in the right, Garcia still gets a slap on the wrist for the way he talked about the Raiders' roster, saying, "It was to a point where I felt like guys who walked through those doors that just were there to collect a check and not really interested in putting everything that they had within themselves on to the football field."

What did the players on the team do to deserve those remarks?

Garcia has been a class act in the past, but I'm not sure what he was thinking by saying this. Maybe he's right, but calling them out unprovoked is uncalled for.

He had every right to put the organization on blast. It could be argued that he had the right to call out JaMarcus Russell's ineptitude as a quarterback after they chose him to be their starter while releasing a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

After all, Russell's work ethic has often been questioned, and it's fair to say that he can't carry the team like a franchise quarterback should be able to.

Yes, JaMarcus Russell showed promise toward the end of last season, but he is still a young quarterback with a lot to learn. Garcia is exactly right in the indictment of the organization, for putting Russell on the spot at such a young age when it's clear he's not ready for it.

Garcia isn't the only Raiders quarterback taking shots at 2007's first overall draft pick, either; Rich Gannon said on his Sirius radio show that Russell doesn't have the right mechanics in footwork, but also that he can't read the NFL's complex coverages.

Quarterbacks taken with the first overall selection have proven inefficient in reading coverages in the past, and Russell appears to be no different.

Although he had a strong showing at the end of the 2008 season, he did it against the Buccaneers (who went 0-4 in December) and the Texans (who had the 22nd ranked pass defense in 2008).

The Raiders had no idea what they were thinking releasing Garcia. It can obviously create a divide when there's a quarterback competition, but he could have (and would have been open to) mentoring a young quarterback.

Could this have been the season for the Raiders to make a run at the Super Bowl? No.

Even with Garcia under center, they wouldn't have made a run at the playoffs, but it's quite obvious they have a better chance of winning games with Garcia over Russell. Winning breeds winning, especially in the NFL, where confidence, knowledge, and work ethic are so key. Garcia possesses all of those qualities, along with a heap of leadership.

"Maybe it's because how things have been for a number of years now out there and they just don't see the hope," he said.

WTF, Raiders?

Sources:

The Clarion Ledger
ESPN.com