OT - J. Russell: Literally the "Biggest Bust" Ever
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/173212-jamarcus-russell-…
Weighs in at 290 pounds...
I know Al Davis' motto has always been "Just win baby" but in this case he could make an exception and make it "Just lose baby!"
Tony Mandarich was bigger.
Sparty NO!
Darko? If Mandarich is mentioned it is probably because the greatest running back ever, IME, was chosen one pick after him. Look who came in order after Darko: Anthony, Bosh and Wade. Ouch!
BTW: the 24th pick in that NBA draft to Los Angeles: Brian Cook.
I think we're talking physical size here (hence the "literally biggest" line in the OP). Darko is taller than Mandarich but a lot lighter.
Anyway, Mandarich deserves special dishonorable mention for his PED use. Once he wasn't allowed to take anabolic steroids, he was miraculously transformed from the best lineman prospect ever into a really shitty tackle.
to maybe make the move to TE? Or possibly a switch to the OL?
Bruce Gradkowski!
I am a Raiders fan and I hope that he ( Gradkowski ) is the starting quarterback going into the season. You can have all the talent in the world ( Russell ), but if you are not going to put forth the effort to be a leader of your team and show that you are willing to do the right thing off the field and in the off-season then how can you be relied on to lead them on it. He has been a monumental disappointment ever since he has got there. Gradkowski might not have the arm strength that he does but that is not everything. Russell throws a pass in the flat with the same velocity as he does a go route and it is usually 5 yards to high. For a while I though Tacopants had been drafted by the Raiders.
I'm just a Toledo alum. All of my best sports memories are Michigan, except the countless memories I have of Gradkowski being 17 kinds of awesome.
Let's not forget Ryan Leaf...he was up there with this guy though maybe for different reasons.
Remember that raging debate over who to take first, the more NFL-ready Peyton Manning, or the more physically talented but raw Leaf?
Didn't take long to get the answer to that one.
Hard to defend the guy, but he really just seemed to be emotionally immature and unprepared to be an NFL qb in the spotlight (SEE his outbursts at being questioned by reporters or heckled by fans in training camp). Russell, on the other hand, is just flat out lazy.
He was immensely talented but completely unprepared for the pro game. Watching him play against Michigan in that Rose Bowl you would had to have thought he was a future NFL star..
That's what she said
Uhhhh.....
The Raiders have to be the only team worse at drafting players than the Lions in the past 10 years.
Browns win. A rare headline.
Russell was the classic case of falling in love with measurables, but not examining enough character (not in the "good guy" sense but in the always tries hard sense) and film. He had one great Bowl game, but the body of his career at LSU was not #1 overall pick worthy at all.
Davis' drafting philosophy would make sense if college football didn't exist and the combine results were the only info available about players.
I was hoping this was a post abt. Jane Russell....who also fits the above description....
If the Raiders would have given up on the Russell experiment earlier in the season, they might have won several more games. Gradkowski look far superior as a qb, he had a 80.6 qb rating to Russells 50. I hope they just cut him and save their fans some headaches.
I think these 20' tall busts are bigger:
Oh... you mean that kind of bust. Disregard.
Oh... you mean that kind of bust. Disregard.It's been a long while since the Raiders were consistently good, so they don't invoke much reaction from me. However, the train-wreck entertainment factor, no matter who DMarco plays for, makes the NFL a little more enjoyable.
Is bigger. First, the No. 1 pick. Second, this guarantees that franchise stays in the cellar for the next half decade probably. With Ryan Leaf, the Chargers bounced back. With Darko...hell, the Pistons won the championship that year, which blunted the disaster.
Frankly, I think Russell was the easiest to predict. He had a mediocre season at LSU, blew up against Notre Dame in the bowl, and all of a sudden he was the No.1 pick. What a joke.