Should JaMarcus Russell Be The Backup QB?

After Oakland Raiders starting Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski went out of the game against the Washington Redskins on Sunday.  After suffering a knee injury shortly before half-time.  The crowd at MacAfee Coliseum welcomed former starter and current number 2 quarterback JaMarcus Russell with a chorus of boos.  The worry was that this would be the JaMarcus of the first 9 games of the season that lead the Raiders to a record of 2 -7.  Those worries were quickly wiped away and replaced with the reality that nothing has changed.  The Oakland Raider fans were treated to a series of scrambles, sacks, dropped balls, errant throws and an interception.  JaMarcus is JaMarcus and nothing has changed.

Over the past three weeks under the leadership of Bruce Gradkowski the Raiders offense had finally started to open up.  Gradkowski was hitting 2^nd and 3^rd read receivers, going through his progressions like a veteran QB and making smart decisions.  When he wasn’t making smart decisions he also was having a little luck on his side.  Gradkowski showed that he’s very hard to sack, making defenders miss, getting rid of the ball quickly or throwing it away when the play was broken up.  Sunday we saw the opposite from JaMarcus Russell.  Fans watched as Russell glared at his first read waiting for him to get open while the pocket collapsed around him.  They watched as Cornell Green jump up and down in frustration after he realized Russell was sacked yet again after holding off his man for longer than he can be expected to.

One thing has changed though for JaMarcus Russell and the Oakland Raiders over the past 3 weeks.  The question no longer is, is Russell good enough to be the starting Quarterback for the Raiders, but, is he good enough to be the number 2 Quarterback? 

Raider head coach Tom Cable said he was going to go with the player that would give the Raiders “the best chance to win” when he originally benched Russell in favor or Gradkowski.  But when Cable makes the Raider depth chart should he not ask himself who gives the Raiders the “best chance to win” if a starter goes down?

Currently the Raiders 3^rd Quarterback is Charlie Frye.  Frye has started 20 games at Quarterback in the NFL.  The majority of his starts were for the woe full Cleveland Browns, where he looked decent at times, but was mostly considered a rough player in need of some development.  In 2006 he even led the Browns to a win over the Oakland Raiders in Oakland, throwing 3 touch downs.   Since the 2006 season though he’s been relegated to being a back up waiting for his chance to contribute again.

In the offseason both Gradkowski and Frye were brought in to Oakland to compete for the number 3 job together.  They put up somewhat similar numbers in 3 preseason games, with Gradkowski throwing for 17 of 31, 280 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception.  Frye threw for 15 of 27, 185 yards and 1 touchdown and 1 interception.  At the time Coach Cable said Gradkowski had won the competition simply because he had been in camp longer and had a better handle on the offense then Frye.  The Raiders were so content with how well the two competed it made the favorite for the number 2 quarterback spot, Jeff Garcia, suddenly expendable in the team’s eyes.

Now that Russell has proven himself not to give the Raiders as good of a chance to win as Gradkowski, shouldn’t Frye be considered as possibly giving the Raiders a better chance to win when complared to Russell as well?  Tom Cable has to ask himself, if Gradkowski can’t go next week because of his knee injury, should Charlie Fry get the start?  The team should see what they have there before the end of the season.  Additionally if Gradkowski  is healthy and able to start but happens to get hurt again during the last three games of the season, does JaMarcus Russell give the Raiders the “best chance to win” as the number 2 quarterback, or does Charlie Frye?  My money is on Frye.