He has to be in the bottom 3 of worst overall #1 picks ever. And I think everyone knew it even then. I mean, every time you can pick a guy that has one shining game in college against a horrible pass defense, you have to do it, right?
I don't have a direct link to the quote below (originally posted on another forum) but this is hilarious:
Originally posted by Mel Kiper, Jr in 2007(Russell) is going to immediately energize that fanbase, that football team -- on the practice field, in that locker room. Three years from now you could be looking at a guy that's certainly one of the elite top five quarterbacks in this league. ...You're talking about a 2-3 year period once he's under center. Look out because the skill level that he has is certainly John Elway-like."
Kiper should be more embarrassed about that prognostication than Jimmy Clausen falling to the second round.
At $39 million and 326 incompletions, to his 354 completions according to nfl.com, he made about $119,632 an incompletion.
Or, about $5,571,429 for each of his seven wins.
Yikes.
I would have to say Leaf is still the biggest recent bust as he proclaimed he would be hailed a hero with a parade after a superbowl win, and got into locker room fights.
Russel was just a highly touted fat and lazy QB who just doesn't seem to care about football after hitting that jackpot contract. (Which is another whole thread in itself about how it is dumb to throw all that money at a QB who hasn't even played one down in the NFL. Kiper, and the Raiders, were dead wrong about his "pro talent.")
Kornheiser says he's the worst #1 overall pick of all time. I'm having a hard time picking someone who might prove him wrong.
But in fairness to the Raiders, Russell was showing some pretty insane physical skills prior to the draft. I'm sure everyone remembers the whole can-throw-60-yards-from-his-knees thing. And I'm glad he went first so that Calvin Johnson wasn't stuck with a team as crappy as the Raiders. Oh, wait...
How many times has a team taken a QB who had great physical ability but needed a lot of work on fundamentals and had it work out?
Every year it seems we have a guy just like that and he gets drafted higher based on potential and I can't really think of it ever working out. Maybe McNair? I don't know why teams let themselves get talked into this time and time again.
Mel wasn't the only one who thought highly of Russel, pretty much everyone else did when he bombed the Irish in the Sugar Bowl. The game was more about who was going number 1 in the draft, JaMarcus or Quinn. As bad as Quinn has played, he is nothing as terrible as Russel. I don't know what team would pick him up either. For the modern age from 1980 to today, yeah is the worst pick. If he had injury problems, I could see him getting a bye, but he just sucked.
Originally posted by ZeruelI would have to say Leaf is still the biggest recent bust as he proclaimed he would be hailed a hero with a parade after a superbowl win, and got into locker room fights.
Tough call. Russell gets points for going first overall and costing far more money, but Leaf out-sucks him in just about every measurable category. Comparing stats for the two actually serves as a useful reminder of just how historically awful Ryan Leaf was.
"Winner" in terms of awfulness in italics.
QB rating Leaf - 50.0; Russell - 65.2
Completions Leaf - 317; Russell - 354
Completion % Leaf - 48.4%; Russell - 52.1%
Passing Yards Leaf - 3,666; Russell - 4,083
TDs Leaf - 14; Russell - 18
INTs Leaf - 36; Russell - 23
I wonder who, if anyone, takes a chance on Russell now. No way does he start next season, but I can see someone believing there's enough physical tools there to make him worth having around as a development project.
Originally posted by StingArmyAnd I'm glad he went first so that Calvin Johnson wasn't stuck with a team as crappy as the Raiders. Oh, wait...
I wouldn't necessarily call the Lions crappy anymore. It still remains to be seen how 2010 will turn out for them, but they have the right pieces in place to finish with a respectable record.
Originally posted by wmatisticHow many times has a team taken a QB who had great physical ability but needed a lot of work on fundamentals and had it work out?
Every year it seems we have a guy just like that and he gets drafted higher based on potential and I can't really think of it ever working out. Maybe McNair? I don't know why teams let themselves get talked into this time and time again.
Originally posted by wmatisticHow many times has a team taken a QB who had great physical ability but needed a lot of work on fundamentals and had it work out?
Every year it seems we have a guy just like that and he gets drafted higher based on potential and I can't really think of it ever working out. Maybe McNair? I don't know why teams let themselves get talked into this time and time again.
Originally posted by dMrRussell gets points for going first overall and costing far more money
If Russell gets points for going first overall, Leaf should get points for the package the Chargers traded to move up to #2 that year.
Arizona traded the #2 overall pick in 1998 to San Diego.
San Diego traded... - the #3 overall pick in 1998 - the #33 overall pick in 1998 - the #8 overall pick in 1999 - reserve LB Patrick Sapp, who had started 9 games in 1997 and was the #50 overall pick in 1996 - Eric Metcalf, who had been to three Pro Bowls and was coming off a season in San Diego where he returned three punts for TDs
...to Arizona.
Arizona ended up with Andre Wadsworth (8 career sacks), Corey Chavous (20 career INTs), and David Boston (315 career receptions with 25 TDs) out of the picks, so they obviously didn't KILL it with their drafting, but if they had done better with those picks this would be looked at as the little brother of the Herschel Walker trade.
Holy fuck shit motherfucker shit. Read comics. Fuck shit shit fuck shit I sold out when I did my job. Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck. Sorry had to do it....
*snip*
Revenge of the Sith = one thumb up from me. Fuck shit. I want to tittie fuck your ass. -- The Guinness. to Cerebus
Who can be said to have excelled at any position with the Raiders since their Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay? That's not rhetorical.
I have no investment in the guy. Has there been a sound system in place to help him transition to the starting role? Campbell gives me the same concern. It's the Raiders. My understanding is that they're a mess.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Matt TrackerWho can be said to have excelled at any position with the Raiders since their Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay? That's not rhetorical.
I have no investment in the guy. Has there been a sound system in place to help him transition to the starting role? Campbell gives me the same concern. It's the Raiders. My understanding is that they're a mess.
I dunno, everything I've read from "insiders" says Russell just didn't like to work at all. Zero desire to be a great football player, work out, study the playbook, be a leader or good teammate, anything.
It could be that with work ethic he would have been great, but he's got none so I don't expect he'll ever amount to anything.
At least with Campbell he appears to be trying to improve himself. That's a step up.
Originally posted by Matt TrackerWho can be said to have excelled at any position with the Raiders since their Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay? That's not rhetorical.
I have no investment in the guy. Has there been a sound system in place to help him transition to the starting role? Campbell gives me the same concern. It's the Raiders. My understanding is that they're a mess.
Nnamdi Asomugha is considered one of the two best in the league at his position.
Originally posted by wmatisticHow many times has a team taken a QB who had great physical ability but needed a lot of work on fundamentals and had it work out?
Every year it seems we have a guy just like that and he gets drafted higher based on potential and I can't really think of it ever working out. Maybe McNair? I don't know why teams let themselves get talked into this time and time again.
Michael Vick.
Is that an example of it working, or not?
He led them to the NFC title game and was one of the more electrifying QBs in the league, leading to the team becoming more popular for that few years. I'd say it worked out in the short term.
No way are Emtman and Mandarich bigger busts than Russell. Emtman had actual reasons and Mandarich was a solid player later on in his career. Russell is comparable to Leaf and no one would say Leaf was less of a bust than those two players.
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Seems like both conferences have two surprisingly good teams (Pittsburgh & Jacksonville in the AFC, Detroit & NY in the NFC) and two astonishingly shitty ones (come on down Miami and Tennessee, Carolina and Dallas).