Oakland Raiders News: Will JaMarcus Russell Be the Best NFL Quarterback Born in 1985?

by saint on Feb 16, 2009 11:40 AM PST Comment 33 comments

Lost in all of the hullabaloo of last season's performances by Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco is that each of them is actually older than Oakland Raider Quarterback, JaMarcus Russell.

Born in January, Flacco is 8 months older than J-Russ and being born on May 17th, Matt Ryan is 3 months older than the Raider's quarterback.

Alex Smith and Brady Quinn were born in 1984 and Brian Brohm is actually days younger than JaMarcus, but, has fallen to third on Green Bay's depth chart.

Interestingly enough, even though he wasn't a true rookie, JaMarcus was the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL and unless someone throws another rookie on the flame, Matt Stafford (Born in 1988), he may be the youngest starting QB in 2009.

This is very important when you think about JaMarcus Russell's performances and his growth.

Just look at last season's trends:

After 13 games Russell compiled a 7-6 TD to Interception rate, had been sacked 27 times (2.07 times per game) and had only finished 5 games with a QB rating above 85.

In his final three games he had a 6-2 TD to INT rate, was sacked 4 times (1.33 per game) and had his lowest QB rating 85.7 against New England. The two other games he finshed at 128.1 and 98.9, respectively.

In the same three games Ryan compiled a 2-4 TD to INT rate, was sacked the same amount of times, 4, and didn't have one game over an 85 QB rating, even though he played against lesser competition.

Joe Flacco finished the year with a 1-2 TD to INT rate, was sacked 9 times and had one rating higher than 85, even though he didn't throw a TD in that game.

When you compare these QB's throughout the season they each win different segments, but, in my opinion it is how you finish the season that matters most and without a doubt, JaMarcus Russell finished the season MUCH stronger than the quarterbacks that have become media darlings, although they wilted down the stretch.

I wonder if even the MOST die-hard of NFL fans knows these stats?

He was down to his 4th-6th best options at wide-out and still performed better!!!

What do you think Nation?

Poll

Which QB, born in 1985, will have the best NFL career?

JaMarcus Russell

579 votes

Brian Brohm

3 votes

Matt Ryan

157 votes

Joe Flacco

34 votes

773 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Come On

We all know who we like

A New Spirit, A New Team, A New Coach, But Same Commitment.

by Rayder K on Feb 16, 2009 12:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I have to admit that I voted for Matt Ryan.

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Feb 16, 2009 1:20 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I went with Ryan

Dude’s gonna be the next Brady in my mind. Maybe not that good, but he’ll be one of the elite of his career in about two years.

Your statement about finishing strong is the opposite for me. Russell finished strong but his team didn’t make the playoffs. To me, whichever QB leads his team to more wins is the better.

Soundwave: "Spurs superior, Celtics inferior" Word soundwave. word.

by KA1Z3R on Feb 16, 2009 2:07 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Of Course Making The Playoffs is a Team Effort:

Then again, so is NOT making the playoffs.

I’d rather have a QB who is soaring and roaring into the playoffs, than one that is fading at the end.

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 16, 2009 2:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Shhh, saint! Stop it!

You’re using all these “facts” and “statstics” to offer “proof” that JaMarcus is at least as good as Ryan or Flacco!

Heavens, don’t you know you can’t interfere with the agreed upon media narrative that J-Russ is a lazy bust and that Flacco and Ryan are the second comings of Elway and Montana?!?! Goodness, you’ll give all the craphead sportswriters the vapors with this kind of sensible talk!

by Raybin on Feb 16, 2009 2:17 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

LMAO!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!!! I Guess That's Why Blogs are Becoming More Relevant than Major Sports Media

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 16, 2009 2:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

couldn't put it any better

I think J-Roc will be a great QB at one point in his career, when I don’t know. But every young QB’s development has a lot to do with the coaches and the OL schemes they use, It looks to me that J-Roc is a slow developer, the good thing is that we have a young offense and all will develop at the same time, we might be 2 years away from a true run at the Super Bowl, IMO.

