Lombardi: Russell’s downfall is ‘indifference’
Published: May 6th, 2010 | Tags: JaMarcus Russell, Michael Lombardi, NFL Total Access, Oakland Raiders
NFL Network insider Michael Lombardi, our resident Raiders expert and a former front office executive of the team, offered some insight Thursday following the release of QB JaMarcus Russell, the first overall choice of the 2007 NFL Draft.
“What I see in JaMarcus is indifference,” Lombardi said. “I think it’s the worst thing you can be, is indifferent about a sport. He just doesn’t care about whether he’s good or bad. There has to be an element of pride that comes into play here.
“I’ll give the Raiders credit — and I am a harsh critic at times of the Raiders — but I give them credit. They tried to make this work.”
The obvious question is this: Will another team take a chance on Russell? It seems almost certain that someone, at some point, will. Second, and third, chances abound in the NFL.
Lombardi believes Russell will get at least one more chance from an NFL team, but chatting off-air, that team isn’t initially easily defined. Checking in with former coach and Network analyst Jim Mora, he believes teams have nothing to lose by bringing in Russell at the minimum, with no signing bonus. NFL.com senior analyst Pat Kirwan agreed, believing if Russell is willing to accept the minimum, he’ll be able to get a team to bring him in as a No. 3 QB.
At some point, we will see Russell in another uniform.