It is no secret that quarterback JaMarcus Russell has hit a few bumps in the road as he tries to become a prime time QB in the NFL, but after just two seasons are the Oakland Raiders justified to pull the rug from under the young quarterback's feet and hand the starting job over to veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia?
In my opinion, no, it isn't justified and the kid deserves one more shot before he gets dropped to the backup role. Obviously when the Raiders pick Russell number one in the draft a few years ago they were planning for the future and intending to make him the face of the franchise, but just the drastic mid season firing of head coach Lane Kiffin, Al Davis has absolutely no patience and wants to win as soon as possible.
Wanting to win in the NFL or any professional sport in the US for that matter is natural and admirable, but what Davis is asking for is just ridiculous. Yes, the Raiders have potential to be at least a playoff team, but the way he is imposing his will on the Raiders is not healthy and will continue to tear the team apart with frustrated coaches and unhappy players.
The Raiders went out an made somewhat of a drastic move by signing veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia to motivate Russell and secure the quarterback position as best they could for the next NFL season.
Garcia has been great quarterback throughout his career starting with another bay area team in the San Francisco 49ers where he had to deal with the ego of a young Terrell Owens. Once Garcia started to get on in years and the Niners started to drop off the veteran quarterback started to hop around the NFL with stops in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay before signing with the Oakland Raiders this offseason.
Some say Garcia is over the hill and others believe he still might have a few good years left in him like Kerry Collins in Tennessee. The one thing that has made Garcia successful every where he has gone has been his will to win and never say die attitude which he fully intends to bring with him to Oakland as he tries to compete for the starting job with JaMarcus Russell.
"Not knocking JaMarcus or anybody else on the team, but I have a belief in my own abilities," Garcia said in a phone interview from his home in San Diego.. "[That has] me feeling I am the best quarterback on the team. That's just how I approach the game."
The debate in Oakland now is: Who to start at quarterback?
JaMarcus Russell has tremendous upside with a cannon for an arm, quick feet and a big body, but he lacks experience and has had problems with his weight. Garcia on the other hand is a proven quarterback with experience and the competitive fire sorely lacking in Oakland.
Who will get the starting job? Honestly, I couldn't say, but I think they will either put Russell on a short leash and once he makes a mistake pull him out or start Garcia at the get go and have Russell use Garcia as a mentor.
Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens and who will be taking the snaps when the season begins.
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