"THE RAIDERS DON'T REBUILD THEY RELOAD"

by raiderlalo81 on Feb 17, 2009 6:35 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Lost in your article is the turmoil

that Russell had to go through with the Kiffin = Davis feud, the change in coach, and then the growing pains from Knapp to Cable. There is not question that Kiffin held Russell back the first year which made it almost a lost year, then even early in the year Kiffin no doubt was feuding with Davis as to how to use Russell. It was very impressive the development over the last 3 games given the previous changes. Not to mention Russell getting into a little hot water over missing an interview, then being called out for not practicing enough.
To be honest Flacco and Ryan were not that impressive other than both got away with completing some long passes early in the season which got them some wins and a lot of favorable press. Neither was particularly adept at leading their teams on sustained drives. I suspect all 3 will be very good QB’s some day, who will be the best, no idea, guess it depends on who gets the best coaching and has the best complement of players.

by Laoren on Feb 16, 2009 4:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I think that Russell

would be called less of a bust if he didn’t have the gall to hold out for an extraordinary amount of money when he hadn’t even taken a snap yet. Let’s not blame all of Russell’s holding back on Kiffin now. Every one seems to forget JR willingly missed training camp his rookie year.

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!

by mikesd1981 on Feb 16, 2009 5:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't keep track of rookie bonus money

which we all know is inflated and don’t have in front of me what Ryan got last year as opposed to what Russell got the year before but suspect it was at least the same or slightly higher. I just don’t think you can blame Russell for holding out, he did what all the others do, hire agents and let them fight it out with the owners. It is a terribly flawed system which I suspect will get resolved when the next Union contract is signed. I find it interesting that some are calling Russell a bust, but compared to rookie seasons of some Hall of Fame QB’s who had more experience than Russell coming out of college their early seasons were much worse than Russell’s last year.

by Laoren on Feb 16, 2009 8:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oncer Henderson

went in and Russell had time to think, my opinion of Russell was less harsh.

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!

by mikesd1981 on Feb 17, 2009 4:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Matt Ryan and Russell contracts

Ryan:

5/20/2008: Signed a six-year, $72 million contract. The deal contains $6 million in incentives and $34.75 million guaranteed, including a $7.45 million “log” bonus and a $2.505 million roster bonus in the first year. There was no signing bonus. 2009: $3.5 million, 2010: $4.2 million, 2011: $4.9 million, 2012: $5.6 million, 2013: $6.3 million, 2014: Free Agent

Russell:
.
9/10/2007: Signed a six-year, $61 million contract. The deal contains $32 million guaranteed, including all six years’ base salaries and a $19.9 million option bonus in the second year. Also available is a onetime performance bonus of $2.8 million. Another $7 million is available through incentives. Russell earned a $3 million escalator for 2010 by taking over 45% of the snaps in 2008. 2009: $460,000, 2010: $550,000 (+ $3 million escalator), 2011: $650,000, 2012: $6.69672 million, 2013: Free Agent

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!

by mikesd1981 on Feb 17, 2009 5:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the research

but it does kind of prove my point. Atlanta didn’t flinch when drafting and signing Ryan, the Raiders apparently did flinch. I think Ryan was drafted on the 3rd pick and not the first like Russell so his deal is much better. It doesn’t change the fact that the system has to be changed, an awful lot of money for unproven players.

by Laoren on Feb 17, 2009 11:21 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually Mark Jackson, Kiffin's Buddy, Handled the Negotiations:

With Russell. Nuff said.

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 17, 2009 2:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you have a link

to back that up? I’m not saying your wrong, but Kiffin didn’t even want to draft Russell…..I thought your man Davis handled all the contracts, so a link would be nice.

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!

by mikesd1981 on Feb 17, 2009 4:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Here You Go:

Davis had final say, which he always does, but Mark Jackson was the point man before and after the draft.

It makes sense that Lane had his guy stall talks so that he could get “His Guy” Josh McCown ready and once again make the Raiders look bad.

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 17, 2009 5:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oops, The Link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/31/SPCIR9U0T1.DTL

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 17, 2009 5:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well if Davis

had final say, then it’s his fault all this got fucked up, isn’t it? The buck stops at the top. Davis should have stepped in from the get go and negotiated this himself.

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!

by mikesd1981 on Feb 17, 2009 5:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The Man Can't Do Everything:

Although many like to think that he still does. I bet that if he didn’t step in when he did, J-Russ would have re-entered the draft last year.

But, I’m over the whole mess that was 2006-2008.

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 18, 2009 8:35 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Then leave Kiffin

alone already.

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!

by mikesd1981 on Feb 18, 2009 3:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You've got to be kidding me!!!!!!

This was by far the dumbest waste of my time. Best QB of 85# ,you need to gat a life man because you are REACHING for positive things to say about this QB.

