How to Fix the Broken Oakland Raiders and JaMarcus Russell

Before the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos game, I told friends, that JaMarcus Russell would have a good game. During the Raiders second offensive series, Russell threw a pick, I quickly pointed out that the interception wasn't the QB's fault, the receiver fell down. When the following series also ended in a pick, I had to concede that this, like many others, wouldn't be JaMarcus Russell's day. In his third year, you wonder when Russell will begin to play like the QB the Raiders envisioned, when they drafted him #1 overall in the 2007 draft.

What's puzzling, is the Raiders have talented pieces, they just can't seem to put them together in the right way to form a good offensive football team. They have three high first round draft picks at their key offensive positions, JaMarcus Russell at QB, Darren McFadden at running back, and this year's first round pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey. While no one will mistake this group for Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, if the Raiders could find a way to motivate and cultivate these players, they could provide Oakland with a potent offense for years. The problem is right now, the play of Oakland's big three has been horrible.

Last year's first round pick, Darren McFadden, can't seem to hold on to the ball, Darrius Heyward-Bey has yet to learn how to catch the ball in the NFL, and Russell is having trouble completing passes to his teammates. I know Al Davis loves speed and the Raiders have always loved throwing the deep ball to speedy receivers, but at some point you need to play within your means and to your strengths.

The Raiders could be a good rushing team, Michael Bush is an exciting runner and Darren McFadden has shown glimpses of how good he can be, if he can solve his fumbling issue. Not to mention, Justin Fargas, who when healthy, has been a reliable back for Oakland. The Raiders also possess a very good young tight end, Zach Miller who, along with surprise rookie receiver, Louis Murphy, is the Raiders biggest weapon in the passing game. Against Denver, Russell began the game throwing the ball down the field with no success. I wonder if the young QB was allowed to ease into the game and gain confidence, with screen passes and underneath passes to the reliable Miller, he would improve on his 41.3 completion percentage.

The Raiders have a lot of money invested in three players, and if they can't find a way to make them successful, Tom Cable is going to have a short tenure as Raiders head coach. Oakland's next game is against the Texans, in Houston. The Raiders offense is ranked #30 in the NFL in total yards and will have to protect the ball against Houston to have a chance at a win. If they take care of the ball, the Raiders offense should be able to move down the field against a Texans defense which is ranked 29^th in the NFL, giving up over 400 yards per game.

After Houston, Oakland's schedule gets tough, NY Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers before the bye week. The Raiders need to focus on doing simple, fundamental things, and try and regain some confidence.

Sources:

　http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/stats/2009/team_defense/0_byDFNS_YDS_PER_GAME.html
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/total
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=10446