The Proof is in the Pudding!

A collective sigh resonated throughout Raider Nation as the second half of football played out today in Oakland. That sigh, heard from coast to coast, was every Raider fan's disgruntled, sorrow as Jamarcus Russell took the field in place of the injured Bruce Gradkowski. "Why couldn't it be Charlie Frye.....or Jay Schroeder or even Vince Evans????" I caught myself exclaiming as the Jello Pudding Pop that is Jamarcus Russell took his first steps of ineptitude in over 3 weeks. And the proof was in the pudding indeed! Just days after hearing how the team didn't make plays for him earlier in the year, Jamarcus truly showed us that plays were in fact not being made. Unfortunately for him, all of those plays were bungled by number 2, Jamarcus Russell himself. If Al Davis cannot see what has so clearly been bought to his attention in today's game, something is seriously wrong. In the first half, amidst horrific referee calls and John Fassell's DOH!!! moment, Bruce Gradkowski was making plays and the offense was responding as they have since he was inserted at QB. Not only was the offense riding the emotional boost he provides, but his leadership transcended to the defensive side of the ball as well. Then as quickly as it seemed we had salvaged some dignity in this lost season...that dignity was thrown out the door as Jamarcus Russell took the field and single handedly turned a winnable game into a blow out by a sad excuse of an opponent in the Washington Redskins. Gradkowski and Russell faced the same complex defensive scheme and had the same players lined up with them on the offensive side of the ball. Yet the plays that Gradkowski so simply made, Russell seemed to not be able to get out of his own way on. As the season rolls along, I cannot help but think back over this entire season and view the growth of my own enlightenment as to where the problem truly lies in this team I love. DHB, while not a true number 1 at wide out is not the problem. D-Mac, while not the hardest runner in the league is not the problem. The O line, while not the greatest in the league is not the problem. While we may not have the most gifted roster in the league, the gritty workmanlike attitude present in players like Louis Murphy, Justin Fargas and Michael Huff....yes that Michael Huff is proof that the problem is not there. The problem starts and ends with Jamarcus Russell. Until Al Davis accepts his mistake and swallows his pride, that will remain the Raiders problem. So next time someone interviews the pudding pop and he so proudly states that his QB play has been just fine and that the rest of the team is the problem, I hope the interviewer has a tape of this game. Then again, sadly, I think it will be the first game film that he has ever watched. But that is a whole other story in itself!