Next year double digit losses and a new coach.

by Phaider on Feb 17, 2009 7:59 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I am saying that he is better than two other young QBs:

Who took their teams to the playoffs. That isn’t reaching at all…

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 17, 2009 8:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You should do what I do when I see your posts, just ignore them.

by Laoren on Feb 17, 2009 11:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

After watching all my Ravens games 2-3 times i’m still trying to get a read on Flacco. He had a great D that kept him in position and got the ball back to him quickly. But, he also had a one armed 36 year old number 1 receiver in Mason, a fading and injured Todd Heap and a mix bag of 2-4 receivers. His runningbacks were rookie Rice/injured McGahee and FB McClaine. Old Willie Anderson had his back side.

I think the D and O cancelled each other out and it left average Joe. He has blind spots (right flat) that I thought he cured earlier in the season but they emerged in the Champ. game. His arm is the real deal. He moves well and he doesn’t get too high or too low. I think if we can have 2 good receivers involved in every game with the run game we have (and something close to Raven D) he has the capacity to be regular 10 win guy. The tools and mental make up are there- not homer speak.

Russell finally got some confidence after the circus. I look forward to watching him next year. Ryan so far is the best and most fiery. Although I can’t stand the Steelers, I marvel at Ben’s play. He’s is frustratingly close to amazing. I hope Flacco learns from him.

by raven on Feb 17, 2009 9:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Nice Take...Thanks

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Feb 18, 2009 8:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You guys are getting drunk on the koolaid again. :)

I can’t really blame you guys though….all your hopes are tied to him. Al Davis induced salary cap hell notwithstanding.

Jay Cutler was sacked, what?, 2.5 times all last year? 4500 yards passing, countless 4th quarter heroics and a defense that is arguably the worst in Bronco history and a joke of a running attack. That, in Cutlers second full season as QB. Do you expect Russell to do the same? If the Raiders were smart, they’d use this draft pick on another quarterback just to hedge your bets.

Good luck next year…I really am glad to have the rivalry beginning to return again. 2-2 in the last two years….back to the order of things between us and no more being Shanny’s punk bitach. lol

Is there such a thing as a Playstation 3 Anonymous? I can't seem to stop thinking about or playing COD 4 and COD 5. I hear this is quite normal for a teenager, but I haven't been a teenager since Bill Clinton was frolicking with interns.

by Tim Lynch on Feb 19, 2009 10:50 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Cutler

The same guy who had to win just one game at the end of the season to get to the playoffs and couldn’t. Very impressive specimen you got there. How many years has he been a starter in the NFL? Did he make the playoffs once yet?

A New Spirit, A New Team, A New Coach, But Same Commitment.

by Rayder K on Feb 19, 2009 12:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Come on now....

He had 8 different starting running backs, the worst defense in Bronco history and he still won 8 games. The Raiders have a better defense and better running backs…how many wins did Mr. Russel bring home?

by Tim Lynch on Feb 20, 2009 11:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

How many

good receivers did Russell have? Name one that jumps out. Name a great offensive line player we have? Let the pieces fall into place and then talk. And, that was like J-Mac’s rookie season. I think he threw less int’s than Cutler this season. Pretty amazing. Also, he doesn’t have a punk mouth screaming at everyone when something goes wrong. J-Mac is quiet and a true leader. At least he isn’t hated by others in the NFL.

A New Spirit, A New Team, A New Coach, But Same Commitment.

by Rayder K on Feb 22, 2009 8:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Receivers are overrated....Cutler would tear it up with your core of running backs.

12-4 easily. Jay Cutler isn’t a punk mouth…you are confusing him with Phyllis Rivers. Cutler is a vocal leader and his guys responded to it rather well. He doesn’t sit on the sideline and bitch and moan like Phyllis…that’s the guy you must be thinking of.

by Tim Lynch on Feb 23, 2009 2:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No

Im talking about Cutler. I saw him when he threw a pass and it was like 4 down and he went straight to the ref and started talking.

A New Spirit, A New Team, A New Coach, But Same Commitment.

by Rayder K on Feb 23, 2009 7:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

that's being a competitor.

Phyllis is way worse….John Elway would argue plays too… When you are a competitor and have a strong desire to win you fight for every inch…especially when you have the worst defense in NFL history.

by Tim Lynch on Feb 24, 2009 9:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs